The Bloomington Police Department is accepting applications for new probationary officers as part of its winter hiring process, Captain Steve Kellams said in a news release.
Kellams said the new probationary officer would join 95 other officers at the BPD. Including their 55 civilian employees, the department has 150 personnel on its staff.
Requests for probationary officer applications have come on the heels of calls for increased police presence by both Bloomington residents and BPD officers at a city council meeting Aug. 17.
One of these officers, BPD Chief Mike Diekhoff, explained a new budget proposal for 2018 that includes requests for two new officers, six new dispatch positions and an additional civilian employee.
If this budget is approved, it would bring the BPD staff up to 159 members.
City council president Susan Sandberg said the BPD would add three new positions — two officers and one civilian employee — to its staff in 2018. She said the council is reluctant to add too many officers at once, due to budgetary concerns.
"We may have enough for the new officers now," she said. "But we want to make sure it's sustainable."
Christine Fernando
