More diverse police departments are needed to reflect the population of the communities they serve. This has become increasingly clear in the wake of recent police shootings and other incidents involving white policemen and blacks being arrested, beaten, shot, or killed. But many departments will readily acknowledge that that goal continues to go unachieved for a number of reasons.
The need is not the issue. When he took over as police chief last year in the St. Louis suburb of Maryland Heights, it didn't take Bill Carson long to see he had a serious diversity problem. Of the department's 79 sworn officers, just one was black and one Hispanic.
Carson quickly issued a plan that included advertising in the local black newspaper, outreach to groups like the NAACP and participation in job fairs at area colleges with large minority student bodies.
Of 81 applicants in his first hiring round, only four were black or Hispanic - and the only one qualified chose to stay with the department where he was already working. "I think the community feels better about their police department if the police department maybe reflects the makeup of the community," says Carson, whose city is 10 percent black and 8 percent Hispanic. "But that's easier said than done."
The Aug. 9 shooting of unarmed Michael Brown Jr., 18, by a white officer in nearby Ferguson has focused attention on the lack of diversity in many police departments across the country. One often-cited statistic: Ferguson is about two-thirds black, but only three of its 53 officers are African-American.
But authorities say the reasons behind such numbers are many and often nuanced - and, as Carson learned, the remedies are not always quick or self-evident.
Experts say many departments limit their searches too close to home, often don't recruit in the right places and set criteria that can disproportionately exclude groups they hope to attract. And across the U.S., police are not just struggling to attract blacks and Hispanics, but members of immigrant groups where distrust and fear of authority run deep.
"If you were taught from the time that you could speak, from the time that you could understand speech, that police are to be feared and that they're part of an occupying force that is there to circumvent the democratic processes and to strip you of your rights, then it's very difficult for that department to come into your neighborhood and tell you that they respect you and that you should join their team," says Phillip Atiba Goff, co-founder and president of The Center for Policing Equity at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Ferguson Chief Tom Jackson says a few black officers left in recent years for higher-paying jobs, and that the city has tried to recruit more. Ferguson officials didn't respond to requests from The Associated Press to elaborate on those efforts.
UCLA's Goff says having a police force that mirrors the population is no "panacea." Others agree.
Changes to make departments more diverse "have not curbed police violence in communities of color" or removed the special challenges of policing disadvantaged neighborhoods, wrote Malcolm D. Holmes and Brad W. Smith, co-authors of "Race and Police Brutality: Roots of an Urban Dilemma," in a recent letter to the National Journal.
Part of the problem is policing "has never been made attractive for people of color," says Malik Aziz, chairman and executive director of the National Black Police Association. "When I got into the police department, I went to neighborhoods I had grown up in," says Aziz, a deputy police chief in Dallas. "When people saw me, even people in my own family had very negative views of the police. I had to change this attitude."
That's why departments have to work even harder to entice qualified minorities, says Terrence Green, who was the only black officer when he became police chief in Lexington, South Carolina, eight years ago. African-Americans now comprise about 14 percent of the 50-person force - slightly higher than their representation in the city's population. "You've got to go out and fish for those people," says Green, who found little interest among students in historically black colleges or schools that offered criminal justice degrees.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg police department in North Carolina has stepped up its minority recruitment in recent years, reaching out as far as Puerto Rico. Three officers there were hired and a fourth will begin in October, says Capt. Stella Patterson, the department's recruitment director.
Since 2012, the department has hired 25 Hispanic officers, including 10 women. It also offers a 5 percent pay increase to officers who speak Spanish, Laotian or Vietnamese. And it has tried to attract more black candidates, sending recruiters to historically black colleges.
Many communities go to great lengths to serve immigrant minorities. In Minneapolis, the police department has about a half-dozen east African officers to work with the city's large Somali community. "They are among our best recruiting tools," says spokesman John Elder. "These are people respected in the community."
Over in St. Paul, Sgt. Paul Paulos says the department recently held its first East African Police Academy, with special programs for the kids, such staging mock investigations and taking fingerprints. "I think it's very important to start at a young age ... It's a long-term recruitment," Paulos says.
