Colonie Police seeking new recruits during challenging times

COLONIE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Town of Colonie Police Department is looking for a few good women and men to join their ranks.

"I love it. I work with the community all day, so it's exactly what I want to do," says Colonie Police Officer Brianna Pearce when she spoke with NEWS10's Anya Tucker.

The Colonie Police Department is looking to hire more enthusiastic people like Officer Pearce by inviting anyone who wishes to join the department to attend an upcoming open house and to sign up to take a civil service exam.

"We have a test in September. The filing date is in August, so we are really trying to get the word out that we are hiring. There is going to be a lot of hiring over the next couple of years. So if you are interested, it's important that you take this test now," said Lt. Dan Belles.

The department is offering a starting salary of $58,281 as well as a benefits package.

Recruits will undergo intensive training and have future opportunities to branch out into other positions such as investigative work.

But this recruitment effort is happening during a challenging time while there is a rise of distrust of the police after officer involved killings and abuse that has led to diminished interest in police work.

Lt. Belles addressed the issue saying, "There have been, unfortunately, a lot of events in the last few years that have put a negative light on policing. We are happy that we give our officers the tools, the training, and the knowledge to not put ourselves in those kinds of positions. And that's why it's so important that we have a good base of candidates to pick from. So the more people that take the test, the bigger the pool we have to pick from. The more qualified, diverse candidates we can get for our exam."

Officer Pearce told Anya that she feels it's a great job for anyone who feels they have something positive to offer their community.

Anya: "Would you encourage anyone to sign up?"
Pearce: "Absolutely. Absolutely. It's a great job."

Colonie Police say the civil service exam will be held on September 18, 2021. Applications are being accepted now and are due by August 11.

For more information about the exam, you can contact Sergeant Richard Villa at 518-782-2619 or villara@colonie.org.

Applications can be found online.

The Colonie Police will also be hosting a recruitment open house from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on July 27 in the large meeting room at the Crossings of Colonie Park. Members of the department will be available to talk to potential candidates, answer any questions they may have, and show off some departmental equipment.