Gwinnett County takes unusual steps to hire officers

"I really do want it. I've wanted it since High school." said David, a New York native who has never been to Georgia.

David was one of dozens of applicants who came to an unprecedented recruiting event in Rochester to become a Gwinnett County police officer. It's a process that normally takes weeks and requires a couple of trips to Georgia, but Gwinnett officials streamlined the process down to one weekend.

Channel 2 Action News' Gwinnett County bureau chief, Tony Thomas, went along on the recruiting trip to see how it worked.

Thomas reported examiners went to take applications, do background checks, run applicants through physical fitness tests, as well as to conduct interviews and psychological exams. Candidates won't need to step foot in Georgia until they are ready to begin their new job as an officer.

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Gwinnett needs 123 more officers to get up to full staffing levels. Recruiters targeted Upstate New York because they say there are lots of people who want to become officers there but can't get hired by departments around that state because of lengthy civil service exams and other setbacks.

"New York state is a little different; it's a little unfriendly. It's too long of a waiting game," applicant Mario Garcia said.

"It's challenging for staffing," Gwinnett County Police Chief Butch Ayers said.

He believes several things are responsible for the downturn in applicants: an improving economy, perceptions about law enforcement and attrition to other metro Atlanta Departments for some. Ayers says the low numbers are having in impact on the street.

"What you are seeing is the lowering of the specialty proactive units, and they're migrating back to traditional enforcement," Ayers said.

He pointed out Gwinnett's DUI task force for one example. A few years ago, the unit had a two sergeants and 10 officers. Now it has one sergeant and three officers.

"Hopefully we will be able to make some significant strides here in the next 12-15 months" Ayers said.

Of the 54 conditional job offers handed out that weekend in April, 44 are still considering the Gwinnett jobs, a remarkably high number, recruiters say.

The pressure is on in Gwinnett County since officials plan to add a sixth precinct in 2019.

"Is this the future of recruiting?" Thomas asked.

"I think we have to change our paradigm. What we've done in the past has been successful in the past," the chief responded.

Along with the 40 or so New Yorkers expected to become recruits, another 38 would-be officers are in training at the county's state-of-the-art training facility just outside Lawrenceville.

Danielle Ziegler was in marketing up until a few months ago. Now she is just weeks away from hitting the streets as an officer.

"It's easily the hardest thing I've done in my life. On the same note, though, it's the most enjoyable thing I've done," she said.

Ziegler hopes to one day become a K-9 handler with the department.

Blake Manning is taking aim to be a Gwinnett cop for another reason.

"My dad years back was paralyzed; he's a quadriplegic from a car wreck. Without first responders he probably would have died that night," Manning told Thomas.

Manning trains on guns, driving techniques and defensive tactics 40 hours a week in the hope of one day joining the department's DUI Task Force.

"If I can stop one person from driving drunk then I'd like to succeed in my goal there," he said.

David hopes to join them in the coming months. David passed all his exams in Rochester and was given a conditional job offer. Once he passes a polygraph and another psych exam, he will be given a final offer and likely head south.

"It's getting real. It's getting real, real fast. but I'm excited," he told Thomas.