By JES KAYE
Public Safety Dispatcher
Located in the Sandhills of Nebraska, the Alliance Police Department looks inward to create space for accurate representation of its community. In the beginning of 2016, only .09% of employees were People/Persons of Color (POC). Currently, 25% of employees are POC. That means that in the past five years the department has induced a 276.78% increase in POC employees. According to the 2019 Census, 24.3% of the Alliance, Nebraska population are POC.
The numbers alone tell a story. They exemplify hard work and dedication. Employees, POC or not, continuously strive for open-mindedness; by learning what is available about the different cultures and communities within and surrounding Alliance. These changes are well fought and with continuous support and leadership from community members and employees alike the word, diversity, becomes sincere.