On Wednesday, Jeff Asher of AH Datalytics told New Orleans City Council members that the NOPD hired only 25 police officers were hired out of 26-hundred applicants.
According to a former NOPD superintendent, those figures are a bit deceiving.
"Eric Hessler, who represents the Police Assocation (of New Orleans), had data that said 450 people actually came and began the testing process," said former NOPD superintendent Ronal Serpas. "If that's the case, then about 25 people who were hired would represent about five percent of that, which would be consistent with my nearly 40 years of experience. For every 100 people who apply at the front door and come to your testing process, you'll probably hire five to 10."
Serpas noted that not everyone who applies for a job with the NOPD is serious about becoming a police officer.
"Twenty-six hundred (applicants) represents a "level of interest," Serpas said. "If 450 is true, that represents a level of serious interest."
"If it's true that 2,600 people tickled the system, that's not the same as the number that show up," Serpas added "In this case, it's 450, and if they hired 25 people out of 450, if my math's correct, that's almost six percent. That would be fairly normal. In my experience, it's always been around five and 10 percent, and that's the people who make it through the entire hiring process."
Serpas went compared the NOPD's situation to that of the United States Armed Forces.
"Think about this: a lot of people want to be fighter pilots," Serpas said. "A lot of people call the Air Force and say, 'I want to be a fighter pilot,' but when the time comes to actually get the physical and learn if you can do it, those numbers drop quickly and very fast."
Serpas also pointed out that some cadets fall out of the system before completing training academy. He said that figure is around five percent.
Related
