Staffing Challenges
Eugene's Police Department faces universal staffing challenges that affect all employers.
Thorough Hiring Process
Eugene has a robust process for hiring police officers that takes about 410 days. A cohort of officers is hired at one time and goes through extensive training before being on-the-street. Even for lateral hires, time is taken to verify their readiness to be a police officer.
- Written/physical abilities exam
- Interview
- Background check
- Medical/psych evaluation
- Hired
- State of Oregon Police Academy
- On-the-job training
- Officer on the street
Exiting
Officers may exit because of retirement, a change of career or burnout. Whatever the reason, it takes time to replace them. Eugene has recently seen an increase in employee exits and is continually working to recruit and train qualified people.