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Twenty-five students who completed the reserve program are now police officers.
By Morrilton Police Lt. Curtis Russell
In mid-1997, the Morrilton Police Department was having a problem finding local people qualified to work as officers. The department was forced to hire officers from other departments around the state. The problem with this practice was twofold: the officers hired had to commute long distances or move; and Morrilton's residents were upset with the department for not hiring local people who needed jobs. Morrilton has a small police department and was looking to hire certified officers. In July 1997, the department advertised for a community policing officer. No applicants were suitable. One prospect walked out when he learned that he would have to do some foot patrolling. The decision was made to form a reserve that would be trained in-house and be a hiring pool for officers. This would give the reserve officers a feel for the job and learn the Morrilton Police Department's policies and procedures. It also would allow the department to watch the officers to get a better idea of what kind of full-time officers they would make. It was also determined that officers taken from the reserves would be promoted to full-time and not be considered new hires. The city council approved the department's hiring the officers. The department started a month later taking applications for five reserve officers. The applications were treated the same as any application for a full-time officer. Background checks and interviews were performed and the five prospects were picked. The new officers were issued uniforms and were told to attend the department's part-time II/auxiliary officer's course. The state requires that reserve officers attend and pass a 100-hour class for certification. The department concurred and added 68 hours. Morrilton police who were certified instructors would teach most of the class. The new officers, starting in October 1997, were required to attend classes for four hours Tuesday and Thursday nights for four months and some Saturdays for weapons qualification and defensive tactics. The class was segmented to allow more one-on-one training and to make the officers commit time and effort without compensation to finish the class. This is another way to help ensure that the department was not getting people who intended not to participate in the program after the class. The officers were tested monthly. If they failed a test, they would be allowed one retake. If they failed a second time, they would be dropped from the program. The class was kept small and was offered free-of-charge to other police departments and law enforcement agencies. In the first class, 12 officers came from the Morrilton Police Department, Van Buren County Sheriff's Office and the Conway County Sheriff's Office. The class was a success. Of the five original officers, the Morrilton Police Department hired three. In October 1999 and 2000, the department conducted classes of eight and seven officers, respectively. Officers came from the Morrilton and Menifee police departments and the Van Buren and Perry County sheriff's offices; two local constables participated. Again, officers from another police department or law enforcement agency enrolled for free. Seventeen participants from six police departments and law enforcement agencies joined the June 2004 class. Conway County law enforcement officers participated for free; others were charged $150 to offset printing and overtime costs. Twenty-five students who completed the reserve program are now police officers. Nine are employed with Morrilton Police Department. Many reserve program graduates have been sent to the Law Enforcement Academy and graduated in the top 10 percent. Eight officers now are in the Morrilton Police Department reserve program, and three officers are in the police academy; all three of these officers were promoted to full-time status from the reserves. Having a reserve program at the department has given the department the ability to train local people and watch them to help determine what kind of officers they will be. The reserve program also allows the Morrilton Police Department to have officers who the department can call in a crisis situation. Although the initial cost to implement the program was substantial, the return for the department has been invaluable.
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