The IU Police Department is taking steps to further diversify the police force, with a chief diversity officer position added to the department to encourage diverse and inclusive recruitment, according to an IU press release.
Wayne James, president of the Northwest Indiana chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, took the position Sept. 4. He said this role will be making sure the department is responsible for recruiting, reaching out to students and making sure they are diverse and inclusive in the police department. James is chief of IUPD-Northwest and will continue in this capacity, according to the release.
“This new role, what it means to me is forward thinking and innovation,” James said. “Pretty much working not just at the Northwest campus, but the seven other campuses in the IU system.”
Benjamin Hunter, IU superintendent of public safety, said when he arrived at IUPD nine months ago and met Wayne, Wayne chose himself for the role.
“I started seeking his advice and counsel early on,” Hunter said. “As I got his counsel, it became abundantly clear he would be the right choice to lead this effort.”
James, a Gary native, has worked for 14 years in northwest Indiana, making his way up the ranks as a patrol officer, detective and gang officer, among other roles. He said he is ready for this new challenge, but he does not like to call it that.
“I’d call it rewarding,” James said. “We’re going to be reaching out to students of all ethnicities and people on campus and outside of campus. The challenge I’m talking about is not really a challenge but getting around to campuses and meeting those key stakeholders.”
Hunter said James has already been down to Bloomington working on a recruitment policy and had a recruiting booth at the Indiana Black Expo for the first time with tools to recruit after the event.
John Applegate, IU executive vice president for university academic affairs, said in the release that he is excited to also collaborate with the Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Multicultural Affairs. He said this will be a critical move in IUPD’s goal of being a progressive and inclusive campus law enforcement agency.
“The chief diversity officer position will bring great new emphasis and energy to a central part of IUPD’s mission, and Wayne James is the right person for the job, ” Applegate said in the release.
