MANITOU SPRINGS – The Manitou Springs Police Department needs five more patrol officers to make them a fully staffed police department. A high rate of turnover and a relatively small department has left them shorthanded.
Patrol Officer Gary Johnson has been with the department for around five years. “My department, we’re extremely short staffed. We’re about a fifteen man department and were down five or six positions right now,” said Officer Johnson.
He said five more officers would allow the department to practice more proactive policing. “We’re responding more call to call and just trying to keep up with everything that’s actively going on,” said Officer Johnson.
Officer Johnson said they are actively recruiting officers, but it takes time to fully staff the police force. They need people who have passed The National Police Officer Selection Test, are at least 21 years old, and have no history of felonies or violent crimes. Officer Johnson also said a connection to the community is vital for the job.
To learn more about the Manitou Police Department, you can go for a ride along with an officer or sit down with the El Paso County 911 Dispatch. You can also visit the Manitou Springs government website.
