ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. – Roanoke County wants to diversify its police force, but diverse applicants aren't applying in the numbers they need to meet the goal.
On Wednesday night, the county hosted a diversity recruiting event and it did get some interest, but it wasn't as much as they'd hoped. Department leadership said the officers they have now are great, but there's always room to do better. As the face of the community changes, the faces of officers need to change, too.
Call it a lifestyle or a job — whatever it is, fewer people are signing up to do police work, especially minorities.
"I'm a Hispanic male. I come here and I don't really see that many officers, and maybe I can bring that to the team," Frainaldo Reyes said.
Reyes is one who still wants to be a cop. He's a newcomer to Roanoke, choosing to make the Star City home from Florida because of its affordability. He was there Wednesday night as Roanoke County officers put on the hard sell at the recruitment event.
About a half-dozen people showed up, which was disappointing for the department, but they said it's better than no people showing up. The department doesn't quite match the current diversity of the people they serve and they want that to change.
"I thought it turned out pretty well. It definitely struck the ears of the individuals that we were looking to attract," Roanoke County Police Officer Thurman Butts said.
The police department is also looking for bilingual and multilingual applicants. Reyes' family is Puerto Rican and he speaks fluent Spanish, which the department said is a major plus. Roanoke County isn't only competing to make people want to be cops, but they're also competing with other departments for the small pool of applicants.Â
"We are looking for those minority officers and those minority candidates to become officers so that way we can continue to offer those same professional services, but we can offer it across different spectrums," Butts said.
Reyes liked what he saw in Roanoke County and signed up for more information. Officers said Roanoke County has industry-leading pay in the area and benefits that are better than other departments. It's hoping to transform candidates into officers.
"It's something that I want to be a part of, too, being that team, and I like it, and seeing how they still have their smiles on their faces and they get to go home every night, that's pretty good," Reyes said.
The next police academy is in May and the department is hoping to put seven people through this round.