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Chopper, SWAT team raid UA for recruitment

Randy Metcalf Arizona Daily Wildcat Business and finance junior Erin O' Brien (left) and business and finance sophomore Scott Beck look into TPD's helicopter yesterday just west of Old Main. The Tucson Police Department and the Tucson SWAT team were at the UA to answer questions and explain their duties.

Students walking on the UA Mall yesterday might have thought they were in the middle of a police invasion.

Air-1, the Tucson Police Department's Bell Jet Ranger Helicopter, landed just west of the Old Main fountain at about noon as part of the department's Special Weapons And Tactics team demonstration.

Jeff Wadleigh, president of the Undergraduate Society of Criminal Justice Studies, said his club sponsored the event to assist with TPD's recruitment effort.

"The entire police department has low recruitment," Wadleigh said. "Maybe because police officers are not paid enough."

Air-1 was the highlight of the SWAT team's demonstration. The helicopter's landing caught about 500 students off-guard, as many walking between classes were surprised by its presence and stopped to find out what it was doing.

TPD Officer Tom Earley, one of Air-1's two pilots, said this was the second time he has landed on the Mall. The other time was in 1984 for another police demonstration.

"It was a fine landing," Earley said.

Officer Joe Wakefield, the department recruiter, said recruitment has been hurt by retirement and difficulty finding qualified replacements.

"Maybe we'll recruit one or two people," Wakefield said.

Potential recruits must be at least 21 years old, a U.S. citizen, in good health, have a good driving record and possess a high school diploma.

Wakefield said recruits do not need a college degree and must never have been convicted of a felony.

Recruits must also go through a nine-step process - including an admissions test - before they are allowed into the police academy.

Wakefield said about 300 to 350 apply for the academy each time they offer an admissions test.

After graduating from the academy, officers receive about $31,000 a year with a possible increase to $43,000 a year, plus benefits that include a 20-year pension.

Anyone interested in taking the test can apply between Oct. 25 and Nov. 19 at TPD headquarters.

Wadleigh, who used his contacts with the department to get the helicopter at the demonstration, said this could be the last time they have a helicopter land on the Mall.

After Wadleigh graduates, the club might not have the resources to put an event like this together again, he said.

According to Earley, Air-1 is for sale - with an asking price of about $250,000.