A recruiting effort by the Selma Police Department will result in a job fair April 25 at the Performing Arts Center.

Val Jones, director of personnel for the City of Selma, said the job fair will reach out in the community to people who might have become unemployed and qualify for one of the vacant slots in the police department. The slots — nine of them — won’t cost the city any more money. A Community Oriented Policing Services grant will provide pay and benefits for each of the nine jobs for three years, Jones said.

Presently, the Selma Police Department has 51 officers.

COPS has a hiring recovery program with funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The program is designed to address the personnel needs of the state, local, and tribal law enforcement. The program provides funding directly to law enforcement agencies having mostly law enforcement authority. About $1 billion in grant funding is available for hiring and rehiring of career law enforcement officers.

To attend the job fair, which begins at 10 a.m. and ends at 2 p.m., all a person needs to bring is self, Weber said. Officers will be on hand to talk about various aspects of the police department. The job seeker will receive an application to fill out later. The applicant must be 21 and have a high school diploma from an accredited school or a GED certificate.

“The applicant needs to be of good character and good ethics and carry himself or herself in a professional manner,” Weber added.

Applicants will undergo a rigorous background check, including a psychological examination.