North Las Vegas needs police officers. Here’s what it’s doing to find them

North Las Vegas Police Chief Jacqueline Gravatt pinned badges on 15 new officers last week, but there are still more than 80 vacancies in the department.

At a joint graduation ceremony that included three graduates for the Clark County School District Police Department, the Vegas Valley Police Academy shared video snippets of what the 18 recruits endured on their journey to become officers.

The class of new officers started off with 19 North Las Vegas and six school district police recruits, but not all graduated. The top reasons recruits fail to graduate is due to not meeting the physical or educational requirements, according Lt. John Cargile, the academy commander for North Las Vegas police. The next class will start with 24 recruits.

After the officers received their badges, North Las Vegas Municipal Judge Chris Lee swore them in as the officers stood to recite their oath to serve their communities. The 15 new graduates are joining the 287 sworn officers of North Las Vegas police.

More than half of the new officers are bilingual in Spanish and English in a city where 42 percent of the residents identify as Hispanic, according to the United States Census Bureau. The department is adding two more female officers to the 79 officers that have been sworn in.

“Graduation, on Day One, kind of seemed like a far-off dream, but now that I’m here I’m super excited about it,” said Steicy Castillo, one of the new North Las Vegas police graduates.

Recruits are in the academy for nearly a year. They start off with a three-to-four-week pre-academy where recruits get an introduction to what’s to come. This is where trainees figure out if becoming an officer is the right fit for them before moving to the 24-week academy, Cargile said.

After the academy, they are placed in a six-week advanced academy that trains recruits on tactics, use of force and how to use an emergency vehicle. They close off the program with 17 weeks of field training.

“We prepare them to be police officers. Field training actually trains them how to do it,” Cargile said.

Boost in recruiting

Having fewer than 20 recruits graduate has been the norm for the Vegas Valley Police Academy as of late, according to Cargile. He said that past class sizes were higher, but he’s starting to see the number of applicants pick up in recent years.

The department has increased its advertising and recruiting efforts after the city of North Las Vegas approved a $330,000 request for a two-year contract with Sensis Inc., an advertising agency that specializes in helping law enforcement and military agencies.

“We’re doing pretty good, heavy in the recruitment side,” Cargile said. “Years ago a lot of agencies didn’t have to do that, but now they do.”

In the last several months he’s seen a 200 percent increase in the number of people that are applying.

North Las Vegas is looking to hire more than 80 officers for vacant positions, Cargile said. “We’re not short staffed. Our city is just able to add the additional staff.”

The department will open the doors of a new area command in the Tule Springs area in December, an area that is expected to add over 30,000 residents when the master plan is completed.

Contact Jimmy Romo at jromo@reviewjournal.com or call 702-383-0350. Follow @jimi_writes on Twitter