In less than four months, the Jefferson Police Department is back to full staff.

Last year, three of the eight officers on the force were hired by other law enforcement agencies and another officer moved back to his home state of Texas. But by February 27th, all of those positions were filled. Soon after the first officer left in November, Police Chief Mark Clouse presented the issue of law enforcement staff shortages in general. He also talked about a hiring incentive program where new hires would receive a signing bonus and if they have a criminal justice college degree, they would qualify for a tuition repayment program. The Council approved the program and within three months, the department was fully staffed.

Clouse appreciates the work that his department did to cover all the shifts during the transition period, because they are a 24-hour, 7-day per week service.

“And I just want to give a hats off and a shout out to my staff at the police department. These are not easy times for us when we are going through a hiring process. We run short, which obviously creates a lot of issues. We’re not allowed to use our vacation time and those types of things until we get staffed and up and running. It’s an extreme burden on the employees that you have to go through a process like this and I just want to thank my guys for hanging in there and doing a great job.”

The newest hire, Officer Jonathan Young, will attend the full 16-week law enforcement academy in late April, while Officers Andrew Chapman and Cole Jackson will go to the 8-week academy this fall. The fourth hire, Officer Shane Jones is returning to the police department after previously leaving to join the Iowa State Patrol.