GLENPOOL, Okla. — Two small towns south of Tulsa hope to fill a need within their police departments. Jenks and Glenpool are both looking to hire officers.
Starting in Glenpool, Chief Jeremy Plane tells 2 News Oklahoma that the city has changed a lot since he started nearly 20 years ago.
"In 2008, I think we were probably closer to 10,00 or 12,000, and I think we've tipped 15,000 at this point," Plane said. "And I think it's got the potential to continue to grow as much as it wants to."
Plane's department has just under 30 people within patrol, detectives, and other divisions.
"We're happy with it, but we can always use more," Plane said. "I wouldn't turn more down, but we get by very well with the number that we have. We're thankful for it."
So as the department begins the hiring process for a new officer, Plane feels they'll join what he considers a top department in the area.
"We do have things like take-home cars, we have full pensions. We supply all equipment, including your firearms, your non-lethal, your lethal," Plane said.
And something else Chief Plane is proud of is the departments' extensive training programs. Things like driving instruction, firearms, and leadership courses.
"We're not going to say, hey, it's time to promote. Sink or swim," Plane said. "We have a complete FTO process for new supervisors. We have a program we put in place for people that want to become supervisors. I'd rather set them up for success than failure."
It's the same story up the road in Jenks. The department has an opening for a police officer, too, but they also have an opening for another thankless job, a police dispatcher.
That role, critical to emergency response times. We reached out to Jenks PD for more information on the job, but they weren't available.
As for both departments, Chief Plane says all small towns in the area have solid police forces, and it's a good time to jump into the profession.
"I love this department. I think our administration and our officers are great. They have a lot of good morale. They get along very well in and outside of work," Plane said.
If you'd like to apply for any of the Jenks openings, you can find that information here.
If you'd like to apply for the Glenpool opening, you can find that information here.
TJ Eckert is your South Tulsa County reporter.
Is there something you think he should know about or look into?
You can email him at TJ.Eckert@kjrh.com.
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