Crossville Trending, Communities In Need Of Officers

Crossville currently wants to employ four new police officers. But finding people to apply remains the toughest part of the search.

“I’ve talked to other administrators in the state,” Crossville Police Chief David Beaty said.
“It’s a trend evidently across the state and across the nation. There’s just more of a demand than there is a supply for police officers.”

The trend can be seen across the Upper Cumberland. Cookeville, Gainesboro, Livingston among the municipalities searching for officers.

Beaty said the increased scrutiny police officers have received nationwide in the last several years could be a reason for the interest trend.

“It’s somewhat sometimes a thankless job,” Beaty said. “It’s more of a calling than anything. At the end of the day, if you do something to help somebody, yea, it’s worth doing. It takes a very special person to be a police officer.”

And the risk may be a factor as well. 44 officers nationwide were shot and killed last year. That number fell by 33 percent from 2016, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

Beaty has served for some 32 years. He said he doesn’t think about the risk.

“You focus on the positives and try to forget the negatives,” Beaty said. “This day in time, you see more negative than positives.”

Beaty said the ability to communicate with people may be the biggest need for today’s officers.

Crossville Police will offer testing March 28th for prospective officers.