Clinton Police Department expects to be a full staff once again by March

Clinton Police Chief Ryan Hillard

By BRAD HEINEMAN

Clinton Local

In early December, Clinton’s police department made it known that applications were being accepted for qualified candidates to become a full-time or part-time officer with the local police force.

In the time since then, a conditional employment offer was extended for a full-time officer and that individual has accepted, according to a Feb. 2 report from Police Chief Ryan Hillard in front of the Clinton Village Council.

“Come March, we should be doing pretty good with a full staff once again,” Hillard said. “We’re still thinking about another part-time officer here or there.”

The soon-to-be newest member of the department has 26 years of experience, Hillard said, “so he’s going to be able to hit the road running with very little training.”

Available officer positions opened Dec. 8 and are set to close May 1, unless they can be filled before then, according to the job listing on the village of Clinton’s website, villageofclinton.org.

For the full listing of minimum requirements as well as employment benefits, visit the village of Clinton’s website and scroll down to the “Featured News” section of the webpage.

An officer position within the Clinton Police Department involves performing the enforcement of laws and ordinances, crime prevention, investigations, arrests, community policing, along with any related police matter. Officers must meet the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES) license.

The Clinton Police Department is a seven-day-a-week department, with officers working 10-hour shifts in the community. Starting wage is $27.16 with a maximum of $30.36 with a 3.5% raise for each year over the next three years.

The village of Clinton is listed as having a population of approximately 2,500 and covering 1.8 square miles.

Hillard, who has been Clinton’s police chief since his promotion from sergeant/acting chief in November, said it is getting increasingly more difficult to secure police officer candidates when he was asked by village council member Greg Michalak if it’s easier for the department to hire full-time or part-time officers.

“Nowadays it’s hard to hire anybody,” was Hillard’s response, noting that most candidates are applying for full-time employment. “…It’s not impossible, but it is easier to get a full-time officer.”

In other Clinton Police Department news

Hillard informed the village council he would be attending the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police annual winter conference, which took place Feb. 4-6 in Grand Rapids. The professional development conference is held twice a year, Hillard said, with scheduled sessions in the winter and summer. An additional statewide training for new police chiefs has been announced, Hillard added, and those sessions are scheduled for May and September with exact dates and times still to be determined.

With it being a budget year for the police department, Hillard said the department is strongly considering the purchase of a new patrol vehicle. “We’re budgeting for one so hopefully we get a new one,” he commented, adding the department is looking to buy a Dodge Durango patrol/pursuit vehicle that will replace a Ford model among the department’s fleet.