Cleveland police plan to recruit more women, minorities

CLEVELAND – The Cleveland Police Department plans to hire more women and people of colour to better reflect the city’s demographics.

Cleveland.com reports the recruitment plan draft released Tuesday calls for the department to hire 75 women and 75 minorities by the end of next year.

Women make up 15 per cent of the department, while African Americans account for 22 per cent of the ranks.

Just over half of Cleveland’s overall population is black, and women account for half of all residents.

Cleveland has to make a recruitment plan under an agreement it reached with the U.S. Justice Department.

The police department’s recruitment team is using radio ads and community newspapers. New hiring strategies include ads featuring female Cleveland police officers and partnerships with organizations like the NAACP and Urban League.

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Information from: cleveland.com, http://www.cleveland.com