Arlington Heights plans to recruit more minorities to police force

Arlington Heights officials say they will make a renewed effort to recruit more minority candidates to the police department in an effort to diversify the force.

The department of more than 100 sworn officers and 30 civilian employees doesn't have one black employee - which prompted a community group led by the Rev. Clyde Brooks to encourage village officials to change their recruitment strategies.

Brooks and organizers with Bridging the Black and White Divide have met off and on the last few years with Village Manager Randy Recklaus to discuss diversity in the department. They also used the public comment portion of Monday's village board meeting to call attention to the issue.

"The deficit when it comes to African Americans is serious," said Brooks, chairman of the Illinois Commission on Diversity and Human Relations. "Why are there no people who look like me in our police departments?"

Recklaus, who ultimately is responsible for the makeup of the workforce within village government, said making the police force more diverse is a priority for him and new Police Chief Nicholas Pecora, formally appointed to the position earlier Monday.

Recklaus said he recently formed a group of area village managers and police chiefs to examine the issue and increase outreach to minority and female candidates.

Arlington Heights will make an upcoming push for police candidates ahead of testing in December or January, he said.

During the last recruitment drive two years ago, the village sent officers to city colleges and other places where the department hadn't recruited in the past, but that effort was unsuccessful in leading to the hiring of black officers, Recklaus said.

That led to additional discussions with Brooks - and village officials' taking a more regional approach by working with nearby towns that also have few officers of color.

"It would be a strength of our department to have people from different backgrounds and who have different perspectives to strengthen our department and community," Recklaus said.

Noting Arlington Heights is a changing community in terms of its demographics, Mayor Tom Hayes said it was the village's obligation to ensure that community is incorporated into government - not only in the police department, but also on volunteer boards and commissions.

New Trustee Mary Beth Canty, who is biracial, thanked members of Brooks' group for their advocacy and Recklaus for taking the issue seriously.

"I want to ask and remind you to keep pushing and doing everything you can to reach out to the community to look for new tactics to try to get more diversity," she said.