FLINT -- The Flint Police Department is hiring, thanks to the police and fire protection millage voters passed earlier this month.
The city is looking to fill 10 to 12 officer positions as soon as possible.
The tax increase approved by voters will cost property owners six mills for five years. It’s expected to raise $5.3 million in the first year. It would cost the average homeowner about $79 a year.
These new positions are the first to be posted as a result of the millage. The millage will appear on the December tax roll.
"Any, one or two [positions] is going to help because we're so short staffed,” said Officer Kevin Smith, president of the Flint Police Officer Association. “But I would say maybe 10 officers, maybe three additional per shift, which is going to be huge compared to the call volume that we're getting per shift."
It’s unclear where these new officers will be placed within the department. But Flint Police Chief Alvern Lock tells NBC25 that he'll gladly take any additional officers he can get, and that some previously laid off officers could be hired back.
The positions are within the Flint Police Officer Association (FPOA) collective bargaining unit and are open to State of Michigan law enforcement officer certified or certifiable candidates.
Applications can be obtained at the City of Flint Human Resources and Labor Relations Office at the Flint Municipal Center at 1101 S. Saginaw St., Room 9. Applicants should have a valid driver’s license and proof of certification in person. Applications should be returned by 4 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 12.
