Next Wednesday, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department is trying something like a hiring sprint: a fast-track testing day where would-be officers can apply, take fitness and aptitude exams, and sit for an interview all in a single visit. The idea is to move qualified recruits into the pipeline faster while current officers continue logging heavy overtime. Department leaders say the one-day format is meant to ease staffing pressure and speed up the march from application to academy.
Event details and timing
The "Fast Track Testing Day Blitz" is set for next Wednesday with two sessions, at 8 a.m. and noon, at the St. Louis Police Academy at 315 S. Tucker Blvd. As reported by Spectrum News, the department currently lists 843 commissioned employees and 21 recruits in the academy. "We will work every day to bring our department up to its authorized strength," Chief Robert J. Tracy told the outlet.
Who can apply and what to bring
According to First Alert 4, applicants must be at least 20½ years old to jump into the process. Those who show up can apply, take a fitness and aptitude test, and participate in an oral interview the same day. The department is telling candidates to bring a valid driver’s license, wear interview-ready dress clothes, and pack non-revealing gym attire plus water for the on-site fitness exam. Any conditional job offer would still hinge on a background check, medical screening, drug test, and psychological evaluation.
Why the push now
The department says it needs to add roughly 300 officers to reach its authorized staffing level and has lost several hundred officers in recent years, a gap that helped trigger this testing blitz, according to FOX 2. SLMPD officials say getting those open positions filled would cut into the overtime load for current patrol officers and help stabilize day-to-day staffing citywide.
Staffing trend and context
St. Louis’s shrinking sworn force is not a sudden development. Reporting has shown the department’s total ranks have dropped sharply over the past decade, with earlier investigations noting a fall from about 921 officers in 2011 to roughly 650 by 2024. That decline coincided with heavier caseloads for detectives and a growing DNA backlog that complicated investigations, according to The Marshall Project.
Pay, benefits and next steps
The department lists a starting annual salary of $56,732, rising to $64,142 after two years, along with paid academy training, tuition reimbursement, and standard city benefits, per Spectrum News. Prospective candidates who want more details or prefer to start the process online can head to the city’s work-for-police page.
