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Recommendation No. 27: The practice of advancing applicants based on their interview and role play performance against the performance of others only on that day should be discontinued. Discussion: Applicants should be scored and compared to all others undergoing the process, not just those interviewed on the same day. Allowing adjustments to be made at the end of the process may offset some concern, but it does not ensure fairness. Again, this process must be validated if it is going to be used. Minority/Female Recruitment and Hiring As in most cities and police agencies, there is a strong and appropriate desire to have the department's personnel make-up mirror that of the community it serves. Rarely is this an easy task. Most often there is a shortage of minority applicants. When the applicant pool is under-represented, the list of those hired will demonstrate a similar under-representation. The solution is difficult and multi-faceted. First, there is a need to determine why, if there is a significant pool of minorities in the community, they are not applying for the position of police officer. Once that answer is determined and the reason for not applying is one that can be overcome with a directed recruitment strategy, every effort must be made to create a well-balanced police force. A well-constructed and validated selection process is the best hope a balanced police force. In response to the review team's request for current equal employment opportunity (EEO) data, which depicts the police department's minority representation, Human Resource Services provided the most recent affirmative action (AA) plan. Prepared in 2002, the AA plan includes goals, an account of progress, current (2002) statistics, a work plan and timeline, and a recruiting strategy. Written two to three years ago 38