►
Description
Aiken Department of Public Safety returns to Aiken This Week with Lt. Ben Harm, Lt. Jake Mahoney and Sgt. Celeina Dobbs to discuss recruitment and training.
A
Welcome
to
Aiken
this
week,
I'm
Glen
Parker
today
again
we're
featuring
they
can
Public
Safety
Department
join
us
today
or
lieutenant
Jake
Mahoney
lieutenant
Ben
harm
and
Sergeant
Selena
homes,
Selena
Dodds.
Why
don't?
Each
of
you
take
a
second
or
a
minute
and
just
tell
us
a
little
bit
about
your
responsibilities
with
the
department
and
what
we're
going
to
talk
about
today
being
sure
going.
My.
B
Name
is
Ben
Harmon
lieutenant
with
Public
Safety
I
work
in
the
administrative
division.
An
administrative
division
were
responsible
for
the
administrative
functions,
policies,
procedures,
accreditation,
hiring
background
investigations,
The
Dispatch
communication
center
as
well
as
records,
so
we
kind
of
handle
all
of
those
things
together.
How.
B
B
C
I'm,
the
training
officer
for
the
department
responsible
for
the
training
of
all
new
employees,
both
Swan
sworn
and
unsworn,
say
I'm,
responsible,
I
manage
the
training
function,
training
our
officers
are
firefighters
and
our
personnel,
it's
kind
of
like
raising
a
it,
takes
a
village
to
raise
a
child.
It
takes
an
entire
department
to
train
an
officer,
an
employee,
a
firefighter
so
I
help
manage
that
function
serve
as
a
liaison
between
the
department
and
the
South
Carolina
criminal
justice
academy
and
the
State
Fire
Academy.
Okay,
so
leave
sergeant.
D
A
D
We
participate
in
recruitment
activities
at
our
local
colleges
and
universities,
as
well
as
our
public
schools.
We
do
the
citizens
academy,
which
allows
the
citizens
of
akin
to
come
in
and
see
the
different
aspects
of
Public
Safety
and
also
get
to
see
how
we
operate.
We
do
the
contact
card
program.
This
allows
interested
people
to
come
in
fill
out
their
information
and
it
allows
us
to
contact
them
when
we
have
open
positions
for
it.
D
A
D
A
B
The
one
of
the
best
ways
for
people
to
realize
that
there's
opening
in
public
safety
or
even
in
the
city
in
general,
is
to
check
the
city's
website,
and
we
can
show
that
at
the
end
of
the
program.
Another
way
like
sergeant
Dobbs
mentioned
is
through
a
contact
card.
If
you're
interested
in
working
at
Public
Safety-
and
it
doesn't
just
have
to
be
a
public
safety
officer,
it
can
be
a
volunteer
firefighter.
It
could
be
a
records
technician,
a
dispatcher
or
any
other
position
we
have.
B
Even
if
we
don't
have
any
openings,
we
can
fill
out
a
contact
card
for
you
and
what
that'll
do
is
when
we
do
have
an
opening
will
actually
call
you
or
email
you
and
let
you
know
that,
there's
an
opening
in
that
way,
you'll
you
get
that
first
hand
knowledge,
so
you
don't
necessarily
have
to
check
website
every
day.
Okay,.
A
B
It's
not,
we
won't
actually
keep
an
application,
because
all
the
most
of
the
city's
applications
are
on
the
internet
now
or
at
the
one-stop,
but
we'll
fill
out.
A
little
contact
card
is
just
with
your
personal
information,
your
name
address
and
phone
number
and
then
we'll
contact
you
to
submit
the
full
application.
If.
A
B
B
We
actually
have
them
in
the
car
with
officers
they
they
kind
of
do
like
a
shadow
with
records
and
communications
center
and
all
aspects
of
the
department
they
get
to
see
the
narcotics
canines
in
action
you
know,
and
if
they
want
to
we
get,
they
can
actually
go
with
other
specialized
teams.
If
their
training
they
can
actually
go,
take
a
look
and
kind
of
see
how
they
operate
as
well.
So
it's
really
all
inclusive
internship.
Now.
A
We
talked
with
chief
Barranco
recently
about
the
diversity
of
the
apartment
and,
and
you
know
what
it
takes
a
little
bit
to
be
a
public
safety
officer
with
both
fire
and
police.
