UPDATE | Boardman Police Department awarded $25K grant to help recruit female, minority candidates

The Boardman Police Department will receive a $25,000 grant to host recruitment fairs to attract more female and minority candidates for job openings.

The grant will come from the first round of funding offered as part of the new Ohio Law Enforcement Recruitment Grant Program. Gov. Mike DeWine on Tuesday announced that the first round of funding, 13 recruitment grants totaling $424,871, will go to 12 law enforcement agencies in the state.

The Boardman Police Department said in a statement that it will host informational sessions to help candidates prepare for the civil service application and testing process. “Our goal is to continue to attract, select, and hire good officers that will professionally represent Boardman Township,” the statement reads.

“The agencies receiving grants today have all developed plans that will help them recruit more qualified job candidates, particularly women and minorities who oftentimes face barriers to employment in criminal justice careers,” DeWine said in a news release.

DeWine prioritized the creation of the Ohio Law Enforcement Recruitment Grant Program in the state’s 2022-23 operating budget, which was passed by the Ohio General Assembly last year. The program is administered by the Ohio Office of Law Enforcement Recruitment.

The 11 other law enforcement agencies that will receive grants are:

• Akron Police Department, two grants totaling $58,733;
• Bellefontaine Police Department, $18,960;
• Cincinnati Police Department, $67,500;
• Clark County Sheriff’s Office, $58,248;
• Medina County Sheriff’s Office, $18,270;
• Sidney Police Department, $36,945;
• Summit County Sheriff’s Office, $61,069;
• Toledo Police Department, $29,000;
• Upper Arlington Police Division, $10,600;
• West Carrollton Police Department, $8,093;
• Xenia Police Division, $32,450.

This story was originally published February 8, 2022 at 2:41 PM.