No hands went up.
“How many of you are glad you are here?”
Twenty-one hands shot into the air.
“We’ve told them this is physically hard, and academically hard,” Al Hopkins, director of Law Enforcement Training said.
But the job market is looking good for these recruits, despite government cut backs. Dozens of police officers across the state will be leaving their positions after taking a Deferred Retirement Option Plan eight years ago, which allowed them to accumulate a lump sum of money for retirement, but has an eight-year deadline.
For Dana Taggart, 25, of Trenton, that is good news. The Butler County dispatcher will be seeking a law enforcement officer position in Butler County after working in related jobs since age 19 when she started part-time as a Trenton dispatcher.
“I enjoy dispatching,” she said. “The only problem is it’s a dead end job ... I’m very goal oriented and it’s hard to set goals in that setting.”
The 2003 Edgewood High School graduate has dabbled in other careers, including working for her father at a construction company, taking classes in nursing and volunteering as a firefighter.
But, none of it inspired the mother of two like police work has.
“I finally found my niche,” she said. “I know a lot of the field already. I’m a people person. I can talk to just about anybody.”
While the danger of the job has crossed her mind, she said it is something she needs to do for herself and the future of her children. She has saved up the vacation and sick time, and she supports her family by working on the weekends. She put her schooling at Miami University Hamilton on hold, but plans to continue classes for her Bachelor’s of Integrated Science Degree in family studies and criminology once she graduates from the academy.
“It’s hard to juggle, but I’m a firm believer that you have to make some sacrifices in the beginning and they pay off in the end.”
Her goal is to specialize in domestic violence prevention, especially in police families.
Chris Buerger, 22, of Fairfield has wanted to be a police officer for years. As a boy, a Cincinnati police officer let him play with the lights on his cruiser.
“Ever since then, I’ve been hooked,” he said. “I always like helping people.”
A security officer at Good Samaritan Hospital, Buerger was a police explorer for Delhi from age 15 to 21.
Once he gets through the program, Buerger said his first goal is to get a job. Ideally, though, he wants to work for Delhi or with the Hamilton County Park District with a focus on drug operations.
While Police Academy is physically demanding, he has prepared by taking Muay Thai and Jujutsu at a gym and by lifting weights. He has gone from 340 pounds to 290, but his goal by next year is to get to 220 pounds in time for his wedding.
Because the program is eight hours a day, he said it is difficult for participants to balance work, family and the rigor. This class has had 100 percent attendance, and he said it has been told cadets are in the best shape of any class.
“I guarantee I can make it through,” he said. “I want to be a police officer out on the road helping people day in and day out. You never know what you’re going to run into.”
Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5067 or lhilty@coxohio.com.
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