In Ferguson, Chief Jackson met recently with Cedric Alexander, president of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives. "He's receptive and he wants to do what's good and better for that department," says Alexander, public safety director in DeKalb County, Georgia. But Alexander says it's not just a matter of "rush through the community and pass out applications to be a police officer." Mending rifts, he says, will take "patience and time."
Among the strategies Alexander and others suggest is starting an Explorer program in the local schools. Open to youths 14 and up, the national program offers classes, field internships, ride-alongs and scholarships. Many graduates go on to careers in law enforcement.
That's what Jeremiah Ricketts plans to do. The Ocala, Florida, Police Department was so impressed with Jeremiah that they allowed him to join Explorer Post 962 when he was just 12. Now 16, he is post commander, with a rank of colonel. Jeremiah says he's gotten some flak from peers and even family members over his career choice. But there's nothing he'd rather do.
"I really like helping people," he says. "The police department brings me a sense of security."
Breed reported from Raleigh, N.C.; Cohen reported from Chicago.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.
Comments
Diverse Police Departments Needed But Lacking
This article was very insightful and several points I do agree with:
1. The difficulty in seeking interest of minorities to join the police department. In my personal opinion I believe it stems from the reputation police officers have within the minority community.
2. Open dialogue and a partnership between minorities and police is truly needed. The outcome of the open dialogue and working together could help establish some trust within the community. Right now the minority communities are on high alert following the Michael Brown shooting. People are looking for justice and for someone to be accountable for the acts that caused Browns' death.
3. It is great that there are police departments who are aware of the lack of diversity within their department and their is a course of action taken to hire more minorities. With this said, it is vital to have trust because without trust, regardless of race their will be a strife between police and minorities.
4. It is important to understand that the rift between police and minority community will not mend over night. This will be a long-term objective. The seed of mistrust and hate is deep-rooted and time will be a vital component in this mission.
Diverse Police Departments Needed But Lacking
This article shows the need for more police officers and more diversity amongst the ones already employed. It’s obvious by some of the things that have taken place recently Ferguson for example.
No one can make people become police officers. I guess the problem comes down to not just reaching out to those communities which we need to employ some of their own race, and or ethnic backgrounds, but we need to make the position rewarding enough that some of those people will have the desire to pursue this field..
I like what Alexander says “Open programs to youths 14 and up. Have a national program that offers classes, field internships, ride-alongs and scholarships.” Many graduates go on to careers in law. This would allow them to not only experience the career but really hopefully grow to enjoy the work.. By the time kids graduate, they are not only ready and able to be a part of the growing need for more diversification in the police force, they are the exact people we want to hire to do the job we need done, no matter where the force is located.
In the end we all remember this will take time to change. We must start somewhere.
The Recruiting Process and Training
Personally, I think the lack of diversity in the ranks of law enforcement officers will continue to be a major problem with police departments not only in St. Louis but throughout the country as well. Careful recruitment and selection procedures would improve diversity in the police force and officers’ ability to deal with community members without resorting to discriminatory practices or harassment but this needs to be a practice done within the community in order to have a diversity of different police officers. Also they need to have a well-trained law professional who deals effectively with community members and works with them to create a safe and orderly society. Proper training on appropriate interaction with constituents, including the use of force, is the cornerstone of police-community relations. Twenty-first century police practices must manifest sensitivity to the increasingly changing communities being served to fully realize police departments’ mandate to serve and protect. If this can be a start to change the diversity in the communities, then the use of extensive force and inexperience police officers will be more cooperative in doing their job with the public.
The Want To and Qualification
Great point, ParkF2014-14! There are two things that I think can add diversity within police departments around the country. One is the want to and the second is qualification. I believe that citizens of a specific demographic should want to add diversity and should want to become a police officer. One of the things that prevents people from join law enforcements is the fact that they don't want to - that's common amongst people of any race or ethnicity. Most people are scared of the "job description" of a police officer and don't want to put in the effort of making a change within their community. The second problem that arises in adding diversity in a police department is the issue of qualification. Each law enforcement agency has an application process that qualifies their applicants and moves them forward in the process. No mater your race or ethnicity, you have to satisfy what the department requires and qualify to become a police officer. Sometimes, your past comes back and prevents you from becoming an officer. I agree with the article of educating kids early about their possibilities of becoming an officer will help their overall qualification - it gives them something to look forward to and work towards.
