Editorial: Kudos to HPD for its exhaustive search

On Page 3A of this week’s issue, we bring you a story about the search for a new Hastings police officer. The new officer should be on the force in about two months, sometime around the end of April or early May.

The story highlights part of the extensive process that the department is going through to find the next officer. This effort was well under way before the city even had an opening, but was undertaken for exactly this reason. These searches take a long time in part because of the sheer number of applicants and in part because the department wants to ensure it gets the best possible candidate.

The process includes a resume review, written tests, police report writing and editing, multiple interviews, a pass/fail physical fitness evaluation, background checks, a drug test, a medical exam, a psychological tests and more.

Once that officer gets on the force, he or she would then be on probation for a year.

We applaud the department for going through all these steps. We encourage doing everything possible to ensure the best possible candidate is hired.

Sure, considerable resources are being used throughout this hiring process. But consider the cost of hiring the wrong person, and what that could do within the department.

This way, we can rest easy knowing that every stone has been turned over and that the department and the city were as thorough as possible.

Tags: opinion, hastings, minnesota, spiral, editorials