Jackson Police Department swears-in new officers to their team

JACKSON, Tenn. — One local law enforcement team welcomes new team members and a new program.

The Jackson Police Department welcomed seven new officers into their workforce Tuesday afternoon.

“It’s great — just like every other industry and profession that I’m aware of, everyone’s having difficulty recruiting and maintaining adequate manpower, so anytime we can get some quality — seven quality applicants — we’re really blessed to get that many,” said Jackson Police Chief Thom Corley.

Chief Corley shared that newly added officers will have a mentorship with current senior officers to guide them during their time at JPD.

And he shares more on a new paid program.

“We partnered with the Tennessee Department of Workforce Development and they have apprenticeship programs across the state for various different industries, but never had one for law enforcement, and so we partnered with them, developed a curriculum where we now have a police cadet program which is a paid,” Corley said.

He also says that he saw a high interest in those that are between 18 and 20 years old wanting to join, and this would help those who want to gain experience.

Chandler McCrury became the first student of the program this afternoon.

“It feels pretty good, I’m excited for it,” McCrury said. “Kinda nervous cause it’s brand new, but I’m excited for it.”

McCrury says that this opportunity is beneficial because it helps him feel his purpose.

“People in need just need it, and that’s just one thing that motivated me to do it, and my dad for sure,” McCrury said. “He worked here too, so he’s been a big influence on me, my parents have for sure.”

McCrury is learning from different departments in JPD, and once he reaches the age requirement, he then can become a JPD officer.

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