SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine - South Portland police are trying to recruit more minorities and women and create more trust between police and the immigrant and minority communities.
The Portland Press Herald reports that the police department drafted the recruitment plan as part of its application to the national Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. The plan took effect last week.
The department plans to have its police force reflect the gender, ethnic and racial mix of the city, which is 52 percent female and about 10 percent nonwhite.
The department is advertising on the recruitment website National Minority Update. It has also proposed an ordinance change that would reward applicants who are fluent in languages other than English.
The department also says it wants to build stronger relationships with diverse community groups.