The Starkville Police Department may not be actively hiring, but the department is consistently looking to field applications from eager candidates on a rolling basis, according to SPD Public Information Officer Brandon Lovelady.
Lovelady recently drafted a new recruitment brochure as an additional tool for the department to use to interest individuals in the joining the force. SPD travels twice a year to various colleges and universities in Mississippi and the southeast, informing students about future careers in Starkville law enforcement.
There are currently 59 sworn officers on staff at SPD, along with 11 civilian administrative personnel and three part-time dispatch staffers. The department is allowed 62 officers, Lovelady said. All new officers are placed on a one-year probationary period, prior to any hire—which includes a vetting process from command staff—ending with a background check and reference referrals.
"When someone applies, we go through a lot," Lovelady said. "We reach out past references. Everyone starts on the prohibition period for a reason. We want to reach out the best we can during the background process."
For more, see the Oct. 30 edition.