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http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachus..._bolster_ranks/
Burlington police seek minorities to bolster ranks
By Tim McCahill, Associated Press Writer | April 24, 2004
BURLINGTON, Vt. -- Flashing police lights and the sound of a siren fill the television briefly before a Vietnamese man appears on the screen.
"The face of Burlington is changing," he says in his native tongue, the English translation flashing on a subtitle below as the ad cuts to a Bosnian woman.
"And the Burlington Police Department i
changing with it," she says.
The 30-second spot, which began airing in March, is the department's latest effort to recruit officers of different racial and ethnic backgrounds. It's even
be
ng run in some markets in Massachusetts and Connecticut.
Police officials
said it's too early to judge the success of the ad, part of a larger campaign involving the department and members of Burlington's growing population of immigrants and minorities. But they admit the challenges to the recruiting effort are formidable.
Out of a total population of roughly 40,000, Burlington is home to about 700 blacks and 1,000 Asians, according to the 2000 Census. Almost 1,000 Bosnian immigrants have moved to Burlington and other parts of Chittenden County in recent years, and the city is also a resettlement site for hundreds of Somali Bantu refugees.
The size of these different communities gives police a limited pool from which to recruit new officers, said Aljaray Nails, who in 199
3 became the department's first black policeman.
"Being in a majority non-diverse state, I think that it's going to hamper our efforts to attract qualified candidates of colo
r,&q
uot;
he said.<b
r>
The problem is already evident in the makeup of the force. Nails, who was recently prom
oted to detective, is still the only black cop on the 95-person squad. An officer originally from Mexico City is slated to join the force after training at the police academy in Pittsford, and there's a Vietnamese woman who works part time on domestic violence cases.
The dearth of candidates prompted police officials to take their message outside of Vermont, buying airtime to play the ad in Springfield and Lowell, Mass., and Hartford and New London, Conn.
While this approach might expand the hiring pool, it means Burlington police have to compete for recruits with other departments that offer higher salaries.
"The money's not here," said Cpl. Steve Dixon, the departm
ent's training coordinator. "We're the highest paid (police department) in state, but if you go to Connecticut, the cops there are making 100 grand."
There a
re other
, less t
angible challenges,
said Jim Borow, a retired professor who helps oversee the hiring campaign.
Recent immigrants to Burlington are wary of
police, a feeling based on experience in their home countries where people in uniform are viewed as "agents of repression," he said.
"There's a historical tradition of them never talking to a cop, never volunteering any kind of information -- just turning tail whenever anybody with a uniform appeared in the neighborhood," he said.
For the city's second generation of immigrants, this wariness gives way to skepticism of the value of police work, said Borow.
"People have aspirations for much higher-level jobs," he said.
Since last year, the department has tried to combat these perceptions by asking members
of Burlington's black, Bosnian and Vietnamese populations to serve as adjunct recruiters, sounding out others in their community about working for the police departm
ent.
The process
has yielded mixed results,
said Patrick Brown, a local activist who moved to Burlington from Jamaica in 1983.
"Some people never thought of it; some are willing to explore the idea," said Brown.
Brown said a few of the people he'd spoken with had applied for jobs at the police department but either failed the necessary tests or left the area.
The less-than-perfect outcomes don't deter Brown, who said he wants to continue working with the police department to increase diversity after the advertising campaign ends.
"How can we bring minority representation up to speed?" he asked. "That's the discussion we need to have."
Police officials agree.
"The Burlington community is diversifying," said Deputy Chief Stephen Wark. "F
or us to be a more service-oriented police department, our employees need to be reflective of that."
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachus..._bolster_ranks/
Burlington police seek minorities to bolster ranks
By Tim McCahill, Associated Press Writer | April 24, 2004
BURLINGTON, Vt. -- Flashing police lights and the sound of a siren fill the television briefly before a Vietnamese man appears on the screen.
"The face of Burlington is changing," he says in his native tongue, the English translation flashing on a subtitle below as the ad cuts to a Bosnian woman.
"And the Burlington Police Department i
changing with it," she says.
The 30-second spot, which began airing in March, is the department's latest effort to recruit officers of different racial and ethnic backgrounds. It's even
be
ng run in some markets in Massachusetts and Connecticut.
Police officials
said it's too early to judge the success of the ad, part of a larger campaign involving the department and members of Burlington's growing population of immigrants and minorities. But they admit the challenges to the recruiting effort are formidable.
Out of a total population of roughly 40,000, Burlington is home to about 700 blacks and 1,000 Asians, according to the 2000 Census. Almost 1,000 Bosnian immigrants have moved to Burlington and other parts of Chittenden County in recent years, and the city is also a resettlement site for hundreds of Somali Bantu refugees.
The size of these different communities gives police a limited pool from which to recruit new officers, said Aljaray Nails, who in 199
3 became the department's first black policeman.
"Being in a majority non-diverse state, I think that it's going to hamper our efforts to attract qualified candidates of colo
r,&q
uot;
he said.<b
r>
The problem is already evident in the makeup of the force. Nails, who was recently prom
oted to detective, is still the only black cop on the 95-person squad. An officer originally from Mexico City is slated to join the force after training at the police academy in Pittsford, and there's a Vietnamese woman who works part time on domestic violence cases.
The dearth of candidates prompted police officials to take their message outside of Vermont, buying airtime to play the ad in Springfield and Lowell, Mass., and Hartford and New London, Conn.
While this approach might expand the hiring pool, it means Burlington police have to compete for recruits with other departments that offer higher salaries.
"The money's not here," said Cpl. Steve Dixon, the departm
ent's training coordinator. "We're the highest paid (police department) in state, but if you go to Connecticut, the cops there are making 100 grand."
There a
re other
, less t
angible challenges,
said Jim Borow, a retired professor who helps oversee the hiring campaign.
Recent immigrants to Burlington are wary of
police, a feeling based on experience in their home countries where people in uniform are viewed as "agents of repression," he said.
"There's a historical tradition of them never talking to a cop, never volunteering any kind of information -- just turning tail whenever anybody with a uniform appeared in the neighborhood," he said.
For the city's second generation of immigrants, this wariness gives way to skepticism of the value of police work, said Borow.
"People have aspirations for much higher-level jobs," he said.
Since last year, the department has tried to combat these perceptions by asking members
of Burlington's black, Bosnian and Vietnamese populations to serve as adjunct recruiters, sounding out others in their community about working for the police departm
ent.
The process
has yielded mixed results,
said Patrick Brown, a local activist who moved to Burlington from Jamaica in 1983.
"Some people never thought of it; some are willing to explore the idea," said Brown.
Brown said a few of the people he'd spoken with had applied for jobs at the police department but either failed the necessary tests or left the area.
The less-than-perfect outcomes don't deter Brown, who said he wants to continue working with the police department to increase diversity after the advertising campaign ends.
"How can we bring minority representation up to speed?" he asked. "That's the discussion we need to have."
Police officials agree.
"The Burlington community is diversifying," said Deputy Chief Stephen Wark. "F
or us to be a more service-oriented police department, our employees need to be reflective of that."
