Shreveport’s economic development team is collaborating with the Shreveport Police Department and the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office to recruit military police personnel preparing to leave military service. Both law enforcement agencies are actively hiring more officers to reduce their staffing shortages.

Recruitment Efforts

Recruiting former military security forces personnel is one way to find qualified candidates who can transition into law enforcement roles more quickly than inexperienced hires, officials said. Bill Sabo, the city’s director of economic development, believes Barksdale’s security forces squadron maintains around 400 military police officers, some of whom will separate from the military while stationed at Bossier City.

Transitioning service members are automatically fast-tracked through the hiring and training process for both the SPD and CPSO. The police department’s starting salary is $49,578, plus incentive pay for education and certifications, and a $7,200 sign-on bonus; the sheriff’s office starts off at $45,700, offers many of the same incentives but adds a bump up in pay for military service.

Military police perform many of the same duties as civilian officers, including patrols, investigations, traffic enforcement, report writing and detainee handling, according to law enforcement advocates. Service members can apply while still on active duty and have their academy training requirement aligned with their separation date.

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.