VIDEO: The Process Of Becoming A Police Officer

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)-Finding good, qualified police officers is becoming more difficult across the country, including here in Columbus.

Last year, 124 people applied for the force but only 14 were hired.

Recently, three new hires by CPD resigned after not being able to complete the police academy.

“We need people tested and tried before they actually put on a badge,” said Columbus Police Chief Oscar Lewis.

Lewis said the process of becoming a police officer is a lengthy one.

“You have to complete the application, then you have the PT test, then you have the work keys test, then you have interviews and also you have psychological testing and also you have the voice stress test, which is the same as lie detector test,” said Lewis.

Those are just a handful of requirements before an applicant is hired.

After approval from the city council, the applicant is sent to the police academy.

“The academy process, to me the academy is not a hard process,” the chief described. “The academy is mostly mental.”

Once they’ve graduated from the academy, the CPD requires more training.

“Once we get them from the academy we try to put them with a field training officer to get them prepared for the city of Columbus,” Lewis explained. “They need to know their areas, the polices and procedures for the department before their once they’re hired.”

It’s a long process, but Lewis said it’s the only for him to know a quality hire has been made.

The reason why the other 110 applicants weren’t hired vary, including a poor interview, deception, military deployment and incomplete physical tests.

“It takes a special breed of people to go out there day in and day out that put their life on the line and serve their community,” said Lewis. “Everybody is not cut out for it. People may start the process and realize, hey, this is not for me. That contributes to it sometimes to the reason you see people leaving, but these are challenging times for law enforcement.”

Lewis said the qualities he looks for in a police officer are dedication and a passion to serve the community.

If you’re interested in becoming an officer, visit the police department to fill out an application.