Many minority police officers have found themselves in a unique position during the current debate over police reform. Members of black and Latino police associations…
Many minority police officers have found themselves in a unique position during the current debate over police reform.
Members of black and Latino police associations say their members have experienced both what it feels like to be targeted by prejudice because of the color of their skin and because of the color of their uniforms.
RaShall Brackney, chief of police in Charlottesville, Virginia, and a member of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, told ABC News it’s been tough for many black officers to patrol the streets.
At the same time, Brackney said, minority officers may now have a better environment in which to express their concerns and potentially improve policing for everyone.
«If you don’t have those black leaders at the table… the ability for genuine reform is going fail,» she told ABC News.
The key roadblock for many of these officers has been ascending to leadership roles. Although police departments nationwide are increasingly diverse, very nearly mirroring racial breakdowns throughout the U. S., too few non-white officers find themselves in top positions.
A report released last year by U. S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs said that between 1997 and 2016 the number of black officers increased by 3,689, the number of Latino officers jumped by 25,293 and the number of those belonging to another minority group grew by 7,693 nationally. During the same period, the number of white officers increased by just 1,528.
White cops make up 71.5% of police, while black officers represent 11.4%, Latinos 12.5% and other minority groups 3.6%, the report said. By comparison, the latest U. S. Census data shows whites are 72.3% of the population, blacks are 12.7%, Latinos are 18.1% and Asians make up 5.6%.
But the Department of Justice report found that nearly 90% of police chief roles, 81.
