JOHN COFFELTEditor

According to a report given by Manchester Police Department leadership at the May 13 Safety Committee meeting, 18 of 39 employees have less than one year on the job.

Assistant Chief Adam Floied said that the situation is not satisfactory.

Currently there are no openings at the department, but Police Chief Bill Sipe and Floied, the staffing shortages that the department cautioned about over the course of the last two months will likely return.

Police departments are facing difficulty finding qualified applicants, especially certified officer who have completed the police academy.

Alderman Bob Bellamy said “the reason we’re ending up with inexperienced officers is these other departments are paying enough that they steal our experienced officers. They won’t hire non-certified because they know they can go over to Manchester and snatch up several certified.”

He called for making staying with MPD more attractive to other officers.

Alderman Joey Hobbs said that the starting pay for officers is competitive with other departments. It’s the pay for those with longer time on the job that needs to be addressed.

“We’re trying to work on that. To know that we top out in four years … that’s awful,” he said.

Floied noted that a Tullahoma Police Sargent makes more than him.

“We are losing very qualified, certified – very important people in the department to other agencies. We’re replacing them with personnel with zero experience,” he said.

“We have to find a way to stop that bleeding and retain what we have.” Floied said.

Sipe said that the new officers are quality hires, even though they have no experience.

John has been with the Manchester Times since May 2011. John has won Tennessee Press Association awards for Best News Photo and placed in numerous other categories. John is a 1994 graduate of Tullahoma High School, a graduate of Motlow State Community College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middle Tennessee State University. He lives in Tullahoma, enjoys painting, dancing and exploring the outdoors.