Lt. Al Phillips says theblueline.com is LPD’s strongest referral source
by Melanie Jongsma
LANSING, Ill. (January 23, 2018) – At the first class in this year’s Citizens Policy Academy course, Recruiting Officer Al Phillips shared information about how the Lansing Police Department recruits new officers. Though the Department invests time and money visiting and advertising around town and at area colleges, most new recruits find out about police jobs online at theblueline.com. “That’s pretty much how everyone is getting a police job,” said Phillips.
The LPD posting that is currently listed (shown below) has expired, but Phillips hopes to have an updated posting soon. Lt. Scott Bailey also encouraged class members to spread the word: “Anybody interested in becoming a police officer—we’re gonna be testing soon.” LPD would like as large a pool of applicants as possible because the selection process is rigorous, and not everyone is qualified. Qualifications include:
- United States citizenship
- Age 21–35
- Minimum of 60 college credit hours
- Valid power test card
- Valid driver’s license
Opportunities
Currently, half of Lansing’s police force is within five years of retirement, though there is no mandatory retirement age. All of the current supervisors are eligible for retirement.
In addition to potential supervisory opportunities, the Lansing Police Department offers a broad range of variety within the force, including detective bureau, specialty positions, DANGER (Drugs Alcohol Nicotine Gangs Education Resistance), canine officer, SWAT (Special Weapons And Tactics) team, drug enforcement agency, and crime scene processing.
“We are working on our diversification,” said Phillips, though he didn’t mention any specific strategies. “It’s said that your police department should represent your community—and we firmly believe in that. We want people to come and apply for us though. The problem is, we have high standards.” Phillips believes the residency requirement is also a hurdle to recruitment.
Finding out more
For people who are not yet sure about pursuing a career in law enforcement, Lt. Phillips suggests they contact him or Lt. Bailey to find out more. “At least ask us about it, explore it,” he said. “A lot of people don’t really know what it’s like to be a cop. So come out, ride with us, get information from us. Learn all that before you make the decision.”
Lt. Al Phillips can be emailed at [email protected].
Lt. Scott Bailey can be emailed at [email protected].
Other helpful links
- LPD 2016 Annual Report
- Lansing, Illinois, Crime Index data, 1996–2016
- Lansing Police Department Operational and Staffing Study (Matrix Consulting Group, 2014)
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