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While an investigation of possible police misconduct in the
fatal officer involved shooting of yet another unarmed young
black person takes place in Chicago, TPD Chief George Kral
continues to network with selected black leaders and utilize
town hall meetings in an effort to improve police-community
relations in Toledo.
Given the
structural and cultural dynamics currently taking place in
TPD, Kral’s strategy, while well-intentioned, does not
appear enough to convince black residents that Toledo is a
“government by the people and for the people,” or, in other
words, a government that addresses their (black) interests.
Keith
Burris, in a recent Blade editorial, seems to suggest the
presence of a local cultural divide and lack of close social
interaction between black and white cops. Burris’ assessment
also appeared to be confirmed by a black police officer I
spoke with who angrily described many white peers as “vocal
Donald Trump supporters.”
Yet,
Kral’s biggest challenge in building trust among black
citizens may lie in the steady attrition of black police
officers and the city’s failure to recruit black
replacements.
In 1985,
black police personnel reached a peak of 133, largely as
beneficiaries of a lawsuit filed against the city of Toledo
alleging discriminatory employment and promotional
practices. A consent decree, since scrapped, required TPD’s
personnel data to reflect the community’s demographics.
But now,
nearly every week seems to bring with it the retirement of
another black officer, while the city struggles to produce
classes of new recruits that include a representative number
of blacks to replace them. At the rate of past and current
black retirements, the police force could soon become nearly
all-white, further eroding the level of trust of law
enforcement by black community members.
The path
to trust?
Burris
and his source, Oregon Police Chief Mike Navarre, have
emphasized interracial dialogue and other “practical”
solutions such as training, fitness, manpower and
(non-specific) recruitment at a time when other police
departments are pointing a laser-like focus on the “lack of
demographic representation in the ranks.”
Police
administrators, scholars, and citizens across the nation
point to the creation of police forces that are
“demographically reflective of the communities they serve”
as the best way to maintain a positive public image and
close the trust gap, particularly in the time of crisis
(Howard, 2015).
Why?
Minority (and female) officers possess the communication
skills to effectively manage cultural differences that exist
in today’s community life and are likely to first, rely on
these skills rather than the former go-to strategies that
prioritize physical force.
While
there are obvious obstacles in recruiting, hiring,
retaining, or promoting minorities and females, these
challenges are often used as excuses to justify the status
quo. According to Police Chief: the Professional Voice of
Law Enforcement Journal (June 2015), these obstacles can be
overcome by looking at best practices and reviewing the
abundance of literature that centers on the successful
recruitment of minorities and women.
These
practical solutions include targeting minorities on a state,
regional, or national basis; placing “professional”
recruiters in local high schools and colleges as well as
hiring minorities for preparatory cadet programs.
The
selection process can also be refined to facilitate minority
success by replacing written tests altogether with equally
valid structured interviews. In addition, pre-employment
questionnaires can be administered to help identify recruits
who are more likely to pass the background check. Finally,
using physical ability preparation programs can help address
physical obstacles increase recruits’ performance on the
physical ability test section.
What is
clear is that there are many documented creative responses
available to police and government administrations who are
serious about increasing diversity and bridging the trust or
legitimacy gap with minority communities.
It comes
down to a whether a sense of moral obligation and political
will exists. As a political insider, who requested
anonymity, recently expressed:
“There
is not a single branch of any government where it is more
important to have a diverse workforce than it is in the
police department and that’s just a fact. You have to have
trust between the citizens and the people who are trying to
protect the citizens, and the only way to achieve that is
through having a diverse workforce, period. And it doesn’t
have to come from a court order or from the result of
protests at the grass roots level. You don’t have to hide
behind paperwork and you don’t have to hide behind a court
order, you just do it!
“So,
elect the leaders who believe that and just make it happen,
it’s that simple!”
Contact Rev. Donald Perryman, D.Min, at
drdlperryman@centerofhopebaptist.org
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