Tough slog to add diversity to force

Astory in The Oklahoman explored the challenge of recruiting minorities to join the Oklahoma City Police Department. “I’d like to find a way to attract more qualified minority candidates,” the department’s recruitment director said.

That story appeared in October 2002. Sixteen years later the same challenge remains, as reporter Josh Wallace outlined in an article Sunday.

In 2002, the white officers made up 85.8 percent of the roster and the city’s population was 68 percent white. Today, 82 percent of the 1,100 officers are white and the city’s population is 67.7 percent white.

Hispanics now make up 18.5 percent of the city’s population, blacks 14.3 percent and Asians 4.4 percent. Yet only 6.3 percent of the police force is black, 5.8 percent is Hispanic and 1 percent is Asian.

The department’s recruitment director in 2002 said some gains had been made in attracting minority applicants, but the number of those who wound up on the force had not gone up. In some cases, recruits didn’t have the necessary qualifications. In other cases, particularly when the economy was strong, they opted for better paying (and safer) jobs in the private sector.

It’s likely some of those economic hurdles remain today. Capt. Bo Mathews, the department’s spokesman, noted to Wallace that the department isn’t recruiting solely against other law enforcement agencies, “we’re recruiting against the whole world, the business world.”

Other potential factors include minority communities’ mistrust of police, and negative news stories about police officers. There have been several of the latter across the country in the past several years, and a few local examples. They can be difficult to overcome, even as the overwhelming majority of officers do their jobs professionally and well.

The department has been working for decades to expand the ranks of non-white officers, including through its OCPD Cadet Program, in which the city’s public school students are exposed to law enforcement and its potential as a career.

School resource officers also can make an impact. Maj. Paco Balderrama, a member of the police force for nearly 20 years, cites his relationship with a school resource officer for his decision to enter law enforcement. Balderrama also says he saw police work as a way give back to his community, a special attribute.

State Sen. George Young, D-Oklahoma City, who represents a predominantly minority district, says cases of police violence against minorities can lead to talk of bias and racism, something he said can only be addressed with a more diverse police force.

“If you’ve got a diverse body that’s enforcing the laws, then you have a better chance of having a more fair and equitable result on the back side,” Young says.

Young is correct. But clearly, achieving that diversity is much easier said than done.