Supporting and Strengthening Meridian’s Police Department

We are fortunate in Meridian to have a community that deeply supports our law enforcement officers. Our officers are dedicated to serving this community and have contributed to a 10% decrease in criminal offenses in 2023, and early 2024 data suggests that this positive trend is continuing.

This reflects the hard work and commitment of the Meridian Police Department. The department’s focus on a neighborhood policing model allows them to have carefully planned initiatives, make strategic investments, and have regular engagement with citizens which creates a better informed community and helps keep Meridian safe.

This week, Meridian is excited to welcome nine new recruits to the Meridian Police Department to help bolster their ranks. The new batch of police officers, consisting of six men and three women, will graduate this week, contingent on their successful completion of the academy and testing.  They will then be assigned to field training officers and begin acclimating to the job. This process will take an additional four months and once completed, they will be part of the team that is providing safety in our neighborhoods on their own patrols.

While these new officers will help ensure Meridian residents continue to be served by a premier law enforcement agency, recruiting new officers continues to be the department’s biggest challenge. Key issues in hiring and retaining police officers include competing with other agencies for new recruits, matching competitive pay with other jurisdictions, and having available affordable housing for those just starting their career. Addressing these challenges is essential to maintaining an effective police force that will meet the needs of the community. This has been and will continue to be a top priority as your Mayor.

These new recruits will also help reduce the impact of experienced officers retiring - something that unfortunately is happening more and more. Meridian Police officers have a proud tradition of serving the city for decades before retiring, reflecting a strong culture that helps define the whole department. As we take time to celebrate the contributions of retiring officers, we know we must remain committed to the new officers who join the Meridian Police Department and the standards our long-serving officers have set. These new men and women are trying to fill the shoes and build upon this legacy which has created a culture of dedication from one generation of officers to the next.

With successful recruitments, we can continue to meet the needs of the department and enhance our ability to have a robust School Resource Officer program and address community challenges like traffic enforcement or expanded specialized teams like the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) who focus on mental health issues.

The Meridian Police Department is continuously looking for individuals dedicated to providing the highest quality service in partnership with our community. If you or someone you know is interested in joining our dedicated team, we encourage you to visit www.joinmeridianpd.org and explore this rewarding career opportunity. Together, we can continue to make Meridian an even safer and stronger community.