LAPD RECRUITS WOMEN, BLACKS MINORITIES URGED: MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

Byline: Dan Laidman Staff Writer

The Los Angeles Police Department, in the middle of a major recruiting campaign, is having particular difficulty drawing women and African- Americans, officials told the Police Commission on Tuesday.

New LAPD officers in the 2004-05 fiscal year were 7.9 percent African- American and 23.4 percent female, down from 9.3 percent and 25.7 percent, respectively, the previous year.

``Those numbers are way lower than they need to be,'' said Cmdr. Kenneth Garner, the LAPD's recently appointed head of personnel. ``My strategy will be to go directly to those communities.''

The LAPD is working with the city Personnel Department to fill its ranks with qualified officers in the face of low unemployment and steep competition from other agencies.

The agencies are pursuing a multimillion-dollar advertising and outreach campaign to find more cops.

The agencies have been using ethnic media outlets to find diverse recruits, and the Police Commission urged them to step up such efforts.

Police administrator Rhonda Sims-Lewis said the recruiting efforts will involve specially tailored messages, some of which take into account previous tensions between the LAPD and minority communities.

``In the black community, our campaign will be, if you want to see a difference in this department, come be the difference in this department,'' she said.

Garner said he plans to meet with influential ministers in the African- American community, as well as prominent figures like activist and businessman Danny Bakewell, who has been critical of the LAPD.

Officials did not specify why they think it has been difficult to recruit women, although Garner said there is ``apprehension'' about the effects of police work on family life.

``We're almost gonna be like college recruiters, going into houses and talking about issues,'' he said.

Dan Laidman, [phone]

dan.laidman(at)dailynews.com