Sean C. Morgan
Geoffrey Hamlin is the latest of three military veterans recently hired as police officers at Sweet Home Police Department.
About three years ago the Sweet Home Police Department decided to make a concerted effort to hire returning veterans to fill open positions within the agency, Police Chief Bob Burford said.
“Results for the first effort were a bit disappointing because at the time, many veterans showing interest in the jobs were still deployed abroad and their discharge dates were too far away to meet the department’s needs.
“In addition, of those veterans immediately available, many lived in other parts of the country and could not afford to participate in a hiring process that required multiple trips for testing, interviews, psychological and medical, examinations, etc.”
But early this year when the department needed to fill an unprecedented four positions at once, it found highly qualified candidates ready and available, Burford said. “We found recently returned veterans for three of the four positions. We are absolutely confident in the skills and commitment of all four officers we eventually selected.”
Hamlin, who went to work on Aug. 1, had been laid off from the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office.
“I was trying to go to college and found that working three jobs was a bit much,” Hamlin said, so he left Rogue River Community College and joined the Navy. His brother-in-law was a recruiter, and he signed up for the education and law enforcement experience.
“I joined the Navy in April of 2004 as a master at arms,” Hamlin said. “After completing my training I was stationed at Naval Station Everett in Washington. While there I performed law enforcement and base security duties standard of all master at arms.”
He performed harbor patrol and bike patrol and was certified as a field training officer.
He was deployed in 2007 to Camp Bucca, Iraq, on a one-year tour working in detainee operations. He remained in the Navy Reserves until March of 2010.
In April 2009, he was hired to work corrections with Josephine County. In 2010 he was transferred to the patrol division where he worked until he was laid off in May. He applied with SHPD after being forwarded an e-mail that was sent to Josephine County.
Hamlin, 29, who grew up in Rogue River was interested in law enforcement early, entering the Explorers program with the Oregon State Police in Medford at the age of 16, he said.
“I like that every day is different. You never know. Being able to be outside and roam is nice, while knowing you’re doing something productive and helping people out.”
SHPD has been great, Hamlin said. “It’s a good group to work with. We’re smaller. We’re close.”
Mike E. Adams, a school board member who also sits on the city Planning Commission, currently serves as a JAG officer in the Oregon National Guard.
“I think it’s a great thing for the Police Department to hire veterans,” he said. “The culture between law enforcement and the military is very similar. The veterans put their lives on the line for their country.”
The same thing goes for law enforcement, he said. The values are similar.
“The Police Department should be commended for hiring veterans,” Adams said.
“I strongly encourage all employers to take a look at these fine young men and women when making hiring decisions,” Burford said. “They have already well demonstrated a commitment to purpose that will meet the needs of any employer but is especially applicable to law enforcement and public safety. They have risked all for our nation and the very least we can do is give them a chance to keep serving.”
“It’s nice that employers are willing to give veterans preference,” Hamlin said. “While not true in every case, employers that are willing to hire veterans are making an investment in an individual that has self-discipline and is highly trained.
“It is not easy to excel in the military. In order to do so, you have to prove that you have self-discipline and are competent with the work you are assigned. The military places you in a position where lives depend on you. There is no room for juvenile behavior in the military. This experience should be brought forward into the civilian workforce.
“I know several veterans that are highly trained in areas that don’t always equate to civilian work. I have a good friend that spent several years as a gunner’s mate in the Navy. His area of expertise ranges from small firearms to large ship-mounted weapons. He has struggled to find a career in Oregon. He is currently working six days a week to make sure his family is cared for.
“I was once told by a potential employer that he will not hire veterans returning from Iraq or Afghanistan for fear of PTSD. That itself is a stereotypical attitude, and in my opinion discrimination.
“I wish more employers were willing to step up and hire veterans. Not only are you getting a high quality employee, but it’s nice to know that we are appreciated for the sacrifices made during our time of service.”
Officer Matt Johnson joined the Marine Corps on July 24, 2007. He attended boot camp from that date until Oct. 18, 2007 and then attended the School of Infantry and was trained as an infantry anti-tank missileman. He was stationed at Camp Pendleton, Calif., with 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines, The Thundering Third.
“I deployed in July of 2008 to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit to southeast Asia,” Johnson said. “I trained with foreign militaries in Japan and the Philippines. I returned stateside in January of 2009. I deployed again in April of 2010 to Garmsir district, Helmand province, Afghanistan.
“We conducted combat operations until we returned home in November. My unit succeeded in pushing Taliban out of our area of operations and developing a working relationship with the locals.”
He was honorably discharged on July 23, 2011. He moved back to Oregon and attended one term at Oregon State University, studying industrial engineering.
“I quickly discovered that a desk job no longer appealed to me and returned to my high school dream of becoming a police officer,” Johnson said. He applied with Sweet Home Police Department in November 2011 and started his career on Jan. 23, 2012.
“I was in the U.S. Army from September of 2003 to September of 2009 as a military police officer,” said Officer David Hickcox. “I handled canines for approximately half of my career. I worked patrol during peace-keeping missions; and when I was not working patrol, I was training in the field for our combat missions.”
He served in South Korea; Fort Campbell, Ky.; and Bayji, Iraq. His deployment to Iraq was for 15 months in 2008 and 2009.
“Our primary mission in Iraq was to train and supervise the Iraqi police, monitor prisoners of war and conduct joint operations, typically patrol operations (foot and vehicular),” Hickcox said. “I think it prepared me very well.”
Some of the work is similar, Hickcox said, although the way civilians and military personnel respond to law enforcement is different. Military personnel are required to be more respectful or face further consequences.
Among civilians, “you really don’t have that power,” Hickcox said. “So you’re using a customer-service style. You just kind of brush off the attitude.”
“I was informed by an attendee of my church, who lives in Sweet Home, that the SHPD was hiring,” Hickcox said. “The career of law enforcement has always been an interest of mine, so I decided to apply, and now I am proud to say that I work for this department.”
The Police Department has 14 police officers and is at its current authorized staffing levels, Burford said. They include nine patrol officers, two detectives, two sergeants and the police chief.