More Diversity
I agree in saying that there needs to be more ethnic diversity. When talking about the situation that happened in Ferguson it proposes the question, "If the police office that shot the African American male was African American himself, instead of white, would he have shot and killed the boy?" That is a question I believe can never be answered. But by having more races a part of the task force it can decrease the accusations being made that the action that police officers take is racially biased or racially profiled.
indeed
In the same situation of an officer gunning down an unarmed African American teenager except this time the officer was an African American man There would be less or no controversy (in my opinion). I believe this because of the stereotype of law enforcement being racist because most police officers are white. now what if an African American officer on a dominantly African American police force shot and killed an un armed Caucasian teen. Would there be the same reaction? Indeed opinions are biased based on race and that is the real issue here
Agreed
I completely agree with everything you have said. I think this article was an very interesting article and I wouldn't mind reading a follow up on it. I think you're right in saying there is a lot of conflict between police officers and the minority because of the reputation they have. Not only that but there is still a lot of racism happening in this world. I do think if there is an even ratio within the cops and overall population it will help quite a bit. Although I don't think it will get rid of these problems once and for all, but even if things are improved by a very small percentage this is better than nothing. Well done PARKF2014-18
Great Article
I completely agree with this article. In the first paragraph they bring up very good points about recent shooting. In my opinion it may not be a coincidence that the cops shooting are white and the ethnicity being shot happens to be African American. Rather by coincidence or purposeful behaviors, having a diverse police department could never be a bad thing. Why is there not a variety of ethnicity in our police department already, who knows? Although racism is nowhere near as bad as it used, this could still be a large role in overall segregation.
I thought that Carson's method of advertisement was very creative. Thinking of going to the local college and reaching out to the minority to make them feel welcome was very thoughtful. Nothing makes someone want to enroll in something they may enjoy more than a personal invitation. Although his results were not as successful as he would of liked them to be it was still the effort that counted, epically because he was the only one that had brought light into a bad situation to begin with. No one else really cared to do anything about this until he came around. It was great that he didn't give up once he relieved it was definitely not going to be easy.
Phillip Atiba Goff had a very clear and new-founding point to me, "If you were taught from the time that you could speak, from the time that you could understand speech, that police are to be feared and that they're part of an occupying force that is there to circumvent the democratic processes and to strip you of your rights, then it's very difficult for that department to come into your neighborhood and tell you that they respect you and that you should join their team." I have never heard a perspective like this. When I read that it made complete sense to me, this exact statement could even be part of the reason there are so many shooting or self-defense accidents in our society, because we are taught to fear the good guys.
I think it was absolutely great that Malik Aziz brought up the point of saying that his family and other people from the neighborhood he grew up in where not sportive of his decision to be a cop. This could also in some way be a large role of the reason there are not very many Africans or Hispanic cops, because they came from a poverty area and they saw what they thought was negative behavior from the cops. They too would be afraid to go back to that area for the safety of themselves.
When I read they were making fun days for kids to come to the police station and play around with some police gear I though this was a genius idea. Not only do the kids this this is a fun place to be but they see through first-hand experience that cops are fun to be around and are not bad. Like they said, you have to start at a young age.
Overall I believe that every effort each individual person has made makes a humungous effect on the outcome of this situation as a whole. There is nothing better than team work and this article was a prime example that change can be made. You just have to wait for it and keep making efforts even if you fail.
An Increasing Problem in the United States
Although officers such as Alexander are attempting to fix this problem, conflicts such as the one in Ferguson are increasing. I honestly do not believe that the problem will improve much in ten years. I predict that it will still be a major issue. I understand why minorities feel upset that they are not represented in the police force, but if none of them are trying to make a difference and attempt to become an officer themselves then things are not going to change. Maybe this could be learned helplessness. They cannot be angry with the officers because they do not have minority officers if minorities are not willing to become an officer. There will be mistrust between the ethnic groups until they are passionate enough to go through training and make a difference, like Jeremiah Ricketts. What do the rest of you think? Do you believe that the efforts to increase the percentage of minority officers will actually work?
