D.C. Calls is a new campaign aimed at hiring police officers, firefighters, paramedics and corrections officers across the District.
The Bowser administration’s new initiative is the city’s first comprehensive public safety hiring campaign, featuring firsthand accounts from employees about their work and experiences serving the city. It comes as artificial intelligence is transforming the workplace and raising questions about the future of some jobs.
In response, D.C. is promoting careers where the human touch remains essential.
“Public safety is one of the areas where we may get better on technology, but our most critical asset always will be the people,” D.C. Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice Lindsey Appiah told WTOP.
At D.C.’s police department alone, Appiah said the District is 700 officers short.
She said addressing that need would help the department meet all its demands without having to rely on so many overtime hours.
“Overtime is more than just dollars and cents, as the mayor would say,” Appiah said. “It’s also about being good stewards of our people who have to work each one of those hours and making sure they’re physically and mentally well.”
Those joining D.C. police start at more than $75,000 a year, plus a $25,000 signing bonus. Firefighter/EMTs have a starting salary of more than $62,000 after completing training. Appiah said starting pay for corrections officers is around $60,000 a year, with signing bonuses also available.
The District has invested heavily in cadet programs to encourage young residents to pursue these careers, Appiah said, but applicants don’t have to live in the city to apply. According to Appiah, the campaign will feature billboards on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, where the District has had success finding firefighters, and digital ads reaching New York City, one of its strongest markets for recruiting police officers.
Appiah also described what she hopes applicants will bring to the job.
“So we’re looking for people who are community-minded, because above all else, that’s really what this work is about: Is serving the residents and visitors of the District across all eight wards in all of our various neighborhoods.”
With so many law enforcement agencies locally and across the country trying to hire, Appiah said D.C. maintains some of the highest standards in the nation for its public safety professionals.
“Even at a time where people are really lowering the bar because of that competition, we are not.”
For those who’ve never considered a career in public safety or aren’t sure which job might be right for them, D.C. Calls’ website has a “Not Sure Yet” option where they can submit their interest and get guidance from recruiters about available opportunities.
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