When the competition commences at Gay Games VII in Chicago next July, officers of the Los Angeles Police Department in uniform will be marching with the assembled athletes. The sponsorship of the games by the LAPD marks a first for any major metropolitan police force and will help the LAPD continue and increase its commitment to diversity within its ranks.
While in Chicago for the Games, members of the LAPD Recruitment Unit will be in attendance to provide participants and visitors an opportunity to meet and discuss the more than 250 career opportunities open to members of the LAPD.
‘The LAPD is a great career with opportunities galore right out of the Academy,’ said Phyllis Lynes, Assistant General Manager for Public Safety for the City Personnel Department. ‘Officers with a high school diploma or equivalent enjoy a starting annual salary of nearly $52,000, a flexible work schedule is available for patrol and some special assignments. The Department needs men and women from all backgrounds,’ Lynes continued, ‘all races, religions and sexual orientation, enthusiastic people who want to make a difference in their community.’
‘This Department is hiring and will be for the foreseeable future,’ said Commander Kenneth Garner, Commanding Officer, LAPD Personnel Group. ‘We want everyone in Chicago and from the surrounding areas to visit with our recruiters while they are at the Gay Games and see what an outstanding and exciting career LAPD has to offer. Those interested will be afforded the opportunity to take the first step in the hiring process, the written test, July 18, 19, 20 or 22, 2006 at the Hilton Chicago.’
The Gay Games are open to everyone and require no qualifying events, minimum or maximum requirements or mandatory affiliations. See www.gaygameschicago.org for more details on the LAPD sponsorship.