Response
I completely agree with this post. Nobody can make someone do something that they don't want to do. Therefore, we have to reach out and educate different ethnic groups on this type of career. But like I said in my post, I have read someone that you have to be a US citizen to become a police officer in this country and surely that is limiting the minorities who come to this country and need a job. Why can't they become a police officer but a US citizen can if they are both perfectly capable for the job. Maybe if the US changes the laws on this, the diversity would not be an issue.
Response
I really liked the point that you made here. People are constantly complaining about equal treatment and equal rights, such as in the police department, but no one is willing to step up and make a difference. If minorities are really that upset about it they need to take a stand and get people involved.
Diverse Police Departments Needed But Lacking
I believe like Parkville 2014-18 states part of the problem is getting the minorieties to have a a different outlook on the law. We need to educate the public so they trust and feel strength and support coming from their local police departments in their own communities, so they will want to be a part of helping strengthen them.
Bottom line, you can’t hire someone if there is no one to hire, You can’t hire just to hire, so we can start to address the problem, or continue to contribute to it.
It’s easy for people to stand by and complain. How did we get here? How do we change this situation? What are our first steps? What is the outcome we want?
Attitude Towards Law Enforcement Agencies
I agree with you, ParkF2014-14! There needs to be an attitude change towards law enforcement agencies. I did a ride-along with a buddy of mine that is a local police officer. He patrols the streets of a bad part of town. Within that part of town, the attitude towards police officers is that of disgust and hate. Most of those people that live in that area are those of different races and ethnicities. I believe that people of all races, genders, and ethnicities need to be educated in regards to what law enforcement agencies are there for - they are there to enforce laws and make our cities streets safe in a professional, fair, and respectful manner. Yes, there are certain officers out there that abuse their power, but most are there to fulfill their duties with honor, courage, and professionalism. I think that if someone is worried about diversity in our countries police departments, they should be proactive and takes steps towards being a part of the solution, not the problem. As you state, one can't be forced to become part of the solution - that's a whole different issue.
Yes, minorities definitely
Yes, minorities definitely should attempt to become a part of the solution instead of spreading more hate toward police officers. It sounds like the ride along helped open your eyes to the "disgust and hate" attitudes. How could we let minorities see that the police officers are the heroes and not the enemies? I 100% agree with you that some officers abuse their power and that it causes a bad reputation for all officers. There are men and women of other groups who make mistakes and set a reputation for the entire group. Typical police officers are only considered "mean" when they are arresting you for something illegal that you did. It is not the police officer's fault for arresting someone, but the fault of the person who committed the crime. We need more minority officers, that is a fact, but you are correct that we cannot force them. Hopefully they will figure it out on their own that they need to get involved if things are going to change.
Attitude towards law enforcement
My cousin is currently a police officer in West Des Moines. He had the opportunity to do a ride along in Kansas City and saw many things that he had never thought he could see in Iowa. He was correct in that regard. The attitude towards law enforcement in one area can be completely different in another. It is important I think as civilians to be aware of the area one is in and how people around you react to safety and emergency responders. My cousin came away with an experience that he can now apply to his career. Those areas that look down upon officers as a whole probably have had an encounter with an officer that was of a different race and just that could have made that experience a negative one. Officers can be intimidating but we all need to remember they are doing their job and reacting in a way that they know is best for that situation. Training as a police officer I have heard from my cousin is very rigorous and not many people are able to complete the academy requirements simply because they are physically and mentally challenging. Officers of the minority I predict have a harder time just because there are fewer of them and not many to coach them and teach them.
Diverse Police Departments Needed But Lacking
The main positive that I noticed from this article is that the public and police departments recognize and are aware of the lack of diversity. The advantage to this is that police departments can take action to hire minorities. I think it is important to have diversity.
However, I was only reading the other day that a requirement to become a police officer is that you have to be a US citizen. Surely this contributes to the lack of diversity?
