MNPD looking to hire traffic enforcement, SROs to fill gap in officer shortage

Yahoo

31-01-2025

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Metro Nashville Police Department is looking to hire new officers with and without experience.
While the MNPD is looking to grow the force with new officers, it's also hoping to move experienced officers into open lateral positions, including school resource officers and traffic enforcement positions.
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'We are looking for somebody to be able to step in and say, 'I am able to tell the difference between a noncrime fighting stop and just a regular traffic stop,'' said Jeff Eslick, council member for District 11.
For years, the growing city of Nashville has felt the impacts of an officer shortage, like many other Tennessee cities.
As of Friday, Metro Police has 1,556 officers and is approved to hire about 100 more.
'People want better control of the roads,' Eslick explained. 'You see people driving recklessly, passing down the middle lane, and then there is also some really bad wrecks.'
Last week, a resolution to improve traffic enforcement was passed by Metro Council. This comes after a 91% decrease in Nashville traffic stops between 2015 and 2023, following a report called 'Driving While Black,' which found MNPD disproportionately stopped Black drivers from 2011 to 2015.
'We need to make sure for the mass of people that we are creating a safe place,' Eslick said. 'I think there is a balance. We have dash cams, body cams, we have a community review board.'
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According to the MNPD's job posting, the traffic division has openings in the aggressive/impaired driving unit, motorcycle officer program, and traffic crash investigator unit.
'I'm hoping some of the people that look for these lateral positions really have a passion for safety,' Eslick said. 'Maybe this is somebody who has been a different position but has noticed the increase in fatalities and the brazenness of people to drive down the middle lane or to weave throughout traffic as if it was some type of race.'
However, they are also looking to expand their school resource officer program, adding more SROs to elementary schools.
'[We are] really looking for a candidate who really stands out in terms of having that good moral compass, really has good communication skills, and can easily connect with adolescents,' said Mo Canady with the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO).
According to an MNPD spokesperson, Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) have two SROs in high schools, and as of last week, Antioch High School added a third SRO. Meanwhile, middle schools in the district each have one SRO, including seven elementary schools.
'You have the opportunity to impact adolescents in a really powerful way,' Canady said.
'This is about going in and really being an advocate for the youth in your community, helping them to become the people that they are going to become as adults,' he added.
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A Tennessee state lawmaker reintroduced a bill for the 2025 legislature that would allow public charter schools to hire honorable discharged veterans and retired law enforcement officers to serve as SROs, pushing for closing the gap.
'We've worked incredibly hard in the General Assembly to keep students safe in Tennessee classrooms. School resource officers are invaluable to achieving this goal, but there are unfortunately many schools across the state that are still without an officer. This proposal will open the role up to experienced and qualified individuals who have honorably served their nation and communities, helping alleviate the SRO shortage of approximately 500 while prioritizing school security. Keeping students safe will continue to be a priority for Tennessee Republicans.'
Rep. Tim Rudd
'Sometimes when retired officers can be brought in, especially to fill some of those gaps in elementary schools, it's working really well,' Canady explained. 'Now we have got to make sure we have some really good perimeters around this. They still need to be the right selection.'
Pay for the lateral job openings range from $73,000 to $89,000 annually.
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