Wilmington Police focus on recruiting and retaining officers after documentary brings national spotlight and City approves raises

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Just weeks after Wilmington voted to increase pay for city employees, some departments say they’re starting to reap the benefits.

This week, Wilmington Police played across television screens around the nation. They were featured on a primetime documentary series called ‘How America Works’.

“If you think about it this way, that was a multi-million dollar recruitment opportunity for Wilmington Police Department,” said Wilmington Police Chief Donny Williams. “To produce an hour long video with a professional camera crew and a production company, and to run it on a nationally televised program during prime time, and it will run multiple times, why not run on that opportunity?”

The episode comes after the City of Wilmington approved a $1.3 million package to raise city salaries after a study revealed Wilmington police officers are paid 13 percent less than nearby counterparts.

Williams said the raises’ timing was strategic.

“It’s great to air your primetime, but if salary’s not competitive, people are not going to want to come to work here. And we knew that,” he said.

Since then, Chief Williams said the police department has heavily advertised its salaries and equipment, looking for the best people and retaining veterans who have cultivated trust and good relationships with the community.

According to the Chief, “That’s where you build the trust at, is seeing the same person, developing that rapport, getting to know people because at the end of the day… we’re all people. We all want to see our community be better.”

Williams said there’s still more than a dozen openings left to be filled. He believes the recent national spotlight, coupled with the city raises could draw the best candidates.

“Some people may say you want someone who can run fast, you want someone that can lift a lot of weights, you want somebody that can shoot,” he continued. “Some of those things you can teach people. I’m looking for heart. Someone that has a heart that really cares about people and wants to do this job for the right reason.”

As of Tuesday, base pay for open WPD positions on the City’s page ranges from $36,000 to $60,000

‘How America Works’ hosted by Mike Rowe airs on the Fox Business Network.