It is the mission of the Training Bureau through organizational commitment and legislative mandate to provide each officer and civilian employee with the most current and updated training in our field. In keeping with California's Commission on Police Officer Standards and Training, we coordinate the continuous education and individual professional growth of each member of the Department.

Recruitment

The Training Bureau works in conjunction with the City's Human Resources Office in the recruitment and selection of "recruit" and "lateral entry" candidates for the position of Police Officer. For more information regarding openings and upcoming test dates, contact the Human Resources Office at (310) 349-2950, or visit their office in City Hall, 4455 W. 126th Street, Hawthorne, California.

Hawthorne Police Department takes applications for "lateral applicants" on a continuous basis.

Click here to see current job openings.

Click here to learn more about our Explorers Program.

Good things are happening, Hawthorne is coming back!

Remember 1997? The City of Hawthorne was in dire straits. Because of financial instability, there was a drastic cut in the City's workforce. The Hawthorne Fire Department was dissolved, and city services were taken over by Los Angeles County Fire Department. The remaining city contingent, including Police, Parks, Streets, Engineering and others, were cut 45%. City employees were in year five without a raise or contract. It seemed as if the dark clouds would never go away.

The Police Department went back to bare basics. Most part- time employee positions, including several record clerks, reserve officers, and crossing guards were eliminated. Several bureaus within the Police Department were also eliminated. Those included the Community Relations Bureau, the Metro Unit that handled narcotic and gang enforcement, and the involvement in multi-jurisdictional task forces. The most disturbing was that we had to eliminate seventeen police officer positions. Thanks to staff and the gracious acceptance of other police agencies, our officers who were targeted for layoff were found jobs.

1999 began our comeback. After applying for and receiving federal and state grants for specialized programs, and a general financial recovery, the City and the Police Department began their metamorphosis to health. A Narcotics Unit was established. We recommitted ourselves to L.A. IMPACT, housing a reborn Group 1. A nationally recognized Crime Free Multi Housing Unit was formed. With a dropping crime rate under our belt, we began to receive more and more support from the City Council, and our citizens. Morale was more than a word again; it was a good feeling. The sense of family within our department strengthened.

Despite our good feelings, and sense of commitment, we were still fielding questions like, "When are you guys going to be taken over by the Sheriffs? Is your city going bankrupt? " Now may seem like an inappropriate time, but my response is,"We're solid here at Hawthorne. The Sheriffs Department is not coming to take us over. In fact, it's very likely we will be building a new police services building in the next I8 months. Plus, we're very close to starting a helicopter unit. We've just remodeled and refurnished the detective bureau, report writing room, briefing room, and other offices. Our vehicle fleet is strong and looking good. Our City Council just approved the 3% @ 50 PERS retirement plan. We are in the process of hiring ten officers this year to fill our compliment. We are continually taking applications from lateral applicants to quickly fill these positions. A new computer system and records management system is just months away from going operational. We have just received $80,000 from a Law Enforcement Technology Grant, which will assist in the purchase of video cameras for our patrol units. Our staffing levels for specialized assignments, such as Narcotics and Gang Units will be increasing shortly. Our current School Resource Officer program will increase by three once more officers are hired. We signed a multi-year contract, which runs through June 2002. Things are definitely better. In fact, I'd say things are good. And the members of our department feel they will continue to even greater heights.