AKRON, Ohio — For Akron’s Chief of Police Steve Mylett, becoming an officer has been a dream come true, and he wants to help inspire others to find love through the profession.
What You Need To Know
- Police departments across the country are looking to fill positions
- Several agencies in Ohio are hiring, including the Akron Police Department
- You can apply to the APD online now
“We get to serve people, we get to help people in bad moments,” Mylett said. “We get to participate in people’s lives during good moments.”
He’s been around the country to protect and serve. As of seven months ago, he took on the role of chief of police of the Rubber City.
“I’ve been doing one-on-one interviews with my employees, sworn and civilian, and one of the questions that I get asked, ‘What are and what should be the three top priorities of the Akron Police Department,’” Mylett said. “Almost universally, No. 1, they said, find more and better innovative ways to serve the public.”
Earlier this week, the city announced they will accept applications for police officer positions.
The department is on a mission to hire officers that represent the community they will serve.
One way they are doing this is through advisory teams.
“I’ve commissioned advisory teams based on race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation,” he said. “To advise us on how best to communicate our message out.”
Across the country, police departments are struggling to recruit officers.
The chief said one reason for this might be the recent discourse surrounding the profession.
“Things that happen in our country where we are at our worst, where a police officer does something that is unacceptable in all aspects. What we saw in Minneapolis, that was criminal. For every one of those, and we can’t condone them, and officers along with everyone else needs to be held accountable for their actions,” he said. “But for every one incident like that, I promise there are probably hundreds of exceptional things that police officers do.”
He said one of the most important things for the department to do is to maintain community trust and continue to build on it.
“There are some things that are barriers for people to join a police department, especially in communities of color,” he said. “The whole issue of trust, the whole issue of can I see myself in that role?”
Lt. Michael Miller said his two decades of serving the community of Akron have been extremely rewarding.
“I’ve personally been enriched. My life has changed since becoming a member of this police department. I’ve been here for 22 years,” Miller said. “One of my crowning achievements, in addition to the many times I’ve made direct personal connections and can say, based on some citizens’ accounts, that I have made a difference.”
Applications will be open through June 17. And the exam is planned for the beginning of July.
“We are looking for people who have a direct and specific passion to serve and put the needs of others before their own,” Miller explained.