The hire of Anchor Bay High School graduate Chris Stimage made history in New Baltimore.

Stimage, 23, of New Baltimore, became the first African-American candidate ever to be hired in the police department, Wiley said.

"I think it just demonstrates for us that diversity is so important for a lot of different reasons. ... More importantly, having a minority candidate—not based on race, gender, creed or anything like that—but based on merit," he said.

He added that there have been minorities who applied for cadet positions in the past, but they didn't qualify. Stimage, however, earned one of the top-five scores in testing for the position.

The Macomb Community College student also took Wiley's juvenile law class last semester, but the chief said he wasn't involved in the hiring process until conducting the final interview.

After the cadets were introduced Monday night to the public at the New Baltimore City Council meeting, Stimage said of the historical relevance of his hire, "that's huge. I'm honored."

He said he hopes to become a Drug Enforcement Administration agent, calling narcotics a terrorist that destroys lives.

"I've seen how drugs affect people," he said, referring to friends who've changed after using narcotics.

While paving the way for a successful law enforcement career, he said he wants to make his family proud of him.

Full-time cadets:

• Andrew Gizowski
• Matthew Lesperance
• Megan Pohl
• Christopher Stimage

Summer cadets:

• Keith Pethke
• Nicholas Calandra
• Justin Noland
• Brandi Kelley