Green Bay police hire first Hmong officer ============================== News snippet: Phuechi Xiong is the Green Bay Police Department’s first Hmong officer in its 156-year history. Xiong, an Ashwaubenon High School graduate, attended a swearing-in ceremony on Monday at the department. Guests included fellow officers, loved ones and Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt. “I’m grateful for the opportunity and excited for it,” Xiong said, adding that he hopes to break down any language or cultural barriers between police and Hmong residents. Xiong said he looks forward to serving as a positive role model for the local Hmong population. “Hopefully we will transition into a more diverse department and eventually become more reflective of the community,” he said. Green Bay Police Lt. Jody Buth said Xiong’s hiring is huge for the department, which is working to increase diversity on the force. “This allows us to take another step forward in meeting the community needs by having someone who cannot only help other officers relate to the Hmong community, but who can also have the community relate to him,” Buth said. “He may be the first, but he definitely won’t be the last.” Asians make up about 4 percent of Green Bay’s more than 104,000 residents, according to census data. In the past, Bee Xiong, who is no relation to Phuechi Xiong, worked as Green Bay police’s Asian liaison. However, Bee Xiong was not a sworn officer on the force and is no longer with the department. In 2009, Solomon Ayres was sworn in as Green Bay police’s first black officer. He has since been joined by another black officer, Darryl Robinson. Buth said the department has a few Native American officers and a handful of others with Hispanic backgrounds. Casey Masiak, originally from Neenah, was also sworn in Monday. That pushes the police roster to 185 sworn officers, which is just one short of a full staff, Buth said. Masiak and Xiong, both in their 20s, will now undergo about four to six months of training under the supervision of a veteran officer that will include patrolling during various shifts and getting familiar with the department’s divisions and policies. greenbaypressgazette/article/20130826/GPG0101/308260349/
Posted on: Tue, 27 Aug 2013 13:27:44 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015