In a focus group, an African-American official shared, «I think a lot of [African-American] young men aren`t interested in law enforcement because of the things they`ve heard about law enforcement or the experiences people around them have had.» He noted that the diversity of the department was a major factor in his own decision to apply to Evanston. He continued: «The perception of law enforcement today is not the best. But that`s one of the things we`re working on to try to rebuild that trust and build that relationship, which I think will help break down that barrier for young people of color in law enforcement. CPE conducted one-on-one interviews with leaders and leaders involved in the recruitment and hiring process to obtain specific details on the practices they used to attract and employ exceptional and diverse talent. CIP asked them to describe recruitment and hiring practices, including eligibility criteria and assessments. They were also asked to reflect on aspects of these practices that enhance diversity. Full-time sworn officers participated in focus groups facilitated by CPE to gather their personal experiences and perspectives on recruitment, hiring and retention practices in their department, including whether they found these practices effective and fair. They were asked to consider their personal experiences with recruitment, hiring and retention, as well as the Department`s policies and practices that led to their successful membership and ongoing participation in the Department. Each department selected a group of officers to participate in the focus groups. Each interview and focus group was coded for emerging topics. The report outlines barriers and promising practices related to diversity identified by subject matter experts, law enforcement and other stakeholders.
It is beyond the scope of this report to empirically verify these claims. A number of law enforcement agencies have found that involving community members in the hiring process can have a positive impact on the development of a more diverse workforce. The agencies worked with community advisory groups and committees not only to develop and revise hiring criteria, but also to identify community members who could serve on agency interview committees. These types of practices allow community members to have a voice and a voice on whom their police service ends up hiring. During this initiative, the Department`s Department of Civil Liberties and the EEOC worked with law enforcement, civil rights activists, academic experts, city officials, and other stakeholders to leverage the many existing research and success models used by organizations across the country to remove barriers to diversity. The CIP led much of these outreach and engagement efforts. Overall, it is hoped that this initiative to promote diversity in law enforcement will fuel ongoing conversations on this difficult and important issue and serve as a resource for law enforcement and other stakeholders across the country. This report does not mark the end of the work of the Civil Liberties Division of the U.S. Department of Justice and the EEOC on these important issues. The federal government remains committed to working with law enforcement agencies across the country to assist them in their efforts to better reflect the diversity of the communities they serve.
In the summer of 2014, the nation`s attention turned to the small town of Ferguson, Missouri, which was embroiled in protests and riots following the tragic shooting of Michael Brown, an 18-year-old African-American man, by a white officer with the Ferguson Police Department. While much of the focus was on the range of systemic issues and significant challenges in the relationship between law enforcement and the Ferguson community, the discussion also focused on the demographics of the Ferguson Police Service. Several news outlets reported that there was a strong imbalance between the racial composition of the police department and the demographics of the community, observing that although African Americans made up the majority of Ferguson`s population, only three of the city`s 53 police officers were African-American. [1] When the Justice Department released the findings of its systematic review of the Ferguson Police Department in March 2015, the review found that while African Americans make up about 67 percent of the city`s population, they make up less than 8 percent of the police force. The report concluded that the lack of racial diversity in policing, combined with other factors, undermined and undermined community confidence in the police. [2] Law enforcement agencies face a number of challenges as they seek to foster a strong talent pool that expands the diversity of their workforce and reflects the diversity of the communities they serve. These challenges, which manifest themselves in the recruitment, selection and retention processes, are anything but insurmountable. Indeed, organizations that have made efforts to expand their talent pool have found that increased diversity brings a number of benefits that are visible both within their workforce and in their relationships with the communities they serve. In addition, the CPE, in collaboration with the Department of Justice and the EEOC, identified 12 «subject matter experts» with academic backgrounds in labour law and leaders of police affinity organizations with significant experience in promoting demographic diversity within police organizations. Academics were selected on the basis of their publications in the field of employment and diversity as well as their targeted work in police stations or other public institutions.
Labor lawyers were selected based on their knowledge of the diversity of law enforcement employment and their hands-on experience in human resources consulting or labor disputes. Heads of affinity organizations have been selected and are working on their commitment to diversity in law enforcement. These 12 subject matter experts provided a macro understanding of what they found to be barriers and promising practices related to recruiting, hiring and retaining talented leaders who reflect the community they serve. A list of these subject matter experts can be found in Appendix C. In addition, law enforcement`s commitment to diversity ensures that key public sector jobs are available to all eligible qualified candidates, helping to ensure equal employment opportunity for all.