So someone who is just as knowledgeable as a US citizen, just as physically fit and perfect for the job won't be able to become a police officer because they are not from this country. Then we complain about the lack of diversity when we are the ones that could be contributing to this issue. Members of the public will complain that police officers are being 'racist' when it comes to their arrest as some kind of defense. I feel like we are bringing this on ourselves by limiting the people who can become police officers in this country.
Response
I agree. If there was a large amount of minorities applying for jobs as police officers surely there wouldn't be such a lack in diversity. The law doesn't allow you to discriminate you from a job because of the color of your skin or where you are from. However, this still does happen in some parts of the world.
I agree that we need to educate different ethnic groups and reach out to them. We cannot force someone to take this route but we can encourage them. This should be happening in schools so that we educate children from a young age otherwise this issue will never get better.
Minority Law Enforcement
I agree with ParkF2014-06. The law professionals need to be in contact with community members to know what the general public need and require for a safe environment.Ferguson has been an issue that came up and has caused great controversy on the race and minority in this country more specifically in law enforcement. I believe that a police officer that is part of a minority group should have certain requirements such as a language. Knowing the language can be a simple common interest with the victim which can lead to trust and respect that other officers may not acquire. The law enforcement ratio of a certain area should reflect the general public that way each ethnicity is represented. A Caucasian victim or suspect would probably refer to speak to a Caucasian officer and so on with the other ethnicity groups. We all probably wish that this isn't the case but people have been reacting in this manner for years. It's not a surprise that one usually requests one that is like them than someone is different.
Either way, one should always respect the officers of their area whatever race and background they may have.
Response
I completely agree with this article. In the first paragraph they bring up very good points about recent shooting. In my opinion it may not be a coincidence that the cops shooting are white and the ethnicity being shot happens to be African American. Rather by coincidence or purposeful behaviors, having a diverse police department could never be a bad thing. Why is there not a variety of ethnicity in our police department already, who knows? Although racism is nowhere near as bad as it used, this could still be a large role in overall segregation.
I thought that Carson's method of advertisement was very creative. Thinking of going to the local college and reaching out to the minority to make them feel welcome was very thoughtful. Nothing makes someone want to enroll in something they may enjoy more than a personal invitation. Although his results were not as successful as he would of liked them to be it was still the effort that counted, epically because he was the only one that had brought light into a bad situation to begin with. No one else really cared to do anything about this until he came around. It was great that he didn't give up once he relieved it was definitely not going to be easy.
Phillip Atiba Goff had a very clear and new-founding point to me, "If you were taught from the time that you could speak, from the time that you could understand speech, that police are to be feared and that they're part of an occupying force that is there to circumvent the democratic processes and to strip you of your rights, then it's very difficult for that department to come into your neighborhood and tell you that they respect you and that you should join their team." (Breed, 2014). I have never heard a perspective like this. When I read that it made complete sense to me, this exact statement could even be part of the reason there are so many shooting or self-defense accidents in our society, because we are taught to fear the good guys.
I think it was absolutely great that Malik Aziz brought up the point of saying that his family and other people from the neighborhood he grew up in where not sportive of his decision to be a cop. This could also in some way be a large role of the reason there are not very many Africans or Hispanic cops, because they came from a poverty area and they saw what they thought was negative behavior from the cops. They too would be afraid to go back to that area for the safety of themselves.
When I read they were making fun days for kids to come to the police station and play around with some police gear I though this was a genius idea. Not only do the kids this this is a fun place to be but they see through first-hand experience that cops are fun to be around and are not bad. Like they said, you have to start at a young age.
Overall I believe that every effort each individual person has made makes a humungous effect on the outcome of this situation as a whole. There is nothing better than team work and this article was a prime example that change can be made. You just have to wait for it and keep making efforts even if you fail.
Scared
In this article I thought it was a good point to bring up the part about being raised in a place where cops are the "Pigs" or "Poe Poe" or "Bad Guys". In my opinion youth shapes a lot of your final thoughts about life. If someone is taught as a child not to like the police they will most likely grow up with this opinion as well. Police being the "Good Guys" at a young age is extremely important. These police officers did a amazing job at targeting the youth. To a child being a cop is so interesting if its introduced in the proper way and I most definitely think they did an awesome job at it. Dress up cop for Halloween is pretty cool but fingerprint testing and DNA testing for real is way better.
