Affordable housing impedes Naples Police Dept. hiring efforts

The Naples Police Dept. said it’s that time of the year again to bring in new recruits.

“We’re just trying to recruit people that fit into our family here at the Naples Police Department,” Lt. Matt Fletcher said. “We’re just doing that nationwide search for the best applicants.”

Naples Police Dept. decided to put up a post on Facebook. It lists the starting salary as $51,000 with a signing bonus of $1,500.

The wages differ in other states, such as Hampton, Virginia, where the average salary is $44,334 per year while in Nashville, Tennessee, the average salary is $50,370 per year.

But would the Naples Police Dept. be a salary worth the move?

“When you talk about a salary around $50,000 that typically would be a house,” said Cormac Giblin, Housing and Development grant manager of Collier County. “If you wanted to buy a house around $130,000 to $150,000 or you could rent something for about $1,300 a month.”

But, those options are not realistic. Recruits will most likely have to commute. Yet, Fletcher said he is still hopeful he will find top recruits.

“The city of Naples is a fine place to work,” Fletcher said, “and it certainly got some great weather.”