So
what
are
the
basic
requirements?
I
guess,
if
I
want
to
be
an
officer,
what
do
I
need
to
have
and
why
do
I
wanted?
What
I
want
to
go
to
school
for
I
guess.
B
Okay,
that's
actually
a
great
question
in
South
Carolina
by
south
carolina
state
law.
You
actually
don't
have
to
be
21
and
have
a
high
school
diploma
or
equivalent,
which
it
would
be
a
GED.
You
have
to
have
a
South
Carolina
driver's
license
and
you
have
to
have
a
clean
background,
including
note
no
offences
of
a
moral
turpitude
which
would
be
like
a
stealing
or
lying
or
those
sorts
of
things
now,
in
order
to
make
yourself
a
better
applicant.
Obviously
a
college
degree
does
help
you
you
can
major
in
whatever
you
choose.
B
A
lot
of
colleges
do
have
a
criminal
justice
program,
so
we've
got
folks
with
engineering
degrees
like
Captain
casting
actually
has
an
engineering
degree.
We've
got
folks
with
accounting
degrees,
business
degree,
criminal,
justice,
degrees,
science,
degrees
it
just
whatever
they
wanted
a
major
and
they
got
the
degree.
We
have
some
communications
degrees,
and
then
we
also
have
a
lot
of
folks
from
the
military
as
well,
and
just
we
look
for
the
best
possible
applicant.
Ok,.
A
B
That's
another
good
question:
the
first
is
obviously
to
fill
out
the
application,
and
then
we
get
all
those
applications
of
them
come
online.
We
review
all
those
applications
and
we
run
the
driver,
license
histories
and
criminal
histories
on
everybody,
because,
obviously
you
don't
want
somebody
being
an
officer
who
has
an
extensive
driving
history
and
their
status
of
criminal
history.
So
we
run
all
those
and
then
we
actually
interview
all
the
candidates
that
don't
have
those
those
histories.
Okay,.
A
B
The
first
is
the
police
and
fire
aptitude
test,
and
we
get
we
administer
dust
as
those
aren't
knowledge-based,
but
they're
more
scenario,
type
based
to
figure
how
you
know
how
you
handle
would
handle
a
situation.
It's
really
just
to
kind
of
measure
your
ability
to
do
the
job.
We
actually
get
those
tests
from
a
company
that
does
all
the
standardization
and
checks
form
and
we
get
those
companies.
We
get
those
tests
from
a
company
out
of
the
Northeast
okay.
B
B
C
A
B
Actually
do
a
board
of
review
for
our
new
hires
made
normally
consists
of
seven
senior
officers.
Normally
we
have
some
sergeants
and
lieutenants
and
some
captains
and
what
they
do.
Is
they
ask
a
bunch
of
questions
so
a
lot
like
you're
asking
me
questions.
We
ask
questions
of
the
candidates
and
it's
a
discussion
and
we
give
them
some
scenarios
and
it's
a
it's
kind
of
a
stressful
situation
for
because
obviously
they're
facing
a
panel
of
folks
trying
to
get
a
job.
A
B
B
It's
important
because
we
want
to
ensure
a
couple
of
things.
First,
we
want
to
sure
we're
getting
the
best
possible
candidate
and
second,
it's
a
way
to
reassure
our
citizens
that
we
are
hiring
folks
of
good
quality
and
good
character.
You
know
we
can
train
a
lot
of
things
and
Lieutenant
Mahoney
will
talk
a
little
bit
more
about
some
of
the
training,
but
you
can't
really
train
good
character
in
people,
and
so
what
we
do
is
we
go
to
their
high
schools.
We
go
to
the
college.
We
contact
their
previous
employers.
B
We
look
at
all
their
social
media
pages,
Facebook,
Twitter
Instagram.
We
look
at
all
those
things
and
we're
looking
for
conduct.
That
is
exemplary
as
well
as
not
so
exemplary
and
the
reason
being
is
we
want
to
ensure
to
our
citizens
that
we've
done
our
due
diligence
that
the
person
we're
hiring
is
of
good
quality,
good
character.
A
B
And
even
in
the
background
investigation,
you
know
a
poor
choice
as
a
17
or
18
year.
