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ARCHIVES OF LEAD STORIES
January 13, 2005 Black cops call on vets to drum up recruits Jeremy Schwab But activists in communities of color refused to pin all their hopes on O’Toole’s good intentions. Veterans’ advocates and black police officers recently launched a campaign to encourage veterans to take the civil service exam on April 30 in order to qualify for the force. Activists say it is critical for veterans of color to apply because veterans and children of officers killed in the line of duty receive preference in police hiring. Historically, most veterans hired by the department have been white, say activists. “White veterans have been visible in numbers,” said Vernell Baker, co-host of the Boston Neighborhood Network show Veterans’ Showcase. “Either blacks are not veterans, or often they don’t see themselves as veterans — they weren’t in a war, or they aren’t disabled.” Activists hope to encourage more veterans of color to realize they qualify for preferential hiring and to apply to become officers. “For all veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, we are advertising at the six Veterans Administration centers,” said Rev. Ernest Branch, speaking on behalf of the Veterans Benefits Clearinghouse. “We will also be recruiting from our clients.” Branch, the founder of Veterans’ Showcase, says that in the coming weeks he and co-host Baker will encourage veterans to become officers during their show’s weekly time slot on Mondays from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. This Monday, the co-hosts brought on representatives of the Massachusetts Association of Minority Law Enforcement Officers and the police department to encourage veterans to apply. “It is worth it,” said MAMLEO President Angela Williams-Mitchell. “Don’t dismay. Don’t think you don’t have the qualifications, that there is something in your background that’s a hinderance. This is a good job financially. The benefits are phenomenal.” At their 61 Columbia Road office, MAMLEO will host three information sessions on the exam — Tuesday, January 18, Monday, January 24 and Thursday, February 3 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. During the sessions, open to anybody wishing to become a Boston police officer, interested applicants can find out about MAMLEO’s exam preparatory workshops. People of color face new obstacles to becoming Boston
police officers following last year’s court ruling. Under
affirmative action, one applicant of color was hired for every
white applicant, once all qualifying veterans and children of
officers killed in the line of duty had been hired. White applicants tend to score higher on the exam. Furthermore, while Boston has a slight majority of people of color, just 358 blacks, 191 Latinos and 44 Asians have applied for the exam so far, compared to over 800 whites, according to Williams-Mitchell. While pushing for more veterans of color to take the exam may help boost the number of applicants of color, the veterans preference itself may be modified in the near future. O’Toole has said she would consider modifying the veterans preference and either eliminating the exam or making it pass-fail. Meanwhile, Boston Police Recruit Investigation Unit Commander Norman Hill says, the department is reaching out to applicants in all corners of the city. “We are outreaching to everyone in the city,” he said. “The department’s plan involves visiting all the colleges, job fairs and neighborhood groups. We are not just targeting black veterans. We are targeting the entire population of Boston.” To avoid a $25 processing fee, applicants should sign up for the exam by February 21. The $60 application fee can be waived for many veterans and others receiving assistance from government programs. Call Sergeant Hill at 617-343-5010 or MAMLEO at 617-436-6868 with questions.
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