The UTC police department is working to fill five positions on its force and, for now, will rely on off-duty Chattanooga police officers to plug holes in its coverage on the growing campus.
School and police officials say they are using the situation as an opportunity to lobby for increased salaries for campus police officers and improve the overall image of University of Tennessee at Chattanooga police, which has been tarnished by several high-profile terminations, officer misconduct incidents and court trials.
"We stepped back and looked at how the department was running," said UTC Police Chief Robert Ratchford. "We are in a period of transformation right now."
Chief Ratchford said the department has struggled to keep officers because the school's starting salary is not competitive with those at other area police departments.
"It is hard to compete," he said.
Starting pay for a UTC police officer is $12.25 per hour, while the local average starting pay for certified officers is $18 per hour, university spokesman Chuck Cantrell said.
"We are looking at trying to increase compensation so we can retain the great officers that we have and attract some others to come join us," he said.
The last few years have been a tumultuous time for the department's image. Two employees, Paul Dodds and Jeremy Morrison, were fired last year for alcohol consumption and providing alcohol to underage students. Another officer, Abner Miranda, quit.
All three officers sued UTC, claiming reverse race discrimination in UTC's law enforcement department. They won the lawsuit, and the school will pay a collective $350,000 to the three.
Earlier in 2009, former UTC Officer Sean Shelton also won a reverse discrimination lawsuit against the school and was paid $168,000. The school also paid $150,000 toward his legal fees.
UTC POLICE* 5 positions open for hiring* 27 total on force* 19 dispatchers* 25 Chattanooga police officers work part timeSource: UTC
In hopes of restructuring and improving the department, UTC hired Mr. Ratchford, a longtime member of campus law enforcement, as police chief a year ago, Mr. Cantrell said.
The administration is undergoing a review of positions and operations and writing new job descriptions that more accurately reflect the duties of campus officers, officials said.
Mr. Cantrell said the university expects to begin interviews and filling the open spots on the campus police staff this month. In the meantime, 25 Chattanooga police officers work part time at UTC, and they'll help fill in the gaps, he said.
"We are not necessarily changing that pool of city officers," Mr. Cantrell said. "We bring them in as we need them. We always anticipate having city officers we work with."