Columbus City Council has approved an 80 thousand dollar contract with a public-relations firm to help create a plan to recruit more women and minorities into the police force. The city already has a 40-thousand dollar contract in place with the same firm, Paul Werth and Associates, to recruit more women and minorities to become firefighters. That effort included a public awareness campaign and job fair that was held earlier this month. The city plans to hold three similar events for potential police recruits later this year. The city says 90 percent of fire personnel and 85 percent of police are white males. Last December, Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman told WCBE he wants the Department of Public Safety to do more to hire women and minorities after seeing mostly white males graduate from the police and fire academies.
The Columbus Civil Service Commission proposed hiring a professional recruiter and has approved changing three background standards for firefighter recruits. Changes in standards for police recruits are still under consideration.