Philadelphia Police continue to recruit more men and women to serve on the force

NORTHEAST PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia Police are recruiting more men and women to serve on the force. Saturday was orientation day at the police academy and hundreds of candidates were in attendance.

The department is hopeful this could lead to a large class of new hires. They are facing a shortfall of 850 police officers.

Captain John Walker says the police department wants to hire a diverse group of men and women who bring different perspectives to policing.

"We’re just looking for good people with good interpersonal skills. People from all walks of life," Captain Walker stated.

Nazeer Bostick is a 3rd grade school teacher who’s troubled by the number of kids losing their lives to violence.

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"Just being a part of the community and knowing how people want to be served and treated and talked to is a big thing to help you be successful in this line of work," Bostick said.

Ashley Popolo is a corrections officer and says this is the second time she’s tried out for the academy. "I’ve always wanted to become a police officer. I wanna make a change in the community and let them know that all officers are not bad."

21-year-old Jimia Davis says her mother was a Lieutenant for the Philadelphia Police Department and she wants to continue her mother’s legacy of helping others. "I want to be able to make a change for the community in Philadelphia. With the rising gun violence in the city, poverty and so much more."

Captain Walker says he wants the new recruits to build relationships and engage the community by having officers on the ground to reduce crime. "Having officers on foot having them in areas of the city where they need them. I think it gives us a great opportunity to win the city back quickly."

Walker says the starting salary is $60,000 and there are 55 different opportunities within the department.

Anyone interested in joining the Philadelphia Police Department, can find more information on their website, here. They will bring in another round of applicants in the middle of May.