CLEVELAND — Officer Aissha Broussard has been a recruiter for the Columbus Division of Police for two years.

What You Need To Know

  • For the first time, the Columbus Division of Police  is recruiting police officers from around the state to join its department 

  • Its new initiative is aimed at rebuilding its police force by drawing from cities also facing shortages

  • The department hopes to hire 170 new officers and recruit 50 officers from other departments across the state

  • The Columbus Division of Police recruiting team has already made stops in Cincinnati, Dayton, Toledo, Cleveland and will head to Akron next week.

“When I came on as a recruiter, COVID hit,” Broussard said. “So then we had to do adjustment as far as like how we were recruiting. Then we also had the protests after the George Floyd situation.”

Recruiting and keeping officers is a challenge that police divisions across the country are facing. 

“Yo​u have a lot of people deciding to retire early to leave, and then just trying to get people to want to do this profession to this job has been difficult,” she said. 

It’s an issue that led Columbus officers to Cleveland, one of the many stops they’re making after launching their “lateral transfer” recruiting program. For the first time, the Columbus Division of Police is accepting in-state transfers of police officers already certified in Ohio.

The mission is to hire 170 new officers and recruit 50 officers from other departments across the state.

“One hundred officers are leaving our department,” Broussard said. “We’re hurting, and we need more officers. It’s always good with this lateral that we’re having experienced police officers come out here into the community and work as well as having new officers.”

New officers are something the Cleveland Division of Police is actively searching for as well.

The division is experiencing a shortage of hundreds of officers. According to Jeff Follmer, the president of the Cleveland Police Patrolman’s Association, one issue contributing to the shortage may be the starting salary of about $52,000.  

In Columbus, officers are among the highest paid in the state. Officers with less than five years of experience will start at more than $67,000 per year.

“It’s nice to know that you can make a decent salary, and this is just flat rate where you’re making for laterals,” Broussard said. “If you have five years or more to make a little less than 90,000… You can make 103 after four years of being on our department.”

Broussard said although they are eager to fill positions, each lateral applicant will undergo extensive vetting. She said the division’s number one focus is growing an atmosphere of accountability, transparency and community trust.

“21st century policing… coming out there, being active in the community, the community that you serve, so they know you, you know them, they feel comfortable around you, and so that’s our focus,” Broussard said.