Response
I completely agree with this article. In the first paragraph they bring up very good points about recent shooting. In my opinion it may not be a coincidence that the cops shooting are white and the ethnicity being shot happens to be African American. Rather by coincidence or purposeful behaviors, having a diverse police department could never be a bad thing. Why is there not a variety of ethnicity in our police department already, who knows? Although racism is nowhere near as bad as it used, this could still be a large role in overall segregation.
I thought that Carson's method of advertisement was very creative. Thinking of going to the local college and reaching out to the minority to make them feel welcome was very thoughtful. Nothing makes someone want to enroll in something they may enjoy more than a personal invitation. Although his results were not as successful as he would of liked them to be it was still the effort that counted, epically because he was the only one that had brought light into a bad situation to begin with. No one else really cared to do anything about this until he came around. It was great that he didn't give up once he relieved it was definitely not going to be easy.
Phillip Atiba Goff had a very clear and new-founding point to me, "If you were taught from the time that you could speak, from the time that you could understand speech, that police are to be feared and that they're part of an occupying force that is there to circumvent the democratic processes and to strip you of your rights, then it's very difficult for that department to come into your neighborhood and tell you that they respect you and that you should join their team." (Breed, 2014). I have never heard a perspective like this. When I read that it made complete sense to me, this exact statement could even be part of the reason there are so many shooting or self-defense accidents in our society, because we are taught to fear the good guys.
I think it was absolutely great that Malik Aziz brought up the point of saying that his family and other people from the neighborhood he grew up in where not sportive of his decision to be a cop. This could also in some way be a large role of the reason there are not very many Africans or Hispanic cops, because they came from a poverty area and they saw what they thought was negative behavior from the cops. They too would be afraid to go back to that area for the safety of themselves.
When I read they were making fun days for kids to come to the police station and play around with some police gear I though this was a genius idea. Not only do the kids this this is a fun place to be but they see through first-hand experience that cops are fun to be around and are not bad. Like they said, you have to start at a young age.
Overall I believe that every effort each individual person has made makes a humungous effect on the outcome of this situation as a whole. There is nothing better than team work and this article was a prime example that change can be made. You just have to wait for it and keep making efforts even if you fail.
Great Point
This was a great point to make. In today's society there are a lot of stereotypes placed on police officers and most of them are negative. Rarely are cops talked about their heroics or helping the community but being a "buzz kill" If there is always a negative association with being a police officer why would you want to become one? Maybe this is a big reason why so many minorities are not willing to go into the police force.
To be or not to be a police officer
I was talking with my friend about this topic just yesterday. As police officers in the north land, some do their job and some have a hard time following all rules and regulations of the job force. If they do not have a call or a complaint, there have been times where I have heard about officers just dropping by. With that being said, There can be so many negative connotations that come up in the conversations ones can have about police officers that it makes sense some people do not want to become one for that particular reason. Race issue or not, police officers work very hard on the safety of the general public. If this job gets put downs because of their race or the way they do their job it only makes sense that a select few will want to pursue the job. Many of us hear things about the victim being looked down upon but in reality this could be both ways. Many things to think about and I just hope to all the police officers out there (my cousin being one of them) that they know their duty to the towns and cities are appreciated.
Reply
I agree, this could be are reason why people are reluctant to join the police force.
However, don't you think it's true that the police make news when they have messed up, done something wrong or acted in a way they shouldn't have. For example, shooting a man down when he wasn't really a dangerous threat. Maybe if the police made frequent news on the many things they do such as save lives or catch criminals, people would have a different view.
Society is so backwards that we respect celebrities more than we do the police or the military. If our heroes got more recognition then maybe minorities will be more willing to put themselves forward for these types of jobs.
Reply
This is a great point that I hadn't yet thought about. We should educate children from a young age of the real roles and responsibilities of being a police officer. This should emphasize their importance in our society and what it takes to become a police officer in the future so that young children are able to set career goals. I never had this sort of education on the police in school but if I did I feel like I might have wanted to take that route.
