“COPS” TV show featuring Salinas police airs Monday night

UPDATE 2/8/16 6:15 P.M.:

Salinas is in the spotlight with the city’s police department being featured on Monday’s episode of “COPS.” When Police Chief Kelly McMillin was approached about filming last summer, he was told about two major benefits – boosting morale and bringing in new talent. That, along with other tools could help fill the gaps in manpower. It’s already getting a lot of buzz.

“We’re assuming we’re going to get some interest,” said Deputy Chief Dave Shaw. “We can’t say we’ve had any recruitment specifically linked to that yet however from what we’ve been told, it does generally increase the awareness that we are recruiting.”

There are 29 open positions right now. While the department has tried the traditional tactics like job fairs and “Help Wanted” ads, they say they see the most response from social media.

While they encourage everyone interested to apply, they prefer locals who are invested in the city’s well-being.

“They tend to know the city, they know what issues the city’s facing,” Deputy Chief Shaw said. “They tend to be a little more vested in the community. Currently, the upper ranks of the department, most are local people that are born and raised in Salinas. So they tend to make this a career move and that’s what we’re looking for, people who are vested in the community and take a real interest in the community.”

ORIGINAL POST:

The Salinas Police Department will be featured in the TV show “COPS” on Monday.

Six “COPS” segments were taped in Salinas. The next Salinas segment is scheduled for April 30, and the remaining four are planned for the show’s next season.

Tonight on KION, Mariana Hicks will speak with the police department about their latest recruiting efforts. Tune in at 5 and 6 p.m. for more information.