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Chattanooga police looking to hire more minority officers

Chattanooga Police Sgt. David Young, near right, talks to applicant Emanuel Jinks about duty time and family time for most officers in the ranks.
Chattanooga Police Sgt. David Young, near right, talks to applicant Emanuel Jinks about duty time and family time for most officers in the ranks. Chattanooga Police Sgt. David Young, near right, talks to applicant Emanuel Jinks about duty time and family time for most officers in the ranks.

By Rosana Hughes 3 min read

Chattanooga police are looking for more minority police officers to join their ranks.

Of the department’s 500 officers, about only 16 percent are black, and 4 percent are Hispanic. But the highest disparity is among the black community, because it doesn’t reflect the city’s demographic. Chattanooga is 33 percent black and 5 percent Hispanic.

“History has proven that if a department reflects the population that it serves, it’s better able to identify with and serve them better,” said Sgt. Joe Shaw, who is in charge of recruitment.

Deadlines

Application deadline: Oct. 20Pre-employment test deadline: Nov. 2

photo Chattanooga Police Detective Florida Wynn, left, talks about how people in the community distance themselves from police as Officer Stevin Burton, right, listens Friday during a recruitment drive.

The department has tried a number of methods to bridge that gap over the years, including person-to-person recommendations and featuring minority officers in recruitment advertising, but the response has been minimal, Shaw said.