Response
I completely agree with this article. In the first paragraph they bring up very good points about recent shooting. In my opinion it may not be a coincidence that the cops shooting are white and the ethnicity being shot happens to be African American. Rather by coincidence or purposeful behaviors, having a diverse police department could never be a bad thing. Why is there not a variety of ethnicity in our police department already, who knows? Although racism is nowhere near as bad as it used, this could still be a large role in overall segregation.
I thought that Carson's method of advertisement was very creative. Thinking of going to the local college and reaching out to the minority to make them feel welcome was very thoughtful. Nothing makes someone want to enroll in something they may enjoy more than a personal invitation. Although his results were not as successful as he would of liked them to be it was still the effort that counted, epically because he was the only one that had brought light into a bad situation to begin with. No one else really cared to do anything about this until he came around. It was great that he didn't give up once he relieved it was definitely not going to be easy.
Phillip Atiba Goff had a very clear and new-founding point to me, "If you were taught from the time that you could speak, from the time that you could understand speech, that police are to be feared and that they're part of an occupying force that is there to circumvent the democratic processes and to strip you of your rights, then it's very difficult for that department to come into your neighborhood and tell you that they respect you and that you should join their team." (Breed, 2014). I have never heard a perspective like this. When I read that it made complete sense to me, this exact statement could even be part of the reason there are so many shooting or self-defense accidents in our society, because we are taught to fear the good guys.
I think it was absolutely great that Malik Aziz brought up the point of saying that his family and other people from the neighborhood he grew up in where not sportive of his decision to be a cop. This could also in some way be a large role of the reason there are not very many Africans or Hispanic cops, because they came from a poverty area and they saw what they thought was negative behavior from the cops. They too would be afraid to go back to that area for the safety of themselves.
When I read they were making fun days for kids to come to the police station and play around with some police gear I though this was a genius idea. Not only do the kids this this is a fun place to be but they see through first-hand experience that cops are fun to be around and are not bad. Like they said, you have to start at a young age.
Overall I believe that every effort each individual person has made makes a humungous effect on the outcome of this situation as a whole. There is nothing better than team work and this article was a prime example that change can be made. You just have to wait for it and keep making efforts even if you fail.
Black police officers
The article mentions how if you are taught to hate police officers your whole life you probably wont become one. I agree with this point, and this is mainly due to most police officers being white men. If we did have more black police officers the view of law enforcement could be changed and "fuck the police" might not be such a common phrase among young minority individuals. However I don't believe the police violence rate would decrease because of the color of the officers skin. Enforcing the law sometimes requires violent actions. Plain and simple man is violent by nature.
I agree.
I like your point PARKF2014-01. Man is violent by nature. Man is also critical by nature. I think that even if there were more minorities in today's law enforcement agencies, by nature, man would find something else to be critical about. Would unfair treatment be brought up if something happened along those lines? Would they another minority group argue and be critical by saying that there are not more of them in law enforcement? I don't think man can be satisfied with solving a set of answers. I believe that the evolution of man and society continues to develop and establish more problems and more critical argument points. Something needs to change, but after change, growth has to begin.
Reply
I agree that if you are taught as a young child to hate police officers because they are a threat and can get you in trouble, then you won't want to become one when you are older. That's why I think it is important to educate young children on crime and the career of being a police officer.
Going back to your comment, there is no law that states that black people cannot work in the police force. That would be truly disgusting. But it does seem to be that more white people are working in this field. Does anyone really know the real reason why this has occurred?
I have heard in the news and on social media that if a white cop arrests a black civilian, then they are called a 'racist' for 'targeting a different race and vice versa. We are forming this bridge on race ourselves if this is the case and maybe this could be the reason why minorities are reluctant to join the police.
A question that I have...
This may be a short post and I'm hoping that it sparks a different debate: does the lack of minorities in the police departments directly reflect that qualification processes or lack of interests for diversity or is the lack of desire to become a police officer by minority groups?
I believe that it is lack of desire to become a police officer by minority groups. In my opinion, I believe that law enforcement agencies give every citizen, no mater their race, an equal opportunity to apply and go through the application process until they become disqualified or actually make it as on officer on the streets. I think that mindset boils down to a nature vs. nurture debate at well.
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