The Phoenix Police Department is no longer accepting applications for its upcoming academy class. Sergeant Steve Martos says the police department received more than 2,000 applications. All four testing dates are full and there’s currently a waiting list to take the test.
Meanwhile, the Mesa Police Department will start accepting applications for new officers beginning Sept. 8. There are 50 available positions, and Detective Steve Berry says they’ll cap the number of applicants at 700.
Berry said Mesa stopped hiring new officers when the economy took a hit. The department started hiring again about a year ago.
"We had kind of shrunk backwards as far as the number officers that’ve had, between that and scheduled retirements, and those type of things, we’re definitely in hiring push right now to ensure that we have an adequate number of officers at all times to keep the community safe," Berry said.
Berry said there are 50 available positions. Applicants who make the cut will start the academy in January.