Of the 12 new police officers hitting the streets in Warren, almost half of them are minorities.
“Before today we had one African American officer, today we have four. Hispanics I’m not sure if we had one or more before now, we have a couple. So this is a step in the right direction,” says Warren Mayor Jim Fouts.
The city and Mayor are in the middle of a federal lawsuit filed by the first black Warren police officer De Shelia Howlett. She left the job and claims a hostile work environment.
Also at the center of the lawsuit is the former Diversity Director in Warren who left after less than a year on the job he says because diversity was on the “back burner” and he was just “window dressing.”
Warren Mayor Fouts responded to questions from 7 Investigator Jim Kiertzner by saying, “Jim, you’re a good reporter. You know, you’re a good reporter, I enjoy talking with you. You know I can’t comment on a court case.”
The Mayor says some of the new officers came here because of better pay, benefits and working conditions. Some also came here for a second career start.
