The Norfolk Police Department is doing something it hasn’t done in more than 200 years. It’s hiring for a new kind of job.
“The goal is to have our officers available for emergencies,” said Lt. William Pickering.
Pickering oversees NPD’s training division. He gave me the rundown on a new public safety aide position in the department. The aides will work with sworn police officers to handle non-emergency calls. Two aides have just been hired. There are eight slots left to fill. Pay for the positions starts at about $44,000 a year.
“Our public safety aides are going to assist the officers with abandoned vehicles, parking enforcement,” Pickering explained. “They’re going to be able to potentially investigate minor motor vehicle crashes,” he added.
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The department hopes public safety aides will eventually end up in the police academy, training to be full-fledged officers when they’re 21.