Hoping to attract more recruits to the police department, Holland Village Council has made some changes in hiring practices.
At a March 15 meeting, council adopted a new section of the village code allowing for lateral transfers by new officers.
Council President Ryan Spangler explained that any officers who have a minimum two years full-time experience and their peace officer certification can be hired by the village at a higher rate of pay and earn more vacation time.
“This is a current trend in the law enforcement world,” said Mr. Spangler, who serves as a police officer in Oregon.
“If we don’t change, it’s going to become more difficult to hire officers who already have experience.”
Adding officers with prior service also reduces the time needed for field training, he noted.
Currently, the village is seeking three officers.
“The word is out that we’re hiring,” said Councilman Scott Brown, who chairs the public safety committee.
He noted that three candidates inquired about the openings, and all asked if the village does lateral transfers.
He believes the policy change is needed “to be competitive.”
Council President Spangler said there is a demand for new police officers “because a lot are going out of the field.”
“Everyone’s fighting for the same pool of candidates,” he said.
In a related matter, council approved the fifth chapter of the Lexipol policy manual for the police department.
“This will wrap up all the Lexipol chapters,” Councilman Brown said.
He also told council that a $2,000 computer upgrade was done for the police training room, purchased through PerryproTech.
In addition, council approved the extension of the probationary period for a new officer currently on medical leave. The mayor said the officer had completed half of the probationary time before the leave started.
Upcoming Events
Mayor Irons announced several upcoming events in the village:
•Brush collection will take place Thursday, April 14;
•Spring leaf collection will be April 25 through May 2;
•Village wide garage sales are scheduled for May 12, 13 and 14, and
•Unlimited curbside collection by Republic Services will be Saturday, May 21, and items should be curbside before 9:30 a.m.
The mayor also said that street sweeping will take place monthly, starting in April, for about five months.
In addition, he noted the pickleball courts at Strawberry Acres Park opened March 14 for the season, and will be available daily starting at 6 a.m.
The ballfields and the second restroom facility will open April 1.
Other Business
In other business, council:
•Heard from Mayor Irons that he attended the Lucas County 911 council of governments board meeting, where another six-month budget was approved.
However, he said, the operations of a new countywide emergency calling system will cost $13 million more to implement than expected.
“They’re exploring some other alternatives to finance this,” the mayor added.
•Briefly discussed the need to decide on a policy for replacing sidewalks that have raised up or cracked due to tree roots.
•Authorized the payment of $97,268 in bills.
Council’s next meeting will be at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 5, at the village hall, 1245 Clarion Avenue. The meeting is open to the public.
