Majority/Minority Police Share, by City

By Merlin

Fri, Apr 16, 2021 2:58 p.m.

Majority/Minority Police Share, by City

Police Department Race and Ethnicity Demographic Data (governing.com)

One of the main reasons why it is hard to hire black police officers is because such a high percentage of blacks have been convicted of crimes, and police departments don't hire people with felony records.

[N.S.: Why on Earth would anyone WANT to hire blacks as policemen?]

The Pew Charitable Trusts report also illustrated the increasing gap in punishment between whites and blacks. In 2010, the percentage of all Americans with a felony record was 8.11 percent (including three percent who have served time in prison), but for black males the rate was 33 percent (including 15 percent who have been to prison). Additionally, while the absolute number of people with felony convictions increased threefold between 1980 and 2010, it increased fivefold for blacks during that time.