Police recruiters in Baltimore and other jurisdictions told a panel of lawmakers Tuesday of the challenges they face building diverse, knowledgeable and culturally sensitive departments.
They spoke before the Public Safety and Policing Work Group that was formed after the death of Freddie Gray to explore ways to improve relations between police and the communities they serve. Gray, 25, died in April after suffering a severe spinal cord injury while in police custody.
Maj. Latonya Lewis of the Baltimore Police Department's human resources unit told the panel the city realizes it must place an emphasis on recruiting officers who know Baltimore.
"If you live in the city, if you grew up in the city, you have a better understanding of the culture of the city," Lewis said.
Twenty-one percent of Baltimore's police officers live in the city, Lewis said. Sixty-eight percent live elsewhere in Maryland and 10 percent live out of state. About 39 percent of the officers are black, compared to 63 percent of the city's population.
Lewis said the department is working to increase the percentages of officers who live in the city and are black. She said the agency uses online postings, career fairs, radio ads, social media, traditional media and military outreach to find applicants.
The department used to recruit in Delaware, New Jersey and New York, she said, but no longer does so.
The department offers testing days targeted specifically at female applicants and city residents, and conducts some application tests at churches instead of police headquarters downtown, she said.
Recruiters from other departments discussed the difficulty finding candidates. They said young people who want to become officers often apply to multiple departments, then sign on with the first agency that makes an offer.
"We're all competing for the same qualified applicants," said Maj. Laura Herman, personnel commander for the Maryland State Police.
The work group has scheduled a public hearing July 23 to gather citizens' comments on police officers and policing. The hearing will be held from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Legislative Services Building.
The work group is one of three panels established by lawmakers to examine criminal justice issues. Another is working on a statewide policy for the use of police body cameras. A third is reviewing state sentencing, parole and probation policies.
twitter.com/pwoodreporter