Baxter Police Department To Fill Officer Positions

The Baxter Police Department will hire new policemen after the resignation of two officers this month.

Police Chief Danny Holmes said Officer Ryan Bean and Brian Maxwell will leave the department for better-paying jobs.

“It seems like it is the midnight shift that I always lose, but on this occasion, it’s not because of the shift. It is because they are wanting to better themselves,” Holmes said. “Like I said I support them a hundred percent. I told everybody in my department, ‘If you can better yourself, then I will support you.'”

The Baxter Police will hire two new officers in the coming month.

Holmes said the department has two officers lined-up for the positions. One officer will graduate from Cleveland State in May and the other officer has 7 years of law enforcement experience.

Holmes said the turnover rate seems low for the department, but most new recruits eventually change jobs.

“Unfortunately they never stay because someone offers them a better job, a better paying job and more excitement I guess,” Holmes said. “But you know, we are always proud to see an officer come right out of the academy and obtain a job.”

Holmes said the Baxter officials have made it easier for the department to find new officers.

“The City of Baxter Mayor and Aldermen, they have actually brought the pay up where we can compete now with any department around our area,” Holmes said. “So we have a lot to offer.”

Holmes said the new developments in the area will help increase the quality of pay for the officers as well.

“[The Board of Mayor and Aldermen] want the officers to come and stay. They want them to make as much money as the city can afford,” Holmes said. “And we have Portobello coming in, we have got several apartments that are being built. We have got 125 houses that are coming. So the more revenue the better the pay will be.”

The Baxter Police Department currently has 5 officers on staff. Holmes said he hopes to increase the department size to 8 officers in the next 2 years.

“We are the only department in Putnam County that only has one officer on duty at a time. And that is very unfortunate,” Holmes said. “I would like to have two officers on duty each and every day. ”

Holmes said although Bean and Maxwell will leave the department, they will always be a part of the Baxter police family.

“We call it the BPD family and we are a family. When these officers leave, they will always be a part of the BPD family and so we hate to lose anybody,” Holmes said. “It just puts a lot of stress on the other officers. They work a twelve-hour shift as it is and that’s a very long day.”

Holmes said he hopes to conduct an induction ceremony for the new officers in the coming weeks.