Chattanooga PD seeking minority candidates

“As a department, we’re right at 20 percent African-American, and that figure needs to increase,” Parks said.

Department recruiters are visiting colleges, community centers and churches seeking qualified minorities, especially blacks, said Capt. Mike Williams, commander of the department’s recruitment and training division.

“We want to go to places and talk to people who know who the good candidates are,” Williams said.

Blacks represent 36 percent of the city’s work force, mirroring city demographics, according to U.S. census figures from 2000.

In the past five years, the number of black police officers on the Chattanooga force has declined by 2 percent, with 174 blacks now among 651 officers, department records show.

Parks, who succeeded Jimmie Dotson in January, has emphasized diversity in management since he took command. Capt. Freeman Cooper, who is black, became the department’s first executive chief. Parks also named two black officers, Tonya Ransom and Bakari Welles, to head the recruiting effort.

“What we’re looking at is a limited amount of individuals who are interested in law enforcement, and an even smaller percentage of minorities are interested,” Ransom said. “We’re competing with state and federal agencies and corporate America.”