Beach deal opens police jobs to Army vets

VIRGINIA BEACH

Army reservists and veterans looking for work will have an in with the Police Department.

During a ceremony Friday at the Law Enforcement Training Academy, police Chief Jake Jacocks agreed to participate in the Army's Partnership for Youth Success Program.

The program matches qualified Army recruits with jobs at military-friendly companies and public agencies. In this case, Military Police officers who complete their service or go on reserve status can fill needed positions with the local police department.

"Recruiting qualified candidates is and has been a challenge... and this opens another door," Jacocks said. "... They already have some of those values instilled in them that we look for."

The partnership does not guarantee anyone a job, he said. Each candidate will still have to complete a selection process, which includes a psychological evaluation, physical test and background check.

The program simply opens the door, said Lt. Col. Douglas Bunner, commander of the U.S. Army Recruiting Battalion in Beckley, W.Va., who also signed the agreement.

"It brings more options to the prospective soldier," he said. "Our organizations are not only alike in how we lead and manage... but we have similar missions. "

About 80 officers, or nearly 10 percent of the Beach police force, are military reservists, said Officer Jimmy Barnes, a police spokesman. When they return from a deployment, the department helps them readjust and leave the "combat environment" behind, Jacocks said.

If a soldier is found to have post-traumatic stress disorder or other problems, the department will help him or her work through those issues, Jacocks said. But that hasn't come up yet, he said.

The Beach Police Department is the first agency in South Hampton Roads to participate in the program, Barnes said. There are 45 partners nationwide, with just three law enforcement departments. The other two are the Newport News Sheriff's Office and the Richmond Police Department.

The partnership is a recruiting tool for the Army but will also "build a superior police force" because of the skills soldiers bring to the job, said Capt. Shannon Peck, who manages the program for the Army.

It "offers an opportunity to work for a company that's military-friendly... and still serve their country when they're called upon," Peck said.

And "the community is going to benefit because you're going to have a well-trained officer who is experienced in a multicultural environment, has had to overcome multiple challenges, and will appreciate the citizen."

Kathy Adams, (757) 222-5155, kathy.adams@pilotonline.com