COLONIE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Colonie Police released a new recruitment video Tuesday to enhance interest in joining the force and widening diversify within their ranks.
The video starts off with some light hearted self-effacing humor, but then shifts to real stories from Colonie officers and why they joined the force. One officer speaking about his run-ins with the law as a youthful offender and how he eventually found a new path when he joined the department.
“What you see is what you get. These are the people working here,” said Deputy Chief Bob Winn.
He told NEWS10’s Anya Tucker that the department tried to strike the right chord with the video with a mix of stories that show the human side of policing as well as a slice of humor.
“We did a lot of research. The most successful recruitment videos, in the law enforcement community anyway, they almost all had some sense of humor in them. And hopefully this will drive people not only to be interested in law enforcement, but we are really looking to drive the numbers up for people to take our test in September.”
The video also briefly addresses the elephant in the room: the fact that interest in policing is low, especially after highly publicized officer involved killings and abuse.
“We don’t want to be the front page story. We don’t want to be the negative story. We want to be the positive story. And hopefully this video shows that,” said Winn.
The department worked with production company Elevation Ten Thousand based in Latham.
“We looked at it as an exciting showcase to see the backside and the personal side of the Colonie Police Department,” said David Miclette, President of Elevation Ten Thousand.
“We want you to be part of our family, be part of our team and be successful,” added Winn.
The full recruitment video can be found online.
