how to recruit minority police officers

The number one influence was having an existing relationship with the hiring agency and the top three experiences were employment as a seasonal officer, internships and ride-alongs. Quantitative analyses reveal that, for the most part, token police officers do experience the effects of tokenism. Cognizant of this challenge, many agencies have begun to re-evaluate such barriers and more holistically evaluate what an applicant can contribute to the agency and the community by also considering facts about one's experience, skills, or record in a broader, comprehensive context. Specifically, diversity managers and federal regulators enhanced the effects of job postings and job ladders while mitigating some of the negative effects of tests, performance evaluations, and grievance systems. California's bill, SB 960, which was introduced in February 2022 and signed into law in September 2022, removed a provision in state law that said a person had to be a citizen to be a peace . In fact, some of these policies and practices result from requirements of federal, state, and/or local laws. 5. 2011. Kasdan, Alexa. Analyses rely on data from 816 U.S. workplaces over a 30 year period. [33] Joscha Legewie & Jeffrey Fagan, Group Threat, Police Officer Diversity and the Deadly Use of Police Force, (2016), https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2778692. Copyright 2023 The assessment revealed that there was room for significant growth in enhancing diversity, as the department had a disproportionately high representation of white males in its ranks. 532, 559 (W.D.N.C. "I am the beneficiary of the diligent hiring practices of the three chiefs that preceded me," he said. [92] Gary Cordner & AnnMarie Cordner, Research in Brief: Human Resource Issues Faced by Small and Large Agencies, The Police Chief Magazine, Sept. 2016. In an effort to attract more applicants, agencies may want to evaluate their personal relationships with potential applicants. Officers noted that some benefits, such as financial assistance with educational costs, have been discontinued. [2], But Ferguson is far from an anomaly in this regard. Law enforcement agencies face a number of challenges when seeking to foster a robust talent pipeline that widens the diversity of their workforces and reflects the diversity of the communities they serve. Efforts to establish accountability for diversity, including affirmative action plans, diversity committees and task forces, and diversity managers are the most effective at increasing the proportions of white women, black women and black men in management. Many agencies have realized that in their efforts to effectively allocate limited resources, online communication can be a valuable asset in their recruitment strategies. In his mind, success at Evanston PD feels attainable to anyone willing to work for it. The Advancing Diversity in Law Enforcement initiative was undertaken as a joint effort between the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division and the EEOC. (BNA) 34 (D. Nev. Aug. 6, 2008) (holding that an Orthodox Jewish police officer established a prima facie case of religious discrimination under Title VII as a result of the police department's policy prohibiting beards and head coverings); Sadruddin v. City of Newark, 34 F. Supp. [64] Id. Several of the male recruits described a desire to be role models for younger minorities in their communities. Law enforcement is a profession that, for valid reasons, requires extensive and thorough vetting of applicants. [53] Specifically, every other year, reporting agencies provide this EEO-4 data, which includes information on their employment totals, employees' job category, and salary band, by gender and race and ethnicity. Existing technology can help expedite applications and streamline the process, yet agencies remain committed to a lengthy, expensive and burdensome process. [28] Female officers have been shown to be more likely to implement community-oriented policing approaches which place greater focus on communication and cooperation with the public. The department reports that over 200 children enroll each year, many of them from military families stationed in the area. Richmond PD believes that the Police Explorer Program will be a useful tool in ensuring that the demographics of the agency continue to reflect the makeup of the broader community. While the LEMAS Survey data show that law enforcement agencies overall have become more diverse since 1987, it found that departments serving larger jurisdictions have become even more diverse. [47] African Americans were 9 percent of officers in 1987; 12 percent in 2007; and 12 percent in 2013. Many law enforcement agencies often employ absolute or minimum requirements in their entry-level hiring that may disproportionately screen out women and racial minorities in violation of Title VII. Beaufort PD seeks to recruit members of the military in part because, from the chief's perspective, these individuals have already been exposed to a diverse work environment, and as a result, are likely to work well with diverse groups of people. [105] Drummond: A New Role for Former Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan, East Bay Times, Aug. 22, 2015, http://www.eastbaytimes.com/2015/08/22/drummond-a-new-role-for-former-oakland-police-chief-howard-jordan-2/. American Sociological Review 71 (August): 598-617. 