LMPD goes outside the country in effort to recruit new officers

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Louisville Metro Police Department is thinking outside the box, and outside the country, in the search for new recruits.

The department is aggressively looking for recruits to join its next training academy, and the search for new officers includes more than just the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Rachel Arroyo-Phillips started pursuing her dream at an early age.

"So I go way back to five years old," said Arroyo-Phillips. "I've always wanted to be a police officer."

In 2004, Arroyo-Phillips was sworn in as a Metro Police officer, and in the last 18 years there have been a lot of important assignments, including the one she has now as a recruiter.

"So there's a lot of questions," she said. "You know, how do you work in a big city? How many officers do you have?"

Lately, the department has used social media, TARC and television to recruit officers, but the search is not just limited to this region.

"Currently, we have 71 out-of-state applications, I believe 27 are from Puerto Rico," said Arroyo-Phillips.

In December, the department started a recruiting effort to address the city's growing Latino population. Last week, LMPD brought in the first group of applicants from Puerto Rico.

"So being Spanish first language population in Puerto Rico, that is definitely attractive to us," said Sgt. Justin Bickett.

Bickett said bringing in recruits from Puerto Rico helps address the need for more officers and another important issue.

"We recognize that our Hispanic community is growing very substantially here in Louisville," he said. "So reaching out and finding those Spanish speakers is very important to us."

Ricky Santiago is the president of the local chapter for the National Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce. He hosted the recent recruits.

"When somebody from the community shakes you hand, says 'Hey, we're here for you, we want to make sure that you're successful,' it's important," Santiago said.

Arroyo-Phillips said it's also important to address the city's fastest-growing population.

"Having more officers in the department that speak the language would kind of minimize the time they gotta wait for help because we speak the language," she said.

For information about becoming a recruit and joining LMPD, click here.