Old
doesn't
exclude
you
from
employment
now,
if
you're,
24
and
you're
having
poor
choices
at
24,
then
that
that
would
not
necessarily
make
you
the
best
candidate
for
us,
and
so
you
know,
we've
seen
some
things
that
you
know
folks
have
done
at
seventeen
eighteen,
nineteen
that
might
not
necessarily
be
the
best
and
we've
hired
them
because
they
shown
that
they've
turned
it
around.
B
A
B
Really
as
needed,
if
we
have
vacancies,
then
we
will
post
for
those
vacancies
and
the
hiring
process
is
not
short.
You
know
from
the
date
applications
close
to
the
date
of
actual
start
you're,
probably
looking
at
three
to
four
months,
and
the
reason
being
is
because
we
normally
have
a
big
pool
of
applicants.
You
know
we
normally
have
90
to
100
applicants
for
a
position
I'm,
so
that
takes
for.
B
It
takes
a
long
time
to
kind
of
go
through
that
process.
Obviously,
interviewing
everybody
takes
a
significant
amount
of
time.
You
averaged
30
in
30
minutes
an
interview
and
90
folks.
That's
a
significant
chunk
chunk
of
time.
So
it
takes
time
to
go
through
those
processes
and,
in
addition
to
other
duties
it
just
it
just
takes
some
time.
So
it
might
seem
like
a
long
time,
but
we
think
our
process
really
helps
us
do
better
and
we
actually
solicit
information
and
suggestions
from
folks
in
our
community.
B
We
do
coffee
with
a
cop.
Our
citizens
academy
is
another
really
good
event,
even
if
you're
not
interested
in
working
at
Public
Safety.
If
you
want
to
learn
more
about
public
safety,
you
can
come
and
spend
nine
weeks
with
us
and
we'll
show
you
the
ins
and
outs,
and
we
get
feedback
from
those
folks.
We
get
feedbacks
from
the
various
community
groups
that
the
chief
and
everybody
kind
of
speaks
at
and
and
meets
with
and
collaborates
with.
So
it's
we
are
constantly
looking
for
ways
to
improve
and
we
think
that
helps
us
all.
A
C
C
We
prepare
our
officers
before
they
go
to
the
police
academy,
then
we'll
send
them
up
the
South
Carolina
criminal
justice
academy
for
12
weeks
and
then,
after
their
12
weeks
at
the
academy,
they'll
come
back
to
us,
we'll
spend
12
to
14
weeks
in
a
field
training
program
where
they
ride,
along
with
a
veteran
officer,
a
training
officer
and
they'll
ride
on
patrol
with
that
field,
training
officer
actually
three
separate
officers.
They
rotate
not
every
month
or
so
so
they
get
to
get
to
see
different
techniques.
C
Different
delivery,
styles
learn
the
ins
and
outs
from
a
multitude
of
officers
and
once
they
complete
their
Police
field,
training
will
send
the
South
Carolina
Fire
Academy
for
an
additional
eight
weeks
of
training
in
fire
academy.
Come
back.
Do
some
orientation
in
the
fire
service
after
they've
completed
all
their
training,
the
police.
In
the
fire
academy,
we
also
have
anywhere
from
40
to
80
hours
of
additional
in-house
medical
training.
C
They'll
become
American,
Red,
Cross,
first
responders,
plus
some
additional
tactical
medical
training
that
we're
able
to
offer,
and
that's
that's
phase
one
and
then
what
once
they
complete
all
the
basic
training.
All
the
basic
requirements
they'll
be
assigned
to
a
shift
and
they'll
be
evaluated
by
their
shift
supervisors
in
the
leadership
on
the
at
the
shift
level
for
up
to
six
weeks,
while
they're
still
in
a
probationary
status.
A
C
Justice
academy,
every
officer
in
the
state
of
South
Carolina
by
law,
has
to
be
trained
at
their
basic
training
is
to
is
provided
at
the
South
Carolina
creme
of
just
Academy.
It's
12
weeks,
long
they'll
start
with
introduction
to
legal
system,
statutory
laws,
state
laws,
constitutional
law,
search,
seizure,
investigative
techniques
they'll.
As.
D
C
Progress
job
specifics,
basic
patrol
operations,
tactical
communications,
defensive
tactics,
firearms
training
and
safety
driver's
training
before
they
complete
the
course.
