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BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP — Like many other police agencies across the state, the Bloomfield Township Police Department is losing more officers than it can hire.
So far, it hasn’t been a major concern for officials, due to proactive recruiting; however, there could be some challenges moving forward, as the department works to fill 11 vacant patrol positions this year.
The department’s current staffing model is two spots short due to retirements that have already occurred, and three more officers are slated to retire by the end of May. The Police Department also plans to reinstate its former five-officer traffic unit this year — which was part of a public safety millage voters approved last August, providing an estimated increase of $2.67 million for public safety in 2023.
Capt. Dan Edwards, who is leading Bloomfield Township’s recruiting team, is hoping to get a jump on the hiring process.
“Where other cities are cutting back, Township residents continue to be supportive and the passing of the millage demonstrates that,” Edwards said in a statement. “The financial leadership of the Township shows that we are in good fiscal health overall, and that’s attractive to many candidates.”
Community Relations Officer Nick Soley of the Bloomfield Township Police Department said the goal is to get back to 70 officers by hiring a total of 11 patrol positions this year.
“We want to get back to being fully staffed, and then hire our five new employees (for the traffic unit),” Soley said.
The last time the Police Department was fully staffed was in 2008 — with 70 sworn officers on the road, from the chief down, and 24 civilian personnel — according to Bloomfield Township Police Chief Phil Langmeyer.
While Soley admitted it’s a bit “unusual” for the department to be hiring 11 officers at once, he said it’s not unheard of.
“Back when pensions were a thing in law enforcement, you had requirements — 25 years and a certain age and you were out. A lot of people hire together and then they retire together, so you get these waves,” he said. “Once people get to a certain age and they know they are going to retire, we have to start the process.”
In Bloomfield Township, officers are required to have a bachelor’s degree.
“It’s one of the reasons we have a professional environment here, and that requirement helps us maintain that professionalism,” Soley said. “Studies show that there is less use of force with that bachelor’s degree, and it kind of reflects the community they serve.”
The hiring landscape is much different from when Edwards was looking for his first police job 30 years ago. When he sat for the police exam with 99 other candidates, Edwards said, they were all competing for one of four open positions in Bloomfield Township.
Today’s recruits have their choice of where they want to work.
“It seems to be common everywhere that there is a lot of hiring going on, so there is a lot of competition right now between departments and hiring,” Soley explained. “Recruits are in a very good spot to be coming out of the academy looking for police jobs.”
Solely is hoping the large number of openings in the Bloomfield Township Police Department will help draw in potential new hires. Those who are hired early on, he said, will be able to have seniority in their department quicker than other competing communities, enabling earlier transfer off the 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. “midnight shift” that new officers typically start on.
“If you were to get hired first and we are hiring 11, you now have seniority over 10 new officers — That’s a lot. It took me almost six years to have 10 guys under me, so there is a potential that someone could have seniority on 10 officers in one year,” he said.
Solely also said that Bloomfield Township is fiscally responsible.
“We’ve never had officers laid off here,” he said. “People want to know when they are going to work that they are secure in their job — that can be scary in public safety, and it has been for a number of years — and we’ve been secure here for a long time.”
Interested candidates should call (248) 433-7750 or visit the Bloomfield Township website at bloomfieldtwp.org.
