LAFAYETTE, Ind. — An Indiana sheriff's department is taking a pretty unusual approach to recruiting new officers and other department employees.
Like a lot of law enforcement agencies lately, Tippecanoe County Sheriff Bob Goldsmith said hiring is tough. They’ve had fewer and fewer people applying for jobs. So Goldsmith decided to put up four billboards around the county, encouraging people to join the team.
“I attended a leadership conference years ago and learned about another police agency that put up billboards with a similar message,” Goldsmith said.
The billboards include a diverse group of male and female law enforcement officials – merit deputies, correctional officers and dispatchers.
“What you also see on our billboards is a representative from each of our specialty teams and detectives. We offer a chance to be on EOD, SRT, dive, drone, K-9, and crisis negotiators. This tells people that we have opportunities here that they might not have at another agency,” Goldsmith said.
The billboards, which cost $7,287, will be up for about two months.
Goldsmith said he wanted to show people “what we have to offer and that we need to be more diverse. We have several women working for us, but what we don't have is a department that is more reflective of the community we serve.”
Click here to learn more about current job opportunities with the department.