If you thought your first week at a new job was tough, try learning every street in Mayfield Heights while wearing a badge and carrying a radio. The Mayfield Heights Police Department has recently welcomed several new faces to its patrol team, and these officers are navigating far more than just routine paperwork.
When it comes to hiring new patrol officers, the Mayfield Heights Police Department takes the process seriously—almost like casting a long-running television show, but with significantly more paperwork and polygraphs and far fewer scripts and judges. According to Captain Paquette, “We look at hiring applicants as a 20-to-30-year commitment. They’re going to be here for a long time, and we believe hiring the best people is key to having a great police department.”
The journey from applicant to officer is intentionally thorough. After passing a civil service test and completing a face-to-face interview, candidates participate in ride-alongs with three to four field training officers, who provide candid evaluations of their performance. As Captain Paquette explains, “We don’t just look at how much experience somebody has and what they’ve done. We look at people’s character as the number one thing. We want to see that they have a good heart, that they’re compassionate, that they possess empathy, and that they will be a good representation of our department.” In other words, it takes more than just a badge and a good-looking resume to make the cut in Mayfield Heights.
Once the hiring process is complete, the real adventure begins with training. Training in Mayfield Heights is a fast-paced mix of real-life scenarios, quick decision-making, and learning on the job. Field Training Officer DeRose described the progress of the newest patrol officer, Richard Hildreth, reporting, “Today is his second day on the road, so we’re covering geography. It’s just going to be a lot of city streets, you know, and which direction are you facing? A big ton of business, a bunch of retail, and just geography will be done with me.”
Navigating winding streets and busy plazas is all part of a day’s work, and local knowledge quickly becomes essential. While the experience can be intense and unpredictable, it can also be surprisingly enjoyable. Reflecting on his training, Officer Hildreth commented, “They’ve been awesome,” and added, “Officer DeRose has been a great training officer. Everyone here is super helpful and understanding and everyone here is a team player, which is a nice thing to see at a large police department compared to my previous law enforcement experience.” With supportive teammates and a few confusing intersections along the way, Hildreth is eager to keep learning—one Mayfield Heights street at a time.
For Officer Richard Hildreth, joining the Mayfield Heights Police Department is more than just a career move; it’s the fulfillment of a lifelong dream that has long been rooted in family tradition and a genuine desire to serve the community. “My father was a highway patrolman and a police officer at Cleveland State University. So, growing up, it’s all I ever wanted to do. My twin brother works in Lyndhurst, so we both got into law enforcement at the same time. It’s always something that we both really wanted to do,” Hildreth shared.
His connection to the area and his appreciation for the department’s camaraderie made Mayfield Heights the perfect fit. “Familiarity with the area, as Captain Pickett said, it’s a more premier agency in Cuyahoga County. Truly, some of the best police officers that I’ve worked with, I’ve met during this department, and I just wanted to gain more knowledge and work with a lot of experienced officers.”
Hildreth’s positive energy and gratitude haven’t gone unnoticed by his colleagues. Captain Paquette observed, “He’s very humble… he wanted to come here for the right reasons. He’s grateful for the opportunities that Mayfield Heights can give him and has a great positive attitude and will definitely […] do a really good job here.” Training officer DeRose echoed this sentiment, noting, “He’s been great with us, so we’re just trying to all collectively help as much as we can.”
With his roots, mindset, and support from the team, Officer Hildreth is eager to “be a sponge, learn as much as I can from a lot of great officers,” and leave a meaningful mark on the community that he calls home.
