FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): It’s apparently becoming harder to recruit minorities to the Fort Wayne Police Department.

As we reported earlier this week, nine officers recently joined the city’s ranks, but our Partners in News at 21Alive point out that none of them are minorities. The department says several high-profile cases of strained relations between police and minorities throughout the country have led to minorities not showing interest in a career in law enforcement.

However, Deputy Chief Garry Hamilton adds that the department is more concerned about picking the best candidate than they are about a candidate’s race.