Tell City police department seeks community-minded officers

The Tell City Police Department is taking applications for full-time police officers, a hiring push that could affect how quickly officers answer calls, patrol neighborhoods and business corridors, and handle investigations across Perry County’s river town seat. The department is looking for people it describes as dedicated, professional and community-minded, with strong character, sound judgment and a desire to make a positive difference.

The city’s employment page points prospective applicants to the department through the City of Tell City and lists contact information at 812-547-5511 and secretary@tellcity.in.gov. The department’s public message on Facebook is blunt: “JOIN OUR TEAM!” Another post says, “NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS – FULL-TIME POLICE OFFICER(S) Paid training and career development. Applications are being accepted now. Visit our employment page ...”

For residents, the staffing question is practical. The patrol division says its work includes preventing and repressing criminal activity, investigating complaints and offenses, apprehending offenders, ensuring the safe and efficient movement of traffic and providing day-to-day law-enforcement services. In a city the size of Tell City, each open seat can shape how consistently officers can be visible in school zones, downtown, on neighborhood streets and at public events.

The department’s focus on professionalism also fits the role police play in a county seat where officers are often expected to do more than enforce the law. The department’s recruitment language emphasizes integrity, excellence and service, and that approach mirrors the way local law enforcement is used in Tell City, where officers are also part of traffic control, emergency support and neighborhood problem-solving.

Public-facing recruitment efforts also suggest the city is trying to sell policing as a career path, not just a vacancy notice. The department’s Facebook snippets mention competitive pay, excellent benefits, specialized training opportunities and officer wellness initiatives. In October 2017, Tell City news reported that police officers were set to receive longevity bonuses to base pay sooner and more often under salary changes tied to 2018 raises, a reminder that pay and retention have been recurring issues for the department.

The department’s presence is centered at 707 Mozart Street, where the Records Section is listed, and its community role extends beyond enforcement. Perry County Sheriff Alan Malone’s office says he partnered with Tell City police to start National Night Out and help create a Citizens Police Academy, tying the hiring effort to the broader network of public safety work that reaches across Perry County, Indiana.