BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) -- The U.S. Department of Justice said it has been investigating hiring practices at the Bowling Green Police Department.
Media reports said the Justice Department sent a letter to Bowling Green Mayor Bruce Wilkerson saying it has been looking into whether the city "is engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination against African-Americans with respect to employment opportunities."
The letter said the city should have more black officers based on its population. Out of 113 sworn police personnel, six, or 5.3 percent, were black. The 2010 U.S. Census showed the city was made up of 13.9 percent black residents.
Wilkerson said the department has used a pre-employment exam from McCann Associates since at least the 1970s. He said the city "clearly thought we had a colorblind hiring process at the police department."
(Copyright 2015 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
