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ian Police to patrol Fightertown, Laurel Bay and P.I. streets

6 Dec 2007 | Sgt. Lukas M. Atwell Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort

The Provost Marshals Office here may soon begin hiring Civilian Police Officers to patrol the streets of Fightertown, Laurel Bay Military Housing and Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island.

 The hiring process is currently awaiting congressional approval and is a part of a Corpswide plan to hire 1,200 Civilian Police Officers over the next four years. The Civilian Police Officers will be hired to work side-by-side with military police at Marine Corps installations across the continental U.S.

 The PMO here currently plans to hire approximately 86 Civilian Police Officers and about 26 contractors by 2011, said Capt. Brent Turner, the deputy provost marshal. The officers will perform duties as patrolmen, while the contractors will fill dispatch and administrative positions.

 “We will begin hiring people as young as 18 and while we would like to see candidates with a background in law enforcement, it isn’t an absolute job prerequisite,” Turner said.

 “We will also be looking for former Marines because they have leadership experience and are familiar with our rank structure and many of the things that are unique to a Marine Corps community. They could really help the officers who don’t have (a military) background adapt quicker.”

 Regardless of their background, all candidates will attend an eight-week academy, learning many of the same skills MPs learn at school, including non-law enforcement subjects such as basic customs and courtesies and Marine Corps values.

 After graduating the academy, new officers will go through a nine-week field officer training program to sharpen their new skills and apply their training under the watchful eye of the MPs, according to Master Sgt. Randy Walz, the provost sergeant. The officers will have full arresting power and will be trained to do everything that military MPs do.

 “The goal behind all of the training is to create a well-trained, disciplined law enforcement agency that will work together with the Marines and understand the community that they serve,” Walz said. “They will be incorporated into PMO as peers.”

 After completing training, Civilian Police Officers will be able to work at any of the Marine Corps installations in the U.S. and because they will be enrolled in the General Service (GS) employment system, they will be able to accrue seniority, service and benefits.

 “We have a lot of military spouses here who may be interested in law enforcement,” Walz said. “This is another opportunity they have to get a decent job on base.”

 “If they can get through the training and get into the GS system and the Marine (changes duty stations), they will have job security at any Marine Corps base in the U.S.,” Turner explained.

 To apply for a job as a Civilian Police Officer, go towww.donhr.navy.mil, and then find open continuous announcement number DON0083.

 Applicants should have a good resumé saved on disk and make sure they have a detailed description of their work experience, according to Caterina Antonacci, a Fightertown human resources specialist. Applicants should then copy and paste their resumé on the Web Site.

 “Don't forget to select your geographic preference and to select all the GS grades you are interested in for considerations,” Antonacci added.

 For more information, visit the Provost Marshals Office/Civilian Police Department Web site atwww.usmccle.com.

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