2:07-cv-1152, 2008 WL 3211279, at *1, 104 Fair Empl. The community-policing curriculum focused on the application of learning rather than memorization, the use of a problem-solving model throughout the academy, and the use of scenarios as the basis for learning. Jeff Roberson/AP. Diversity Assessment. It therefore is critical that our nation's law enforcement agencies broadly reflect the diversity of the communities they serve. Tragic events over the past several years - including officer-involved shootings and attacks on law enforcement officers, and the demonstrations and protests these incidents have spawned - have captured the public's attention and driven a host of policing issues from the periphery to the center of our public dialogue, including a renewed focus on increasing diversity in the nation's law enforcement agencies. Mentorship programs and leadership training are critical to providing new officers - particularly those from underrepresented populations - with the support, guidance, and resources they need to succeed on the job, enjoy their careers, and earn promotions. [7] Jen Fifield, Can Diverse Police Departments Ease Community Tension? Increasing Transparency of the Application Process. As Congress recognized in enacting Title VII, when an employment test is not adequately related to the job for which it tests - and when the test adversely affects minority groups - we may not fall back on the notion that better test takers make better employees.[134]. Although the practices adopted by law enforcement agencies vary considerably, this report demonstrates that successful diversity-building efforts by law enforcement agencies share several common themes, including: Law enforcement agencies that are committed to increasing the diversity of their workforces and ensuring that the demographic makeup of their sworn officers reflect the diversity of the communities they serve face a plethora of challenges. [21] See, e.g., Exec. When officers serve in these roles, formally or informally, law enforcement agencies should take care to ensure that these officers' contributions help to further, not interfere with, their overall career advancement. Many of the cases in this appendix involve challenges to policies and practices that did not explicitly reference race, sex, or any other legally protected category but nevertheless had an unjustified adverse impact on those groups; these types of barriers are often overlooked or simply accepted as "business as usual." 2015). Ideally, a police agency's demographics should mirror those of the jurisdiction it serves. [P]hysical fitness standards suitable for men may not always be suitable for women, and accommodations addressing physiological differences between the sexrs are not necessarily unlawful . Community Outreach at Events for Youth. It was beyond the scope of this report to empirically test these claims. 355, 365 (E.D. 1999) (concluding that a Muslim firefighter plead a prima facie case of religious discrimination under Title VII when the fire department terminated his employment after he refused to adhere to a department policy prohibiting facial hair). 2d 77 (E.D.N.Y. [32] See, e.g., Fifield supra note 7 (referencing a 2004 National Research Council report that found "there is no credible evidence that officers of different racial or ethnic backgrounds perform differently during interactions with citizens simply because of race or ethnicity); Nat'l Research Council, Fairness and Effectiveness in Policing The Evidence, at 147-48 (2004); Sklansky, supra note 27 at 1224-28, (highlighting studies concluding that African-American officers were just as likely as their white counterparts to use their firearms, arrest civilians, spur citizen complaints, and be subjected to disciplinary proceedings while also pointing to other studies showing that African-American officers were less prejudiced towards other African Americans than white officers, knew more about the African-American community, and got more cooperation from African-American citizens); John J. Donohue III & Steven D. Levitt, The Impact of Race on Policing and Arrests, J. of L. and Econ. For the remaining personality dimensions, the estimated true score correlations varied by occupational groups and criterion type. These tests actually require men and women to show similar levels of fitness while taking into account demonstrated physiological differences between men and women. Agencies have traditionally used the results of tests in a variety of ways: including pass/fail screens, rank ordering, and combining the score with other selection procedures. [29] Female officers also have been found to be more responsive to situations involving violence against women, which comprise the majority of violent crime service calls made to law enforcement agencies. for Women & Policing, Hiring and Retaining More Women: Their Advantages to Law Enforcement Agencies, 2-5 (2003), https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED473183; Katherine Spillar, How More Female Police Officers Would Help Stop Police Brutality, Wash. Post, July 2, 2015, https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/07/02/how-more-female-police-officers-would-help-stop-police-brutality/?utm_term=.8dbe352c9113. Motor