For years, area police departments have used social media to nab criminals, now they're using it to nab new hires.
"There's a perception across the country that law enforcement is a very dangerous profession," said Chavez. "There are people who question the professionalism of this career."
The same is true across town in Overland Park.
"In addition to being a dangerous profession, sometimes it can be a thankless profession," explained Overland Park Police Chief Frank Donchez. "I think some of the difficulty we had last summer in recruiting officers was a result of what was going on the national stage."
So the departments are turning to Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to find young recruits, and it's working.
"We want people to have that service commitment attitude," said Donchez. "It's great to catch bad guys and want to do all those exciting things. But this job is more about service and providing the community with what they need."
The police academy typically lasts three months, as does on the job training. But both departments pay you your full salary during this time.
And they aren't just using sites like Twitter to advertise their positions. It's also the growing way people communicate with the departments. Have a question? Direct message them and they'll get back to you almost immediately.
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Terra Hall can be reached at terra.hall@kshb.com.
