ENGLEWOOD — Englewood resident Abenaa Adjei said growing tensions between the police and community members could improve if more people from Englewood and other communities with similar demographics and economic levels joined the police force.
“It wouldn’t be all of that ‘we hate the police’ stuff,” she said. “More people need to get involved if they want to make a difference.”
Last week, Adjei, of Englewood, was one of about 50 people who submitted applications to take the exam for the Chicago Police department at the final open house at the Englewood Police District headquarters 1t 1438 W. 63rd St.
“It has always been my dream and my desire to be a police officer,” Adjei said.
The Chicago Police department put a call out to the community in order to recruit potential applicants. Representatives from five units, K-9, SWAT, mounted patrol, bikes and Marines were there to answer questions. The deadline to apply was Sunday.
“I hear a lot of people saying they want to see change, so be the change, join me,” said Sgt. Kimberly D. Woods.
While the starting salary is $47,604, after 18 months that rises to $72,510 per year with benefits.
Adjei is a Kennedy-King College student and said she learned about the open house when police officers came to her college.
“This is how I want to give back to the community,” she said, adding that this is her way of “helping out.”
Rapheal Sims, 23, agreed. The South Shore resident used to live in Englewood and said that to ease tensions, there needs to be more police officers who can relate to the community.
“We’re around it, so we know how people feel and we know what they’re going through,” he said.
Nicole Jones, 38, lives in suburban Matteson. She said she wants to help put an end to the gun violence that’s taking the lives of children.
“Our children are important,” she said. “That’s a generation that we definitely have to focus on.”
Jocelyn Gutierrez, 19, of West Lawn, said that she has been interested in criminal justice since high school. She’s planning on enrolling at the University of Illinois at Chicago to study the field. After hearing about the open house through Twitter, she decided to come and apply to take the exam. She said she wants to help make the city safer by enforcing the law.
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