The Sterling Police Department is hiring, Chief Pat Bartel told the Sterling City Council this week.

“We are taking applications until March 10. We have about nine in right now. Then we will start open testing March 16 for that week at Sauk,” Bartel told the City Council.

The open position is the result of a lateral transfer to North Carolina.

Bartel said the department had a list of applicants that was down to one. That applicant declined the position so the department opened the application process.

The Sterling Fire Department also is hiring. With the two newest candidates starting at the academy March 6, the SFD is pulling applications for the position left open by a resignation.

“That will give us the float position,” Sterling Fire Chief David Northcutt said.

Both departments can use the staff. Bartel said calls to Sterling PD are up about 33% for the year over the same time last year.

Northcutt said that in the five days preceding the council meeting Monday, the department responded to five structure fires, not including brush or field fires and mutual aid. In one 48-hour period recently, the department handled 19 calls.

Alderman at Large Allen Przysucha brought up the issue of an increasing number of traffic accidents between Third and Fourth streets in Sterling.

“Is it a matter of just poor driving or the lighting? Do we have any analytics on that,” Przysucha asked Bartel.

“It’s distracted driving and not paying attention,” Bartel said. “It’s people just not paying attention is what it comes down to. First Avenue and Fourth Street is our biggest accident intersection in the city. I cannot figure out why. The stoplights are set up good. It’s highly visible. I don’t know if people are looking ahead to Fifth Street or if people are looking ahead to Locust or just not paying attention. First and Fourth has been a burr in our saddle for years. I’m not sure what else we can do.”