Crime & Safety

How Many Police Officers Have Been Added Since the Millage Passed Last Year?

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Patch reader Tim writes: "How many total police officers has the Royal Oak Police Department added so far since the millage? How many more are they planning to bring on?"

To answer Tim's question, Patch talked to Royal Oak Police Chief Corrigan O'Donohue. Here's what he said:

Before the millage was passed there were 66 sworn officers. As of today there are 72 sworn officers, including the four that were sworn in on Monday.
 
But O'Donohue doesn't feel comfortable counting officers until they have completed their field training program. So when asked, he will tell you there are 68 officers on the force, including five officers (pictured above) that recently completed their four-month training and were introduced to the City Commission on Monday.

"Thirteen people have been brought on, but there have also been retirements," O'Donohue said. "There are a lot of moving parts."

The millage affords the hiring of 79 sworn officers, so assuming the four men sworn in on Monday make it through their four-month training, the department will still be seven officers short of its goal. But there is no reason for alarm, the chief said.

"Patrol staffing is getting better and we're in a much better place."

When O'Donohue says the department hires the best, he's not just saying it, he's expecting it. 

"New officers have been doing just an outstanding job," he said, in part because the department is hiring people that have prior experience.

"We had an officer who had to search a building for a suspect on his first day of training. That can be an intense situation. Later, on the same day, he had to do a death notification, which means he had to go up to a stranger and inform that person that a loved one is dead. That is not an easy thing to do," O' Donohue said.

Being an officer requires a variety of skill sets, and the chief expects officers to be good at all of them.

O'Donohue says the department is on track to meet its staffing goals by the late spring. He expects to add special units in the summer.

The hiring and training process is long, but the chief believes the results make it worthwhile. 

After the millage passed on Nov. 6, 2013, O'Donohue reminded residents that Royal Oak would not instantly see 13 new sworn officers on the streets, but the process to get to there would (and did) begin immediately.


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