After years of shortages, some Nebraska law enforcement agencies are beefing up

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Nebraska law enforcement agencies are noticing a rising number of people applying for jobs.

Both the Nebraska State Patrol and the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office have seen increased interest recently.

“I think some people are beginning to look at this and go, ‘Hey, may not be that bad of a job, and we want to come do that,'” said Chief Lancaster County Deputy Ben Houchin. “But it does take a special individual to want to come out here and serve the public.”

The patrol said there was a 36% increase in people who signed up for its next training academy.

In fact, it was such a huge response that the patrol is reopening applications.

Last year around this time, the sheriff’s office had 14 open deputy positions.

But it’s made a lot of progress in filling those spots.

On Tuesday, the sheriff’s office held a badge ceremony for six new deputies and a new sergeant, bringing the shortage down to only three.

Houchin said the sheriff’s office is always trying to recruit, but it won’t sacrifice safety for numbers.

“The big thing, even when we were short, we weren’t going to lower the standards of the individuals we were going to hire,” he said. “And I’ve always preached, ‘I’d rather go short than put the wrong people in this position.'”

Houchin said it can take months to fill an open position since the training academy is 22 weeks long and only happens a couple of times a year.

“There is a lot to know in this job, and that’s the reason why this training takes so, so long,” he said.

But he also said the extensive learning period helps ensure their deputies are fully prepared for the job.

Houchin said the sheriff’s office has been advertising open positions more, which he believes has helped boost the ranks.

He also said the economy could play into the newfound interest in the career field since law enforcement officers have good benefits.