Lieutenant Rob Hansen is with the Iowa Department of Public Safety’s plans, research and training bureau and he says this is the first round of hiring after several years of cutbacks in funding and resulting staff cuts. Hansen says the department’s been fortunate to get funding so that the first class in nearly four years is being put together. By the end of this calendar year, they’ll be ready to start hiring and training 25-to-30 people to work as state troopers, narcotics officers, fire inspectors and Division of Criminal Investigation gaming agents. Hansen says they’re tough jobs, and they’re looking for people with ‘high moral character” who are really committed to being in law enforcement. The minimum qualification for most jobs is a high school diploma or GED but many require a college degree, and he says with more education you’re more “marketable.” Hansen says Iowa has its own Police Academy — the Department of Public Safety runs its own basic-training academy. They house recruits at Camp Dodge and the next academy’s expected to start around January 1st and run about 20 weeks. There are some night and weekend jobs, some desk jobs, and most of them are demanding but Hansen says serving the public is rewarding. The applicant hotline is (515) 281-5639 or you can find it by surfing to www.state.ia.us/dps and look for a link from there.