NEDERLAND — The Nederland Police Department is on the hunt — for new officers. The persons of interest should be licensed to be an officer, pass a background check, run a mile within 16 minutes, complete an obstacle course and pass a written exam, among other qualifications.

The department is seeking five patrol positions after a wave of officers retired or found other work.

Police Chief Gary Porter said the number of officers leaving the department was uncommonly high but not unforeseen.

“A lot of us came in around the same time in the early ‘80s,” he said. “It was easy to see it coming, but I think we are over the wave now. The people that are still here aren’t looking to retire in the next couple of years.”

Porter said the hiring process is extensive. The department hired three new officers over the last couple of months, but the department only hires what Porter estimated to be around 20%.

“We only hire people that are already licensed officers,” he said. “We get quite a few applications, but honestly, people just can’t get past the background check.”

One must fill out a personal history statement and must swear that the statement is true.

Porter said many have blemishes from high school that prevent them from taking the next step in the process.

“It can linger with you,” he said. “You can’t hire anyone that has done some type of felony controlled substance in the past few years. If someone had something from 10 years ago, that’s one thing. The majority of the applicants are 21 to 25 years old. If they did some really stupid stuff in high school, it’s in that time frame that can come back and haunt you.”

Porter said he is not looking for “perfect unicorns,” but admitted he wants someone close.

“Our No.1 priority is to serve our citizens,” Porter said. “Police officers have a lot of responsibility. I don’t think they even consider, sometimes, the responsibility that our citizens give them. They give them the right to take away their freedom, stop them on the side of the road and look through personal belongings if there is probable cause. We want to make sure the people we hire aren’t going to abuse that.”

After one passes the personal history statement, the applicant will have to run a mile within 16 minutes. Next, the applicant will run an obstacle course and finish up with written test.

Porter said the written test is the biggest eliminator of the three.

“It’s not the easiest, but its not the hardest,” he said. “We have a lot that pass and a lot that don’t. We have about a 50% pass rate. We probably have more people get eliminated by the written test than anything.”

The final step of the process is an interview, which usually last about an hour.

“We try to get inside people’s heads,” he said. “We want to know how they think. We want to know they are not narcissists. There are some people out there that are self serving and we don’t want them here.”

The chief said he wants applicants who have good communication skills, good character and a team mentality.

“We want people that have a good heart for people and know how to de-escalate a situation,” he said. “If it’s necessary, you have to be able to get physical if the job requires it. You have to have common sense. That’s really what its all about.”

If the interview goes well, the department will make a job offer.

Porter said the pay for the department is competitive with salaries starting around $52,000, depending on prior experience.

“The benefits are good if you can stay in the business for a while,” he said. “The job is a lot of fun, but sometimes it’s a lot of grief. It’s dangerous and wears on your family life and wears on you mentally.

“It is fun, though. You have a lot of freedom to get out and do your job self paced.”