Trenton – More than 16,000 minority applicants have been accepted by the New Jersey Department of Personnel to take the entry-level Law Enforcement Examination to become police and corrections officers or sheriff’s deputies, the first step in adding to the State’s law enforcement community. That figure is about half of the more than 32,000 candidates taking the exam.

“We are pleased to be helping Governor Corzine in his efforts to increase public safety in our State,” said Acting Personnel Commissioner Hope Cooper. “Due to the Department’s efforts to increase recruitment of minority and woman law enforcement candidates, we have seen a steady increase of those applicants in recent years and have reached these record numbers.”

“As the agency that encourages diversity in the state workforce, we strongly believe that the composition of our law enforcement agencies must reflect the makeup of the society they serve,” Acting Commissioner Cooper added. “We will continue to work closely with our local communities to encourage recruits from all genders and ethnicities.”

Final figures for the filing of 2008 LEE applications show a record 16,198 minority applicants signed up to take the exam, which began being administered on May 31 and will go on through June 14. In 2006, the last time the LEE was given, there were 14,548 minority candidates.

This year’s minority applicant pool includes 8,450 African Americans, 7,075 Hispanics and 567 Asian-Americans.

All of those categories exceed the figures for 2006 when 7,631 African-Americans, 6,324 Hispanics and 504 Asian-Americans took the exam.

A record 8,053 woman have signed up to take this year’s LEE, an increase from 7,027 in 2006. A total of 32,277 candidates will be taking the exam this year up from 29,475 two years ago.

Examinations for entry-level Law Enforcement positions are announced every other December. The written test is typically given in late spring after each announcement.

Candidates, who pass the examination, are placed on eligible lists for two years based on residency and veteran’s preference. Residency and veterans preference determines where a candidate ranks on the list. For more information, visit www.state.nj.us/personnel/.

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The mission of the New Jersey Department of Personnel is to attract, develop and retain a high quality workforce for State, county and municipal governments and to partner with management and labor to develop a fair, efficient human resource delivery system rewarding quality, merit, and productivity.