Despite allegations from its own officers that the Denver Police Department does not do enough to diversify its ranks, police and city officials say they work hard to attract candidates of color, the Denver Post reports. Eight officers from the Denver Police Latino Organization have filed a racial-bias complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice. Among other things, offers cited a flier from an Arkansas white supremacist group posted in a break room Jan. 26 that urged readers “to learn how you can keep America White.”
Latinos make up 35 percent of the city’s population. The police department is 20.3 percent Latino. Applicants to the Denver Police Department nearly tripled between 2004 and 2005, from 1,269 to 3,016, but the percentage of Latino applicants dropped 2 percent. For the first time, recruiters are going out of state to find officers and offering an applicant test on site. They’ve gone to Detroit and Baton Rouge, La., and a trip to Phoenix is set for next month.