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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Hispanics outnumber Anglos in Bernalillo County and Albuquerque, but the opposite is the case in local law enforcement agencies, even though they include hundreds of Hispanic officers and deputies.

The Associated Press reported that Hispanics are the ethnicity that is most likely to be under-represented in law enforcement agencies throughout the country. The report was done in response to nationwide scrutiny directed at predominantly white agencies policing minority communities. Last month in Ferguson, Mo., a town that is two-thirds black, a white officer from a mostly white department shot and killed an unarmed black teen.

Albuquerque in 2013 was 47 percent Hispanic and 42 percent Anglo, according to the Census Bureau.

The city’s police department is 54 percent Anglo and 39 percent Hispanic. Seven percent of officers are other races, said Janet Blair, an APD spokeswoman.

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“APD has a recruiting program that is designed to identify and recruit the best qualified candidates,” APD Chief Gorden Eden said in a statement. “We will continue to always recruit in all communities.”

The department has some programs aimed at making the department more diverse and reflective of the city. It pays officers an extra $600 a year if they can pass written and oral bilingual tests.

Blair said the department has offered extra pay to officers who are bilingual for more than 25 years.

“A number of (Albuquerque) residents do not speak English or may have limited English language skills,” Blair said in an email. “It is important that officers be able to communicate effectively with members of the public whether in educating them as to their rights or dealing with them as victims, witnesses or suspects.”

In Bernalillo County, which includes Albuquerque and surrounding areas, Hispanics outnumber Anglos more than in the city. The county population was 674,221 in 2013, of which 49 percent were Hispanic and 41 percent were white, according to the Census Bureau.

Within the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, 68 percent of deputies are Anglo, 29 percent are Hispanic and three percent of deputies are other races.

Sgt. Aaron Williamson, a sheriff’s office spokesman, said the department doesn’t have any specific programs aimed at recruiting Hispanic officers and tries to hire the best qualified individuals.

“I think our department makeup is representative of the community we serve,” he said.