Despite violence involving law enforcement officers in recent weeks, a couple of Brevard County agencies are seeing a rise in job applicants who want to serve and protect.

  • More applications coming in to Brevard law-enforcement agencies
  • Before recent attacks, West Melbourne Police was short-staffed
  • 'I think (attacks) ignited a passion in people,' new officer said

Officer Joshua Kennedy and two other new West Melbourne Police officers were sworn in Friday afternoon. They said recent attacks across the country haven't swayed their decision to serve and protect.

“For me more than anything, I think it made me want to do this job more," Kennedy said. "It's our opportunity to be able to change the mindset of people."

Before the new recruits joined the department, the West Melbourne Police Department was short-staffed.

It's not the only agency seeing a rise in job applicants.

The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office has about 1,500 employees, but it says it's seeing more and more people who want to serve. And it's not only here in Central Florida. After the attack that killed five officers in Dallas on July 7, applications for officers climbed nearly 350 percent in that city.

“We’ve started to get applicants that previously had retired from law enforcement that want to get back in the game," Sheriff Wayne Ivey said. "They want to come back because they see the community needs us, our country needs us.”

Although it may be surprising to see so many people wanting to enter into law enforcement, Kennedy sees it as his duty to protect and serve.

“I think it ignites a passion in people, whenever they see someone under attack," Kennedy said. "It makes them say, 'I want to fight back with them, I want to help with them.' So for me, it wasn’t overly surprising to see applications go up,” Kennedy said.

Although neither agency is short-staffed anymore, they say they’re always hiring. Go to their websites for more information.