The
criminal
justice
academy
they're
certified
to
operate,
breath,
testing
machines
for
alcohol
and
DUI
detection,
as
well
as
standardized
field
sobriety
testing
does.
C
It's
12
weeks
monday,
through
friday,
they
stay
up
there,
report
on
sunday
evenings
and
they're
there
until
friday
evenings
they
are
given
their
weekends
off
where
they
can
come,
spend
some
time
with
the
family,
but
for
the
first
nine
weeks,
solid
monday
through
friday,
they
they
stay
within
the
confines
of
the
criminal
justice.
Kadim
ii
they've
got
dorms,
they're,
fed
three
meals
a
day,
a
lot
of
physical
training,
in
addition
to
the
technical
and
the
tactical
training.
A
C
Fire
Academy,
we
send
all
of
our
recruit
officers
to
the
South
Carolina
Fire
Academy
for
an
eight-week,
recruit
firefighter
curriculum
again.
They'll
receive
some
additional
medical
training
from
the
Fire
Academy
basic
fundamentals
of
firefighting
techniques
and
flammable
liquid
and
gas
firefighting,
hazardous
materials,
survival
techniques,
and
they
also
receive
their
firefighter
one
and
firefighter
two
certifications.
Okay,.
A
So
lieutenant
Keston
talked
to
us
recently
about
accreditation,
so
I'm,
assuming
once
they
get
through
these
things
and
they're
trained
they're
still
ongoing
day-to-day
training
that
goes
on
in
Public.
Safety
Department
tell
us
a
little
bit
about
that.
Maybe
how
that
ties
to
do
a
gravitation,
absolutely.
C
The
train
they
received,
the
Fire
Academy
in
the
police
academy
is
just
the
basics
and
law
enforcement
is
and
the
fire
service
is
always
changing
and
we
pride
ourselves
on
being
a
professional
department
in
advanced
department
and
to
maintain
that
status.
We
have
to
continue
to
train
and
evolve
with
the
profession
of
law
enforcement
and
fire
fight.
C
Firefighters
can
specialise,
confined
space
rescue
aerial
operations,
truck
company
operations,
while
in
firefighting
wide
there's
a
multitude
of
disciplines
you
can
specialize
in
and
on
the
law
enforcement
side
were
required
every
year,
every
three
years,
I'm
sorry
to
have
at
least
40
hours
of
continuing
education.
So
it
is
continually
taken
place
and,
depending
on
an
officer's
interest,
he
may
find
an
area
of
law
enforcement
that
is
particularly
attractive
to
him,
whether
it's
criminal
investigations,
juvenile
operations.
Maybe
an
officer,
has
a
desire
to
become
a
school-based
officer,
bicycle
patrol,
it's
just
it's
wide
open
to.
A
D
C
Requirements
orange
the
ISO
requirements
to
have
a
certain
amount
of
training
every
year
and
we're
you
know
we
use
company
drills
where
we'll
get
together
at
least
quarterly,
as
a
squatter
as
a
as
a
shift,
but
we've
also
gotten
into
online
training.
It's
it's.
It's
cost
effective
for
us.
It
offers
it
opens
up
the
the
availability
to
the
masses
and
we
found
it
found
it
very
successful
and
incorporate
that
into
our
training
program
as
well.
Okay,.
A
C
We're
very
fortunate
that
we
do
have
our
own
indoor
training
facility.
We
can
accommodate
approximately
30
students
for
all
of
our
training
facilities
of
our
training
classes.
We
have
to
endure
endure
firing
ranges
when
we
shoot
just
our
pistols,
but
on
the
other
side
of
our
range
we
can
shoot
almost
any
firearm
rifles
and
pistols
as
well.
C
It's
continuously
in
operation.
We
don't
just
limit
it
to
aiken
Public
Safety
anytime.
We
host
or
hold
training,
especially
advanced
training.
We
open
it
up
to
area
any
law
enforcement
agency
in
the
in
the
region.
We've
had
officers
come
from
out
of
state
for
some
of
our
training
and
we're
very
proud
of
it
very,
very
fortunate.
To
have
that
facility
available
to
us.
Ok,.
A
C
Special
Response
Team
and
our
technical
rescue
team
fund
as
a
great
resource-
it's
not
everywhere.
