Saginaw City Manager Darnell Earley plans to establish a task force to find ways of recruiting more minorities and women to work in the police and fire departments. City EEO officer Beth Church says while the ethnic and gender balance in those departments has remained fairly constant over the last few years, the recent pool of available applicants to fill open positions have been predominantly white and male. 

Earley says he'll come back to the council with more information on the proposed task force when they meet in two weeks. He says it's important for the city's public safety personnel to reflect the ethnic makeup of the community.