Police recruit requirements change in Colorado Springs

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - Are you looking to become a police officer in Colorado Springs? Opportunities may be open to a new pool of applicants as changes come to the department.

Previously, the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) required applicants to hold an associate degree or 60 college semester hours. As of Wednesday, CSPD is now accepting candidates with only a high school diploma or G.E.D. This change, approved at the April 7 Civil Service Commissioners (CMC) meeting, aims to remove barriers and broaden the pool of prospective officers, according to CSPD.

The department says it made the adjustment in response to a competitive law enforcement field and a shrinking applicant pool. CSPD says many qualified individuals, including those with military or trade school backgrounds, were previously excluded by the requirement of 60 college credit hours or an associate's degree.

"I think times have changed since, and we wanted to remove that barrier, especially. There are so many qualified folks who maybe are coming out of the military. They've got the life experience that they need," explained Ira Cronin, Public Relations Manager for the Colorado Springs Police Department.

In the CMC meeting, some people sceptical of the move, voiced concerns over potentially hiring officers who are not qualified. Cronin affirmed that while minimum application qualifications have changed, the department's hiring standards remain the same. He says applicants must still pass a background check, psychological exam, and physical fitness requirements. Cronin added that after a 30-week academy, recruits undergo another 15 weeks of field training before becoming sworn officers.

"We're still going to throw you into the same rigorous process. And, you know, you've got the background check and all that other stuff. But yeah, we hope this will open it up to more people to apply and make that pool of people larger so that we can get the best officers on the street," said Cronin.

Cronin tells KRDO13 there has been a slow but steady decline in the application pool. He stated that many prospective officers were opting for departments that did not require an associate's degree, prompting CSPD to adapt to remain a competitive employer on the Front Range.

As of Wednesday, Cronin says there are 774 sworn-in officers. In the city budget, the police department's authorized strength is 839 officers.

"I know the chief has been very vocal about we even need more than that. We are a growing city. We need to have closer to 1000 officers. And there's no point asking the mayor or city council to increase our budget if we can't even get to 839," shared Cronin.

Cronin expressed hope that easing up on the education requirements will help the department reach 839 officers within the next year or two and continue growing.

This is similar to what the Denver Police Department (DPD) and the Pueblo Police Department (PPD) require. In fact, CSPD said before this move, it was one of four departments in the state that required more than a high school diploma. Now that CSPD has made the change, the agencies that still require some college are the Lakewood Police Department, the Fort Collins Police Department, and the Breckenridge Police Department.

PPD tells KRDO13 the department used to require applicants to have a bachelor's degree until 2011. That is when PPD moved to requiring an associate's degree. In 2018, the department changed to requiring only a high school diploma or G.E.D.

PPD says a swath of reasons prompted these changes. The department says it was adjusted in part because the number of applicants to join the department started to decline. They also say other agencies required either associate's degrees or high school diplomas, and that they did not want to miss out on applicants going to other departments. PPD said the change helped to increase accessibility for applicants and even opened up more opportunities for members of the Pueblo community to apply.

The Denver Citizens Service Commission says that since 2011, DPD has required all applicants to hold a high school diploma or G.E.D. They say this is the same for firefighter recruits.

CSPD says educational requirements for promotion to leadership roles, such as sergeant or lieutenant, remain in place.

Cronin encouraged residents who are interested to apply. He says applications close for CSPD's next recruiting class on May 3.

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