PASADENA, Calif. — The Pasadena Police Chief has 30 job openings he needs to fill in the next several months.

Chief John Perez says he’s hoping to hire local police officers — the best of the best, who reflect the growing diversity and culture of the town.

Sgt. Milton White with the Pasadena Police Department is living out a childhood dream. As a kid, he always loved crime shows and documentaries — an interest-turned-calling that now requires a certain passion to keep clocking in.

"My dad used to have a saying... eat the fish and leave the bone," said White. "So the positive things that happen in the street, you have to hold on to those, and you have to allow the kids who wave, the kids who love receiving stickers from you, when you find the missing child, when you arrest the robbery suspect who snatched a necklace off the pregnant lady’s neck — those are things that are rewarding.”

White runs the program that trains new officers fresh on the force for the first five months on the job, when they learn the ins and outs of what it means to be a police officer.

Both White and his boss, Chief Perez, recognize the need for change and citizen input when it comes to policing in 2020. Perez says 30 officer openings by the end of January means an opportunity to shape the future of his department. It's a restructuring he says he already started back in February.

"We eliminated the gang unit," said Perez. "Now this is a community that’s suffered through high levels of violence over the decades."

It was the first step of several. Perez also started working with community activists and advocates to change his use of force protocols and implement new implicit bias training.

"At the same time we have to recruit good people," he said. "For every 100 people that apply, we hire one. That’s just for hiring. That’s before they enter into a six month academy to graduate and then another six months of training before they go on a one-year probation."

Come January, the chief says 15% of his officers are retiring, most from typical injuries that come with being a police officer. He’s looking to hire locals, the best of the best, who reflect the diversity of Pasadena.

"It’s very, very, very important because when you can reflect your community the best that you can, I think people look at it, and it creates a level of trust that we can all really engage with," said Perez.

The chief is training his new and old officers to build that trust but also rebuild the confidence with the community. He says he's looking for people who want to have a purpose — people, like Sgt. White, who are committed to the community.

“I hope and pray that at the end of this, we figure out as a community of law enforcement, African-American, minorities, all of the above, Black, white, green, brown — figure out a way to work together to create the safest place possible for our kids to go to the park."

If you would like to apply to serve as an officer, click here.