This is such a true post. I agree that until the stigma of minorities not trusting the police is gone, men of color will not want to pursue the role of becoming a police officer. In light of these recent events, I am not sure if there will be any way that they could enhance the recruitment of minorities to convince them that they should become a law enforcement officer. There have also always been talks about hiring qualifications and requirements that minorities don’t meet, but when it comes down to it, would you want to start a career with people you don’t trust?
Could the strained relationships between police and the Black community improve if there were more African- American cops patrolling predominantly Black neighborhoods?
Civil rights activists have been calling for more Black police officers after the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., the death of Freddie Gray Jr., from Baltimore, who died in police custody on April 19, and so many other cases involving police and dead black men.
In the case of Freddie Gray, it’s not a simple case of racism and policing: Three of the six police officers charged in Gray’s death are Black, which underscores that the pervasive flawed police culture transcends race. The distrust among Black residents toward police of any color has never been more apparent.
And now, there is a broader issue to consider: The Wall Street Journal reported that the percentage of African-Americans in the nation’s police departments has remained stagnant for…
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