Chap 12

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION CHAPTER TWELVE

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Diversity • Generally, a diverse police department is believed to be more

effective than one that is not • A representative bureaucracy is one that reflects the population

it serves • Evidence regarding impact of diversity falls into two categories

• Testimonial evidence • Empirical evidence

• How do these two forms of evidence differ?

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Racial Minorities in Policing • Historically, racial minorities had very minimal access to

policing jobs • There has, however, been a notable increase since WWII • But most departments are still not racially “representative”

• African American police were not treated equally • In what ways were African American officers not treated equally?

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Racial Minorities in Policing • The Civil Rights movement led to the belief that the inclusion

of more minority officers into police forces would be beneficial Performance of African American police • Evidence has been mixed

• Some indicates that black officers have actually been harder on black citizens than have white officers (aka double marginality)

• Numerous benefits of racially mixed policing teams • What benefits have such teams produced?

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Racial Minorities in Policing • Performance of African American Police

• Black officers were allowed to patrol only in black areas and to arrest only other black citizens

• Dismissal because of race was also a possibility • Promotions were rare for black officers • Performance of African American police • Historically, evidence to support the belief that black officers would perform more

satisfactorily in black areas has been mixed • Black officers needed to prove to the white officers that they were not biased and

therefore treated black suspects the same as they treated white suspects, or even more harshly

• Double marginality • Increased representation of black officers within a patrol division resulted in higher

proportions of blacks stopped • Patrol divisions with higher proportions of Hispanic officers had correspondingly higher

proportions of Hispanics stopped

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Women in Policing • Despite progress, women remain significantly underrepresented

in policing • Due in part to the fact that the crime-fighter image does not coincide with

perceptions of acceptable female behavior • Prior to the 1950s, women police were limited to social-welfare

assignments (e.g. juvenile and family problems) • 1972 amendment to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 required police

departments to eliminate discriminatory hiring & job assignments

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Women in Policing • Performance of women officers has received much attention

• Prior to the 1950s, the role of women in policing was restricted to social- welfare assignments, including dealing with juvenile and family problems, being prison matrons

• During the 1950s, the role was expanded to cover narcotics and vice investigations

• 1972 amendments to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 • In 1968, the first women were assigned to patrol work in the Indianapolis

Police Department • Today, policewomen are assigned to virtually all police functions • Performance of women officers

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Women in Policing • Performance of women officers has received much attention

• Female officers were found to have performed in a highly satisfactory manner • First study done in Washington, DC, in 1973 • women made fewer arrests but appeared to be more effective than men in

defusing potentially violent situations • women had a less aggressive style of policing • less likely to be charged with improper conduct • Other studies had similar results • women were found to be less likely to use a firearm in violent confrontations,

less likely to seriously injure a citizen, no more likely to suffer injuries, and more emotionally stable

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Affirmative Action • The National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders (1968)

suggested that departments should intensify their efforts on minority recruitment, minority supervisory representation • This attempt is known as an affirmative action plan • Such plans played a meaningful role in employment trends • Attempts to remedy past discriminatory employment and promotional

practices • Appears to have played an important role in police employment trends • Impact on recruitment of females is less clear, however

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Equal Employment Opportunity • Legal challenges to discrimination in employment are brought

under one of the following: • 1) Equal protection of the laws clause of the 14th Amendment • 2) Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972

• Scholars have suggested that resistance to affirmative action efforts exists due to support of civil service/merit system

• Griggs v . Duke Power Co. (1971) • What was the significance of this decision?

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Increasing Diversity in Police Departments • Positive strides have been made in recent decades but not

everywhere and not nearly to the extent that is necessary • Promotional opportunities differ across jurisdictions

• Wide variation exists in promotional practices among police departments • Best records of promoting minority officers are those in cities that have large

minority populations and minority leadership in the mayor’s office • While the proportion of women in American police departments continues to

experience modest increases, the proportion of females in positions of power and policy making in these organizations remains low

• Data on minority promotions are more limited than data on women

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Integration of Minorities and Women into Policing • Progress has been made but the question of “treatment” on the job

still remains • A # of meaningful issues exist for women officers

• Police culture • Defeminization • Policewomen versus Policewomen • Structural characteristics • Sexual harassment • Deliberate indifference

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Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Officers • LGBT • Often face double marginality • Find that sexual orientation is a barrier to professional

development and promotion

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Future Prospects • Progress has been made but needs to continue

• Continue to actively recruit among minorities while attempting to improve community relations

• Design a new series of tests that can more accurately measure potential performance

• Programs to develop skills and knowledge

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Future Prospects • The following strategies or efforts also must persist to ensure

a bright future for minorities in policing • Departments must attempt to accelerate change in the traditional,

militaristic, male-dominated, sexist police culture • Implement policies and practices that are not discriminatory • Make police work more attractive to minorities and women

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Summary • Diversity in policing has increased but has not reached an

acceptable threshold yet • Affirmative action and ligation efforts have helped

• Further, diversity is often followed by departmental barriers for women and minorities • Often have to do with the influence of police subculture • Integration and acceptance need to become easier

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