Saginaw Police looking to recruit more officers

SAGINAW, Mich. (WNEM) - The city of Saginaw is trying to put more boots on the ground.

The police department is accepting applications for new officers hoping to bolster its ranks.

The police department recently put out a video to attract new recruits.

“It’s a great job. You’re going to learn more here in two years than you can learn in any other department out there in the state of Michigan,” Saginaw Police Chief Robert Ruth said.



Ruth said many other departments are trying to get people too.

“Right now, police jobs are everywhere. So, there’s sort of a lack of resources out there when it comes to people who want to be police officers,” Ruth said.

Ruth said when he became an officer, there were 1,500 applications. Now, his calls for applicants get maybe two dozen if he is lucky.

The department is not down that many people, but applications are nowhere near where they used to be. Ruth attributes it to a change in culture.

“You look what’s going on in society in the last two to three years. It’s not cool to be a cop anymore. It just isn’t,” Ruth said.

Det. Philip Graves said the pay for new hires is one of the best around, thanks to the union.

“I think we have something really positive going forward. We got, signed a new contract, well, we have a tentative agreement for a new contract with the city. Pretty substantial raises. We didn’t lose anything. So the city worked pretty well with us there,” Graves said.

Graves and Ruth want people dedicated to serving the community.

“I know the chief is really big on finding local people. He wants people that are going to be from the area, know the area, want to stay in the area,” Graves said.

Copyright 2022 WNEM. All rights reserved.