Broken Arrow Police Attracting High Numbers Of Applicants

As many departments struggle to find officers, Broken Arrow says during their most recent application period, they had more than 250 people apply, up from previous years.

Thursday, April 25th 2019, 6:19 pm

By: Jonathan Cooper

Broken Arrow Police Attracting High Numbers Of Applicants

The Broken Arrow Police Department has a good problem on their hands.

As many departments struggle to find officers, Broken Arrow says during their most recent application period, they had more than 250 people apply, up from previous years.

"That is an incredibly high number for any law enforcement agency," said James Koch, an officer in Broken Arrow.

Koch says he thinks positive word of mouth plays a big factor in the recruitment.

And their department is one of the highest paying in the entire state.

In fact, officers starting out make just more than $51,000 a year and without promotions can max out at more than $82,000 a year.

The influx of applications comes at a time some departments aren't getting as many.

Just a few months ago, the Muskogee City Council approved signing bonuses for future CLEET certified officers of $10,000.

Chief Johnny Teehee told us at the time, officer applications there were at an all-time low.

Nearby, Tulsa Police tell us they've had a steady amount of applications and don't have a shortage, but have been cleared to hire even more officers.

Jonathan Cooper

Jonathan Cooper is the weekend evening anchor and reporter for News on 6. He is no stranger to Oklahoma, working for the ABC affiliate in Oklahoma City for the past three years.

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