“Every child who is raised in Lafayette should be able to look at their police department and see an officer who looks like they do.”

Lafayette Police Chief Toby Aguillard made that comment as his department was awarded in Alexandria on Friday by the Magnolia State Peace Officers Association for LPD’s recent efforts and commitment to diversify the police department.

As Lafayette Police continue to look for more people to train to become officers, they believe it’s important minorities such as women, African-Americans, Hispanics, and those of the Islamic faith “are welcome to apply” as they search through all qualified candidates with college, military, and/or prior law enforcement in their backgrounds.

"The goal of our recruitment efforts has been to create an increasingly diverse police force that is representative of our city,” said Chief Aguillard. “Diversity is now something that officers at all levels of the department think about, realize the importance of, and strive to improve."

The department’s percentage of minority officers has doubled since January 2016, when Interim Chief of Police Reginald Thomas took over, going from 11% to 22%.

If you are interested in “accepting the challenge” of becoming a Lafayette Police Officer, call the recruiting office at 337-291-8663.

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