BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The Bakersfield Police Department is nearing full staffing capacity after 33 new officers graduated from the police academy, bringing the department closer to being fully staffed.
The department has used funding from Measure N, also known as the Public Safety and Vital Services Measure, to recruit and retain qualified applicants through innovative programs, according to department officials. Chief Terry highlighted the success of their mentorship program and engagement strategies.
"The mentorship program, but we also have voluntary workouts. During the course of the hiring process, the mentors will constantly engage the applicant, and we also host volunteer workouts in the evenings and on the weekends because it is a very physically strenuous academy," Terry said.
The department's recruitment engagement team meets biweekly to assess opportunities and address areas where goals haven't been met, Terry explained.
"The engagement team, in terms of recruiting engagement, they meet biweekly I believe still, and talking about 'OK, where do we have some opportunities? Where have we not met some of our goals?' so that constant engagement both with the applicant and both within the city teams to keep that going has been very instrumental," Terry said.
The city is currently not actively recruiting officers as they work through a candidate pool of more than 200 applicants, according to a city spokesperson. Terry believes the department will reach full staffing following the next academy.
Local business owners have noticed the positive impact of increased police presence. Gabe Ulloa, co-owner of In Your Wildest Dreams and Downtown Business Association board member, said the department's efforts have benefited downtown businesses.
"When we call the impact team or when we call for something, we have a rapid response when somebody is having an issue in their neighborhood and they call, they want to be able to know that BPD is on their way rather than having them wait hours because they're short-staffed. So having them almost at full capacity is great because that just means quicker response and just quicker time to get to the situation and help alleviate issues," Ulloa said.
Lannette Caratan, one of the family members associated with Luigi's Restaurant and Delicatessen in Old Town Kern, echoed Ulloa's sentiment.
"I believe that the police we call upon are here for Old Town Kern," said Caratan. "They follow up, they're personable, they're completely professional."
The next police academy is scheduled to begin next spring, according to Chief Terry.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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