MidHudson News is reporting that Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro and Dutchess County Sheriff Adrian Anderson announced that nearly 1,400 applications to take the upcoming police officer/deputy sheriff exam have been submitted, an increase of more than 56 percent over the number received in 2017, the last time the exam was offered. The increase is being attributed to community outreach by the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office and the Dutchess County Department of Human Resources, as well as local police agencies, to encourage a diverse applicant pool for the exam. The outreach effort included waiving exam fees for applicants; expanded recruitment efforts, extended outreach via social media, posters, flyers and media interviews; and the availability of free preparation courses to help interested candidates prepare for the written exam and the physical agilities test. The county is reporting a 105 percent increase in African American applicants, a 203 percent increase in Hispanic applicants, an 89 percent increase in Asian applicants and a 98 percent increase in female applicants. The police exam will be administered on Sept. 18. Read the full story at MidHudsonNews [dot] com.