For years, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) has seen the number of Black recruits, and in particular women, drop. Now, according to reports from the LA Times, the pool of candidates has all but run dry. This recruiting challenge isn’t exclusive to the LAPD. Law enforcement agencies across the country are experiencing challenges in recruitment despite generous pay and pension options, and the Trump administration’s efforts to get rid of DEI policies nationwide have exacerbated these challenges. Ivonne Roman, Senior Implementation Strategist at CPE, discusses how the Trump administration’s actions will further undermine recruiting for police departments:
Even though most local police departments aren’t as dependent on federal funding as, say, public universities, police executives may feel less pressure to diversify their agencies in the current social climate, she said.
Steps such as the dismissal of Biden-era civil rights lawsuits that accused police departments of hiring disparities could embolden discrimination, she said.
“It’s going to have a chilling effect,” Roman said.
Read the full article on the LA Times website.