BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — On Tuesday, law enforcement agencies with the Personnel Board of Jefferson County spoke to new applicants under one roof.
Those interested in working for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office or one of the 16 area police departments must submit their applications through the board. However, this one-day recruitment event at the Birmingham CrossPlex marked the first time all agencies were brought together.
Derrick Ball shook a lot of hands at the recruitment fair as a potential applicant with ten years of law enforcement experience.
“I’m coming in with several certifications and several instructor hats I wear,” Ball said. “So I want to see what would be a good fit for the agency.”
One booth that caught his eye was featuring the Birmingham Police Department due to its lateral program.
“They got some pretty good incentives with the 20-year retirement the $5,000 sign-on bonus,” Ball said.
His skill set and experience are clearly in demand.
“This line of work is not easy,” Ball said. “This is something a lot of people don’t sign up for so I think to see anybody that’s adamant about doing it is a welcoming feeling.”
Lt. Anthony Williams with Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office admits recruiting new applicants has been tough. Their next academy begins in January 2025.
“Unfortunately the narrative surrounding some bad actors seems to carry the day and what we have to do in a holistic fashion is to put the positive stories out," Williams said.
Birmingham police has an academy starting in November. Ideally, Officer Truman Fitzgerald said they would like to have 30 to 40 recruits, as 18 are graduating this month. To be considered, applicants must be able to perform 22 pushups, 25 sit-ups and run 12 laps in 15 minutes.
Jeff Crenshaw, the Personnel Board of Jefferson County's executive director, says about 150 applicants showed up for the one-day event.
“There have been challenges in law enforcement in the past years that have led to individuals not having a positive perspective of that type of career," Crenshaw said. “It’s a position that you can make a difference and really have a positive impact and be doing something different every single day.”
The recruitment fair also allowed applicants to take the ACT Work Keys test for free. If you couldn’t make it out, you can still apply by clicking here.