The ill relationship between Black men and police officers is putting NYPD police chief, William Bratton in a tough position.
He explained to the Guardian: “We have a significant population gap among African American males because so many of them have spent time in jail and, as such, we can’t hire them.”
The rise of protests and fatal shootings by police have called for major change within police departments across the country, with the addition of more Brown faces to departments leading the list.
But according to Bratton, budget restrictions and a history of bias tactics such as the controversial “stop, question and frisk” policy, which randomly targeted Black and Latino men, complicates the department’s goal of racial parity.
As of 2013, the policy, deemed racially motivated, is no longer in use.
The problem with Bratton’s excuse or “reasoning,” is that many feel he is partially to blame for the lack of eligible recruits of color.
“It is a net that he set out for them,” said Rochelle Bilal, vice-chair of the National Black Police Association and a former Philadelphia police officer. “If [Bratton] didn’t stop people for nothing, he might have a bigger pool to hire from.”
In addition, critics also fault Bratton’s “broken window” policy as being a system that unfairly targets poor, urban communities which in turn corners more Black and Latino men for minor offenses.
Get the full report, here.
