The 11 prospective police officers Grand Rapids wants to hire this spring make up the most diverse recruit class in the city's history, said City Manager Greg Sundstrom.
The city's police department put officer diversity among its priorities as it works to improve its relationship with the community. Last fall, the nine officers hired into the department were white males.
For the first time since 2001, this latest set of recruits did not have to have passed the police academy before applying and did not have to have a college degree.
All 11 recruits are from Michigan. 10 from Kent County and 3 are city residents.