
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, March 1, 1992                   TAG: 9203010146
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER MUNICIPAL WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

ROANOKE OFFICIAL: RECRUITING WORKING CITY RELEASES AFFIRMATIVE ACTION REPORT

City Manager Bob Herbert says he expects the percentage of black employees in Roanoke's municipal work force to increase this fiscal year because of the city's effort to recruit more black police officers and firefighters.

Nearly one-third of the people hired in the past fiscal year are black and 42 percent are female.

The annual affirmative action report, released Friday, shows that 23 percent of the city's work force of 1,800 employees is non-white, essentially the same as in the prior year. The report reflects the work force from July 1, 1990, through June 30, 1991.

The report also showed that 34 percent of the employees who were promoted in the past year were black and 44 percent female. The promotions included such jobs as fire lieutenant, senior police officers, computer programmer and analyst, and dispatch supervisor.,

"The city is committed to being more representative of our diverse population," said Herbert. "We anticipate even more progress in the current fiscal year as we begin to see the results of our increased recruitment efforts, particularly in the Police Department."

The report included three additional black police officers hired in the past year - but it did not include members of the recently graduated Police Academy, with seven black officers, all of whom were hired after June 30, 1991.

To help get more blacks and women into the work force, recruiters use a variety of approaches that include local job fairs, college job fairs, recruitment at military bases and black colleges, a summer internship program and meetings with black ministers and service organizations.

City officials used several new approaches in the past year: participation at the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives Job Fair, development of a minority police officer recruitment committee and cultural diversity training.

Ken Cronin, personnel manager and affirmative action officer, said city officials are beginning work on a plan to recruit and hire more female and black firefighters. The city will develop a cultural diversity training program for all of its employees, he said.

by CNB