You
can
go
to
have
a
capability
to
repeal
or
climb
or
perform
rescue
training
from
up
to
six
stories
in
the
air.
So
we're
very
fortunate
that
she's
pretty
regularly
at
least
quarterly
you'll
see.
One
of
those
teams
are
one
of
those
special
groups
out
there.
Taking
advantage
of
that
resource
challenges.
A
B
The
challenge
is
really
an
opportunity
and
might
it
kind
of
goes
hand
in
hand.
The
challenge
is
always
to
hire
the
best
candidate
for
the
position,
and
you
want
to
do
that
for
a
couple
reasons.
I
live
in
aiken,
my
new
lieutenant
mahoney
lives
in
aiken
and
we're
eventually
going
to
retire.
So
we
want
to
hire
folks
that
are
the
best
qualified,
because
we,
the
folks
who
are
protecting
our
children.
B
We
want
them
to
be
the
best
possible
that
they
can
be,
and
so
it's
an
opportunity
for
us
to
hire
new
folks
as
well
as
the
best
qualified
and
that's
always
the
challenge
is
to
hire,
because
you
know
when
you,
when
you
have
90
applicants,
you've
got
a
lot
of
good
applicants
and
you've
got
to
find
the
best
qualified
ones
and-
and
it's
challenging
that
that's
always
the
difficult
part,
is
the
hiring
decision.
I'm
glad
I
don't
have
to
make
it.
The
chief
makes
a
decision
on
who
to
hire
it's.
B
C
C
The
level
of
professionalism
in
law
enforcement
is
at
an
all-time
high,
as
well
as
our
scrutiny,
so,
specifically
the
changes
in
technology.
By
the
time
we
we've
learned
how
a
new
piece
of
equipment,
new
radio
system,
a
new
computer
software,
how
it
operates,
how
it
functions,
there's
something
new
on
the
market
or
there's.
There's
an
advancement
body
cameras
looking
forward
to
being
able
to
incorporate
that
in
our
training
in
a
news
program.
But
it's
it's
multi-layer,
there's
so
many
facets
to
it.
A
C
I
said
our
lab
I'm,
not
the
training
officer,
maybe
my
title
but
I
manage
the
training
function.
It
takes
the
entire
department,
whether
they're
a
one-year
probationary
officer,
somebody's
just
finished
training
up
to
and
including
the
chief
to
help
train
train
our
new
officers,
and
we
use
those
individuals
based
on
their
their
expertise
in
a
certain
area,
we'll
set
up
a
training,
calendar
and
curriculum.
Some
officers
are
have
more
experience
in
tactical
operations,
and
we've
had
advanced
training
and
become
certified
instructors
in
different
different
areas.
C
Some
officers
have
come
to
us
from
the
EMS
community
and
they
have
a
medical
background.
So
we
pull
on
those
those
skills
and
those
talents
we
drop.
We
try
to
draw
the
best
from
all
of
our
officers
and
if
an
individual
is
particularly
skilled
in
a
certain
area
and
has
some
knowledge
to
share
with
the
rest
of
us
will
pull
on
that
and
will
help
spread
that
throughout
the
force,
okay,
I.
A
B
We
go
to
our
recruitment
events.
We
we
recruit
for
all
of
those
activities,
from
administrative
assistance
to
our
driver
operators
which
actually
drive
the
fire
trucks
and
their
non-sworn,
and
there
are
a
very
vital
part
of
our
organization:
maintenance,
maintenance,
folks,
dispatchers.
All
those
positions
are
things
that
we
actually
actively
seek
people
for,
and
it
it
is
challenging
at
times
to
find
folks
for
positions,
but
we're
very
fortunate
that
the
folks
that
that
have
come
to
work
with
us
are
very
good
people
and
I
think
that's
kind
of
you
know.
B
A
Well,
thank
you.
Both
sergeant
Dobbs
had
to
leave
us,
but
I
want
to.
Thank
you
too,
for
sharing
some
very
good
information
to
us.
Hopefully
it
was
good
to
our
community.
Let
me
just
remind
everyone
if
you
have
a
question
or
a
topic
you'd
like
to
hear,
send
us
an
email
to
aiken
this
week
at
city
of
aiken,
SC
gov.
Thank
you
for
joining
us.