NORFOLK — The Norfolk City Council gave the Norfolk Police Division help in addressing its shortage of officers at the Council meeting on Tuesday night.
The Council voted unanimously to authorize the Police Division to hire part-time officers. Chief Bill Mizner says this will help the Division which is currently down six officers from its sworn strength.
“It will help us… eliminate at least some of the need to pull in off-duty people in certain situations,” Mizner said.
Mizner says he’s just targeting the handful of former Norfolk police officers that stayed in town after moving into the private sector.
“We’re trying to find those officers that are familiar with our policies, procedures, how we fill out reports, how we respond to calls,” Mizner said.
Mizner thinks it’s a win-win situation. A former cop loses his/her certification after two years away from law enforcement. Part-time work would allow them to keep their certification and help allow current officers to actually enjoy their time off.
“That kind of can become a drudgery when they find themselves repeatedly having to come in on their days off in order to fill the shift shortages,” Mizner said.
Mizner says the Police Division is recruiting new officers but it can take over a year to fully train a new Norfolk cop.
