Lt. Colonel John R. Brown, Deputy Commissioner of Administration and Professional Responsibility from Department Headquarters at Harrisburg, PA, was instrumental in promoting the idea of recruiting state police from the Asian community, with the commitment and support of Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell and State Police Commissioner Frank E. Pawlowski. Corporal Leonardo Becerra, Southeast Recruitment Coordinator from the local Philadelphia State Police Recruitment Office, coordinated the event.
The event was designed “to promote diversity…and to recruit members from the Asian community to better serve the community,” Lt. Colonel Brown. “The emphasis on diversity in the police force has been a priority and we are working very hard to become better at it. That is why we are here today forging a partnership with the fine people of this community. I cannot express enough my gratitude for the welcome and support we are receiving from the Asian community and its leaders.”
Lt. Col. Brown and Corp. Becerra talked about the importance of having Asian-American policemen that understand the culture, speak the language, and could assist in breaking down barriers that will help the police to better understand and serve the Asian culture; the goal was to build trust between the police and the community.
Corporal Becerra said he learned from some Chinese-Americans, that people in communist China don’t trust the police because of “the improper things the police have done.” He said the Pennsylvania State Police is a “professional organization looking for quality people and has quality people,” to serve the citizens and to provide “safety, reducing and preventing crimes.”
The applicant needs to have high school diploma and 60 college credits. Some credits can be waived for those who have served as a police officer or in the military. Applicants need to be U.S. citizens, with no criminal convictions for a class two misdemeanor or higher. The applicant needs to pass written and oral exams, physical readiness test, background check, medical and psychological as well as polygraph exam.
State police enjoys as high as $50,000 annual income plus generous benefits packages including medical/dental/life insurance and paid leave (vacation, personal, sick) and paid holidays.
At the event, there were dozens of state police working as recruiters to answer questions regarding the application process and requirement. In the parking lot the State police had police cars, police trucks and police horses on display.
Corporal Becerra said that more recruiting events were being planned, and that the department hoped to hold at least one a year.
For more information about the application process, please visit www.patrooper.com or call 215-560-6251 to talk to a recruiter.
