Identifying barriers to diversity in law enforcement agencies

Wilson, Charles P.; Wilson, Shirley A.; Gwann, Mary

doi:10.1080/15377938.2016.1187234

Cited by 19 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 62 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…A step toward building this trust would be recruiting minority officers to better reflect the composition of the communities and schools they serve. 35 Relationship-building among SROs and students could be enhanced if students saw more SROs of their race, just as own-race teachers are confirmed to improve outcomes. 36,37 The effectiveness of SROs hinges on community building and conflict resolution skills as opposed to being armed.…”

Section: Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

SROs and School Violence: A Perspective on Roles and Training Needs

DeBarr

Pettit

2022

Journal of School Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Section: Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

SROs and School Violence: A Perspective on Roles and Training Needs

DeBarr

Pettit

2022

Journal of School Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Because of lingering concerns in many minority communities of racism among police officers, Blacks and other racial minorities remain hesitant to work in law enforcement (Sutton et al, 2006). Racial minorities desiring jobs in law enforcement are also frequently unaware of such opportunities because advertisements for policing positions and recruitment events are not shared uniformly (Wilson et al, 2016). This situation undoubtedly excludes viable candidates from applying, which subsequently decreases the overall number of qualified Black applicants that police departments can select from.…”

Section: Policy Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self-Help and Black Firearm Crime

Ammons-Blanfort

D’Alessio

Stolzenberg

2021

Crime & Delinquency

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Self-help theory posits that a negative perception of police engenders firearm violence rather than simply amplifying individuals’ ownership of firearms for self-defense. A racially diverse police force may help decrease firearm use among Black citizens because marginalized groups in society often view a governmental institution as legitimate and impartial when the racial composition of the institution mirrors the population it represents. Analyses using multilevel data show that as the racial diversity of a city’s police department increases, Black criminal offenders are much less likely to use a firearm in an aggravated assault and in a violent crime. These findings buttress the claim that the institutional legitimacy of a police agency can be enhanced by descriptive racial representation.

show abstract

“…The recruitment strategies used by agencies act as another barrier to increasing representation (Jain et al , 2000; Wilson et al , 2016; Wilson et al , 2013), with some criticizing the techniques used as passive or a one-size-fits-all approach (WIFLE, 2016). Instead of actively working to bring in people from underrepresented communities, police agencies have used general advertising and let those that are interested come to them (Holdaway, 1991).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reasons and barriers for choosing police careers

Vermeer

Stickle

Frame

et al. 2020

PIJPSM

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

PurposeAs tensions between the police and community grow, one often called upon solution is a more diverse police force. However, building diversity presents many challenges, especially if there are barriers for choosing a career as a police officer. The present study explores motivations and barriers to becoming a police officer to help reduce the disparity between the community and police.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey of 344 persons in the US asked respondents to identify the motivations and barriers to choosing a career as a police officer. Survey questions centered on issues related to trust, police culture, practices of the police and lack of awareness of career opportunities.FindingsResults indicated that higher trust of the police, positive perceptions of police fairness and knowledge of potential police career opportunities increased an individual's interest in pursuing a career as a police officer. At the same time, negative views in these areas were barriers to interest in policing. These results give insight into where efforts can be focused to increase interest in becoming a police officer.Originality/valueThere is a lack of research on factors leading to an interest in a policing career. This study provides insight into the reasons for and barriers to entering a career in policing and provides a starting point for future research and practical implications for police departments seeking to increase interest in a policing career.

show abstract

Identifying barriers to diversity in law enforcement agencies

Cited by 19 publications

References 62 publications

SROs and School Violence: A Perspective on Roles and Training Needs

SROs and School Violence: A Perspective on Roles and Training Needs

Self-Help and Black Firearm Crime

Reasons and barriers for choosing police careers

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About