51 law enforcement agencies hold career fair to recruit more diverse officers
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Police departments across the state and nationwide need more officers right now.
On Wednesday, Law Enforcement Opportunities (LEO) hosted a career fair at Metro State University in St. Paul for 51 agencies to talk to potential recruits, as young as high schoolers.
One of those recruit hopefuls was Raysean Smith, of Hopkins, who says he wants to change the perception of police officers to the public.
"You have to be that change in order to make good in the community that you live in," said Smith.
That includes recruiting more people of color and more women, which is an effort that stood out to some recruits.
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"[With] Muslim, Black women ... you might feel like you can relate to them better, like you've been through the same thing, the same experiences," said Nowal Hamblin and Maryan Farah, potential new recruits.
With recruiting a nationwide problem, departments from Texas, North Dakota, Arizona and Nevada showed up to see if they could get any new members of their force. Going out of state is becoming a common tactic for large agencies.
"We're looking for applicants all over the United States. We were in Puerto Rico, we go to Chicago, LA.," said Senior Corporal Samuel Varner, of the Dallas Police Department.
Varner says they are using more than their warm weather to recruit Minnesotans.
"We don't have state income tax, so that is a great driving factor," said Varner.
Cadet Miracle Grey was recruited by Brooklyn Park Police last year, enticed by their benefits.
"I have full tuition covered, all of my college, all of my uniforms, and I'm also being paid to work as well as training," said Gray.
Gray will be a full-time officer by January 2023.
"I've been in customer service since I was 16 years old, and so I've always had the heart and the passion to help people," said Gray.
If you missed this career fair, you're not too late to connect with these agencies. Click here for more information.