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City Seeks Police Officer Applications, Aims to Increase Minorities on CPD

By Joe Ward | November 2, 2015 8:51am | Updated on November 2, 2015 11:04am
 Police Supt. Garry McCarthy speaks about the importance of a diverse police force at a press conference Monday.
Police Supt. Garry McCarthy speaks about the importance of a diverse police force at a press conference Monday.
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DNAinfo/Joe Ward

BRONZEVILLE — In an effort to update its hiring list and make the police department as diverse as the city it serves, the Chicago Police Department is offering its first police application test since 2013, police and city officials announced Monday.

The city is set to resume accepting applications for police officers beginning Dec. 16, officials said at a press conference at police headquarters Monday. A written exam will be administered to applicants in February, the city said.

The hiring announcement comes as the police department has worked through the 19,000-strong list of applicants who tested in 2013, said Supt. Garry McCarthy.

While the department needs an updated applicant list, the application announcement is also an effort to diversify police ranks, McCarthy said.

 Mayor Rahm Emanuel speaks about the importance of a diverse police force at a press conference Monday.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel speaks about the importance of a diverse police force at a press conference Monday.
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DNAinfo/Joe Ward

Claims of a lack of diversity have hurt the police department's standing with some communities, and police and city officials are hoping that, after years of trying to diversify the department, this attempt will make some inroads on the problem.

"It's been a dynamic we've struggled with in this department for a long time," McCarthy said.

To help reach minority candidates, police officials will be holding community meetings at churches, schools and other neighborhood forums to help dispel myths about being a police officers, McCarthy said.

The Rev. Torrey Barrett, who leads the KLEO community center in Washington Park, said he will help foster the dialogue between police and the community. He said having a diverse police force will help policing efforts on the South and West sides.

"We can help shape the future of this department," he said.

The minority outreach effort could be undermined by the national discourse about police officers, McCarthy acknowledged. But he said that those called to serve will still become police officers because there is no better way to improve the community.

"Some might say now is not the time to become a police officer," McCarthy said. "I say the exact opposite. There's probably never been a more important time in policing."

Mayor Rahm Emanuel said the city will also be advertising digitally for their police jobs, a new effort aimed at reaching young people and minorities who might not pick up a newspaper or listen to the radio.

"We want all parts of the city represented in the police department," Emanuel said.

McCarthy then touted the benefits of being a police officer, including a $47,000 starting salary that jumps to $72,000 after 1½ years on the job, as well as benefits that cover an officer's entire family.

(McCarthy, at a later event, took time to thank Emanuel for this historic property tax hike that went to pay down police and fire pensions. "Quite frankly, a lot of police officers were worried about it," he said.)

McCarthy also acknowledged the harsh aspects of police work. He said he has seen the best and worst of humanity, sometimes in the same day.

"The rewards are so much greater than what you suffer through," he said. "You have an opportunity to make a difference in the world every single day."

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