Lines, Inc., 338 F. Supp. All applicants are screened for this quality in interviews with a hiring board comprised of command staff, who typically describe law enforcement scenarios to candidates and ask them to relay what decisions they would make if they found themselves in a similar situation as an officer. Durational residency requirements - policies requiring a term of residency in the jurisdiction served by the law enforcement agency prior to applying - in particular, have been found to violate Title VII when they have had a disparate impact on the basis of race. All rights reserved. Tenn. 1989) (holding that a police department intentionally discriminated against a black officer by terminating him for refusing to shave even though he had a medical condition common to black males that required abstinence from shaving); see also Riback v. Las Vegas Metro. U.S. Department of Justice Equal Employment Opportunity Commission October 2016 Justice.Gov/PoliceDiversity https://www.eeoc.gov/advancing-diversity-law-enforcement Dear Colleagues: Today, our country is in the midst of an unprecedented national conversation on community-police relations. Established in 1909, the Richmond Police Department (Richmond PD) employs 185 full-time sworn officers, 13 percent of whom are women. The lack of diversity in policing has been a contentious debate topic in the aftermath of the Aug. 9 shooting of black teen Michael Brown by a white police officer in Ferguson, Mo. This report lays out the results of that effort. 2:03. Officials say they've hired more recruiters and expanded the . 01:30 CNN reporter reacts to Giuliani's 'unusual' late night court filing 01:45 Hear from Kevin Spacey after being cleared of sexual assault charges 02:13 Dramatic video shows moment crane. Britain's biggest police force must hire 40% of new recruits from ethnic minority backgrounds, while officers will have to justify stop and search to community panels under new plans designed to . Her duties have included curriculum research and development, providing training courses from entrance-level through leadership and command staff, community outreach and grant administration. These programs also serve as a way for officers to interact with the community in a non-enforcement capacity and on a more personal, intimate level. Officers are encouraged to engage directly in recruitment and outreach at community events specifically targeted for youth. The police department staff of full-time sworn officers is 39 percent white, 46 percent African American, 5 percent Latino, and 4 percent Asian American according to 2013 LEMAS Survey data. From his perspective, this strategy reaps enormous benefits for the department as a whole. In our conversation, he admitted to struggling with his English at the time that he applied to the department. Both of these practices made this officer feel personally valued, welcomed, and supported by the department. Diversity in law enforcement helps us understand that all kinds of people are needed in this job. The multivariate analyses indicate that investing in a recruitment budget and targeting minorities and women positively affects hiring. 13563, (2011), https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/08/18/executive-order-13583-establishing-coordinated-government-wide-initiativ. While minority representation was not found to directly reduce the number of officer-involved killings directly, representation did mitigate various dimensions of threat. The exodus is exacerbated by the current climate in which police work; it is increasingly dangerous, lacks public support and incurs intense media scrutiny. The graduating officers will have completed 904 hours of training over the course of 24 weeks. [104] Shelly Bradbury, Chattanooga-area Emergency Service Agencies Look to Boost Minority Hiring, Times Free Press, June 10, 2015, http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/local/story/2015/jun/10/local-emergency-service-agencies-look-boost-m/308822/. 07-cv-2067 (E.D.N.Y.) [16] In 2009, COPS authored a report that focused on police recruitment, recruiting for diversity, agency collaboration in police officer recruitment and selection, and community partnerships in police recruitment. Enter https://www.police1.com/ and click OK. And on private property, an officer who decides that . Law enforcement agencies have expressed a willingness to reconsider selection criteria and written or physical examinations that do not correspond to job-related duties, and that disproportionately screen out individuals from underrepresented populations. The city is home to a 1,340-acre Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, primarily for the U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Air Marshals, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs Police. Although greater diversity in law enforcement agencies is not a cure-all solution to improving police-community relations, the Task Force did identify diversity as a key element, a necessary piece of the conversation around reform, and an important factor in evaluating the multiple causes of fragmented trust. The leadership of the Daly City PD reported that going directly into the community and having its officers meaningfully engage