This month, for the first time in nearly a decade, the Statesboro Police Department is set to have its fully authorized number of officers “on the roster” if not yet all on the street. The city administration halted hiring bonuses March 1, but improved pay based on a beginning officer salary of $55,476 remains in effect. That full roster will include the 79 sworn police officers of all ranks authorized by Statesboro City Council in its current budget. But City Manager Charles W. Penny has authorized Chief of Police Charles “Mike” Broadhead to “over hire” by up to four officers. Both the manager and the chief say the department has officers in training at the Georgia Police Academy and job offers now out to applicants sufficient to meet both milestones. In an interview last week, Broadhead indicated that a new hire arriving Monday, March 10, would become the 78th officer on the force. Meanwhile, the SPD command staff and city human resources office had made conditional offers to five people who will be hired provided that they pass required background checks, including polygraph testing and psychological evaluation.