For the first time in three years, a new class of Cook County sheriff's police recruits will start training for open slots in a move that top officials hope will fill the department's depleted ranks.
The new class of 25 officers, which includes existing courtroom deputies and jail guards, is part of a plan by Sheriff Tom Dart to fill a hole of about 50 police officers. They begin their training today on the campus of Triton College in River Forest, sheriff's officials announced.
Dart's plan to allow his deputies and jail guards the chance to shift jobs arose from his inability to secure funding to hire.
The sheriff's office attributes the lower staff numbers to retirements and various leaves of absence such as those away on military deployment.
The 25 officers will train along side 23 cadets hoping to join several suburban departments.
In addition to patrolling county's unincorporated areas and investigating crimes for both the sheriff's and forest preserve departments, sheriff's police also patrol south suburban Ford Heights, whose own police force folded in 2008.
Sheriff’s police also loan out their evidence technicians for use by police departments in 41 Chicago area suburbs, officials said.
