Changing Times, Changing Faces


Panelists: 

- Chief Ron Davis, East Palo Alto (CA) Police Deparment
- Deputy Chief Ronnie Bastin, Lexington (KY) Police Department 
- Deputy Chief Steve Wark, Burlington (VT) Police Department


Attracting a Diverse Police Force 
- Overview 
- Relevance to Effective Recruitment and Selection (why 
it is important) 



Changing Times, Changing Faces

- Pressure to fill vacancies 

- Matching applicant capabilities with needs of the community 

- Recruit from the community, recruits need to see 
an agency that their characteristics meet their 
characteristic 

- Agency needs to reform to meet today’s needs 


Changing Times, Changing Faces

- Increase current employee/officer exposure to 
diversity training 

- Need for officers to better understand what new 
immigrant’s understanding of police is 

- Work on officer integrity issues 

- Need to create a positive image of law 
enforcement for your agency 

- Need to build a working trust relationship with the 
community 


Changing Times, Changing Faces

- Form a minority recruiting committee 
- Appoint a full time recruiter (internal position) 
- Extensive applicant follow up 
- Test Study materials 
- Evaluate your hiring process 
- Change your agency’s image 
- Create a Model officer 


Changing Times, Changing Faces

Recruiting Activities: 

• Local minority involvement 
• Shorten hiring process 
• Mentor program 
• Total agency strategy 
• Expand your traditional marketing 


Changing Times, Changing Faces

Recruitment Challenges: 

• Dwindling pool of skilled applicants seeking police jobs 
• Recruitment Objectives 
• Marketing your agency’s goals / image 
• Develop Internal Educational Programs 
• Minority recruitment strategies 



Changing Times, Changing Faces

Increasing community involvement: 

• Study circles 
• Provide diversity training 
• Get tuned into community needs 
• Increase officer “face time” with community 
• Home Grown Applicants