FORT WORTH — Imagine this scenario: You're at the top of your field with several years experience. But to move to another company you'll train for months with the interns, and with managers making sure you know just how small you are.

Sounds ridiculous, right?

The director at Fort Worth's Police Training Academy tells us that's his problem.

Recruits at the academy are treated like military recruits. They slowly earn the right to wear a uniform, to use the front door, and most importantly, to be called "officer."

The system works, for civilians.

The problem comes when recruiting people like Jason Moss. He served as an Arkansas police officer more than seven years before moving to Fort Worth.

"I have to knock, and they ask who it is, and I say: ‘Officer Moss’ and they're like: ‘You're not an officer yet," Moss said.

But Moss's experience doesn't count. All recruits must go through the same full-time academy. That takes seven months.

These days instructors say that's too long for the city to wait. The department is more than 70 officers short.

Last month, families in the North Fort Worth area blamed the shortage for car thieves preying on their neighborhood.

On Wednesday Captain Richard Hoeppner convinced the city commission board to approve a possible solution to the shortage: creating a special fast academy for recruits already serving as officers in other cities.

"Its an easy way to go out and add more officers to the field," said Captain Hoeppner.

Officers in the special academy will graduate in three months.

"If they could come over here to make base pay, with an abbreviated academy, I believe it would definitely pull better candidates from around the Metroplex," said Officer Moss.

The department plans to recruit 80 experienced officers for the first classes. Because the officers need less academy time, the Fort Worth Police Department will save about $800,000 on their training.

E-mail chawes@wfaa.com