Appleton’s police chief says they target recruiting events at certain schools, in hopes of finding new officers of color.
Chief Todd Thomas believes they’ve been very aggressive. But he told his community advisory board it’s really hard to get them. He says many graduates of the UW-Milwaukee and Marquette programs tend to stay in that area.
Thomas says they’re also competing with other departments for officers of color.
He thinks their department’s community service officer program can also help with recruiting. Students can work part-time, and they make connections in the department.
