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Kettering’s pay scale for police officers is between $28.69 and $38.73 per hour, depending on experience and level of education, officials said.
Entry annual salary is $67,496 with potential to advance to $91,146, depending on qualifications.
Getting promoted based on solid work performance has been a good recruiting tool for Kettering police. According to Officer Joe Ferrell, a spokesman for the department, base pay for a sergeant is $94,000 while the base pay for a lieutenant is $101,000.
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Two-thirds of police agencies in the last five years have seen fewer applications from people seeking employment in law enforcement, according to a survey by the Police Executive Research Forum, a think tank in Washington, D.C.
Police work has lost some of its appeal because law enforcement agencies have been put under intense scrutiny as a result of some high-profile incidents, like officer-involved shootings captured on video, said Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum.
Ferrell said the national recruitment phenomenon is true in Kettering as well, but the department is hopeful it can find qualified candidates to fill current openings.
“We currently are looking to hire 5 new officers,” he said. “We will be actively recruiting as we are wanting to find the best-qualified applicants possible, and that has become more difficult over the several years.”
Interested candidates are advised to go to the city's website or contact Kettering Human Resources at 937-296-2446 for guidelines on applying for the exam. Application deadline is 5 p.m. on March 1.
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