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Sacramento Police Waive College Requirement For Veteran Recruits

SACRAMENTO (CBS 13) — Sacramento police want more military veterans on the force and are getting rid of their college education required to do it.

The new program announced Wednesday is designed to help Sacramento police be more competitive recruiters. The Sacramento Police Department's two years of college requirement is now waived for members of the military who have spent at least four years on active duty and have an honorable discharge.

At a time when winning recruits is extremely competitive, Sacramento police want an edge in the game.

"To have access to that additional pool of candidates is really useful to us," said Sgt. Doug Morse with the Sacramento Police Department.

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Morse said his department sees great potential in hiring veterans without the traditional requirement of college experience.

"When you look at four years of military experience there's a lot of education behind it, there's a lot of the physical fitness that they have to do, the training and you're going to see someone who has at least four years of life experience," said Morse.

Army Sergeant First Class Nathan Fleshman with a local army recruiting office said police support for the military is a crucial lifeline.

"I don't want to be that type of guy that when I get out I don't know what am I doing," Fleshman said.

Freshman said the department's new program opens a window for Sacramento veterans who finish their service and want to stay close to home.

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"The benefit of what Sac PD is doing is they are in essence saying 'we know where the talent is. The talent is in the United States Army. We know that you're physically fit. We know that you have the mental capacity to do this job,'" Fleshman said.

Four years on the front lines and an honorable discharge gets in you in, but a veteran must also pass the same tests every recruit would take.

"They're going to be required to take the same medical evaluation they are going to be required to do the same background," said Morse.

The police are ready and available to start taking applications. This effort comes at a time when veterans all over the nation are having a hard time finding civilian jobs that take value their military experience.

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