HUNTINGTON, Ind. (FDN) — Officer Justin Faw has been on the beat for almost two years now as chief of police at Huntington University. With over twenty years of police experience down State Road 9 in Marion, he is now speaking out about the hiring crisis for police officers all over the United States.
Faw attributes the crisis to u or pre-meditated portrayal in the media, low wages, and the general danger associated with working in the profession as a police officer.
Faw said it’s a different environment than when he was hired onto the Marion Police Department.
“In 1997, when I hired on the Marion Police Department, there were five positions and there were over 150 people who applied to that department.”
Recently, when Officer Faw was speaking to another police chief and personal friend, he wasn’t all too shocked to hear that their department was having a hard time finding well-trained and qualified applicants for vacant positions on the force.
Faw recommends that while the community can’t fix this overnight, individuals can start making small changes to eventually create a larger impact. He hopes the community and social media can start by not jumping to conclusions when they see someone interacting with a police officer.