with residents enhances their recruitment efforts. (challenging the police department's entry-level examination); United States v. Commonwealth of Massachusetts, No. In fact, the researchers found African-American underrepresentation to be greater in departments where African Americans make up a larger proportion of the population. Police department recruiters pay close attention to the kinds of posts potential candidates have on their social media accounts. [98] Cal. [95] Matthies, Keller & Lim, supra note 66, at 3. Abstract: The current research examines police use of force as a function of race. 85-cv-10491, 85-cv-10493, 1987 WL 8162 (N.D. Ill. Mar. Many of the law enforcement leaders we spoke with directly acknowledged that despite innovative and dedicated efforts, barriers still exist, and they fully recognize the challenges that remain. Though the number of minority cops has grown over the past two decades, this lack of diversity is the norm in hundreds of departments across the country, while the key to recruiting and retaining minority officers remains elusive for most departments. Of particular salience is the collection of promising practices that are being developed and implemented by law enforcement agencies across the country. E.g., What's It Like? They further understand that officers are likely to leave if they do not feel their organization provides equal opportunity to progress in rank. [142] These tests tend not to have a disparate impact on women and result in the selection of qualified applicants. [9] See Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, Final Report of the President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing (2015), at 16, http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/taskforce/taskforce_finalreport.pdf. [135] Because these tests reflect more of the qualities necessary for job performance, they help jurisdictions select qualified individuals. He said this technology will save taxpayers money because the new system is cloud-based, and the department will no longer have to pay to store servers and hardware on a month-to-month basis. Equal Promotional Opportunities. As a result, many have developed or expanded training and other diversity programs. To combat these disqualifications, he began personally working with candidates to explain that the hiring board may overlook youthful indiscretions, but simply will not forgive dishonesty in the application questionnaire. Agency, 480 U.S. 616 (1987). The literature review presented information in four categories: (i) why diversity matters, (ii) barriers to achieving diversity, (iii) best practices to achieving diversity, and (iv) characteristics of high quality law enforcement personnel. Courts have refused to accept cut-off scores that do not meaningfully distinguish between applicants. While police legitimacy is not routinely measured like unemployment or GDP, many assume that public trust and confidence in law enforcement has declined. Labor and employment lawyers were selected based on their knowledge of employment diversity in law enforcement and their practical experience in human resource consulting or employment litigation. While we fully recognize that increasing diversity in law enforcement agencies alone cannot solve the myriad challenges in policing or address every concern about public trust in law enforcement, enhancing diversity must be part of the conversation about improving relations between law enforcement and communities. The rates of increase vary by group. To stay updated on blog posts and other news relevant to these sectors, please follow us on Facebook by "liking" AMU & APUS Public Safety Programs. 6. Mentorship and Supporting Long-Term Goals of Officers. She attends Southeastern University where she is pursuing her Doctoral degree in Education (Ed.D). He went on to say, "The perception of law enforcement isn't the best today. All rights reserved. This initiative was created to assist law enforcement agencies throughout the country as they strive to build workforces that better reflect the diversity of the communities they serve. [5] Mike Maciag, Where Police Don't Mirror Communities and Why It Matters, Governing, Aug. 28, 2015, http://www.governing.com/topics/public-justice-safety/gov-police-department-diversity.html; see also Yamiche Alcindor and Nick Penzenstadler, Police Redouble Efforts to Recruit Diverse Officers, USA Today, Jan. 21, 2015, http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/01/21/police-redoubling-efforts-to-recruit-diverse-officers/21574081/ (finding that while the country's population is about 63 percent white, nearly 75 percent of all police officers are white). [30], Similarly, law enforcement agencies that have multi-lingual officers are able to provide improved services to individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP). The challenge of recruiting and hiring quality personnel has emerged as a critical problem facing law enforcement nationwide. Report a correction or typo . In addition, while greater workforce diversity alone cannot ensure fair and effective policing, a significant - and growing - body of evidence suggests that diversity can have a positive influence on specific activities and practices of law enforcement agencies. Pair Your Wireless Earbuds to Your 2-Way Radio.