LMPD holds “Open Testing” physical agility tests to address recruiting woes

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - It’s only been a few days after an extensive report by the Department of Justice into what’s wrong with Louisville Metro Police and they’re already looking for more officers.

While they’re understaffed by hundreds, less than ten people showed up for recruitment Saturday.

According to the March 2023 demographics, Louisville Metro Police has a little more than 1052 sworn officers on duty right now, almost 300 less than their goal.

Saturday, they held an “Open Testing” in an attempt to help feel that void but only five people came out.

There are more than 600,000 people living in Louisville and LMPD said they take pride in serving all of them.

Although they may be plagued by a lack of officers now, LMPD said they feel they can fill the void.

What are they looking for in an officer?

“A well-rounded candidate is someone who is going to be honest, who is going to be hard-working,” LMPD Recruitment and Selection Unit’s Detective Kevin Lewis said. “They have the best interests of the citizens of Louisville and the best interest for the Louisville Police Department.”

To get those candidates, LMPD hosted open recruiting physical agility tests to challenge them with sit-ups, push-ups and sprints.

The problem Saturday however, only a handful of candidates showed up.

“We have several testing dates and there’s a ton of different factors that go into that,” Lewis said. “If it’s a cold day generally we have a low turnout but when the sun comes out and the weather is great then you’ll see a bigger turnout of applicants. That’s one of the reasons we offer different testing days.”

With the recent findings in the DOJ report and the stigma surrounding law enforcement right now, it’s expected that recruitment will be harder than ever for LMPD.

Lewis said that doesn’t discourage him, however.

“Regardless of anything that’s happened in the past, guys and girls are still showing up everyday to do the job and mission of LMPD and they want to make a difference and that’s not going to make a difference,” Lewis said. “They’re still going to show up to do the best they can to help the citizens of Louisville.”

Until then, Detective Lewis said they will continue to push forward and hold these open tests to find the right candidates.

“This job is not going to end,” Lewis said. “We have a mission and we’re going to continue to do what we need to do to get the best qualified applicants for LMPD.”

Detective Lewis wants people to consider the opportunity to join the forces or even just become more active in their communities to make thins change for the better.

Copyright 2023 WAVE. All rights reserved.