Campbell County Senior Center

Police department hires seven officers

Seven new officers began their careers with the Rapid City Police Department on Monday.

The new officers began their three weeks of classroom training Monday. Next they will head to Pierre for a 12-week program at George S. Mickelson Criminal Justice Center, according to Capt. Karl Jegeris with the police department.

Graduating from the academy is necessary to receive certification to work in law enforcement in South Dakota. After returning to Rapid City, the new recruits will complete the police department's three- to four-month officer field training program. The officers will be on probation for 18 months from the time they start their training.

The new hires fill existing vacancies on the police force including those of fallen officers J. Ryan McCandless and Nick Armstrong, Jegeris said. The hiring process started on June 4 with about 100 applicants and was whittled down to eight candidates through a physical fitness test, written test, medical exam, psychological exam, comprehensive background check and interviews, Jegeris said.

"We anticipated hiring five and we had eight candidates that we were looking at," Jegeris said. "We ended up hiring seven of the candidates."

Two of the new officers are from Rapid City, one is from East River and four are from out of state. Jegeris said being local does not give a candidate an upper hand, but it is a plus especially considering the amount of money the department invests in new officers.

"We're looking to hire the best available candidate for the position. It is nice when we have local candidates because the likelihood that they stay here is much higher," Jegeris said. "If we can retain them long term, that's a huge benefit to the community."

The following new officers will start in the departments patrol division:

Officer Matt Almeida of Rapid City graduated from Central High School and earned his associate's degree in law enforcement technology from Western Dakota Technical Institute. Almeida most recently served as a loss prevention officer at Scheels and has been a member of the police department's Cadet Program for four years.

Campbell County Connects: Campbell County Senior Center classes

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