Police Brutality Affects African American Police Recruitment

By Maddie Capozza on July 10, 2019

LOS ANGELES – Applications have plummeted nationwide for police recruitment, largely affecting the recruitment of African American officers. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) says the biggest factors for low recruitment are the controversies within the media regarding police brutality.

The media has one of the strongest impacts on society compared to any other form of communication. As incidents involving fatal shootings and mistreatment occur, the media gives voice to its citizens. Protests and marches have been formed all across the United States, causing the media to explode with videos and photos of those revolting to end violence.

Police Brutality Protest in Anaheim California

“Anytime there is a national incident that comes up that involves policing, it does affect us,” Captain Aaron McCraney of LAPD says, “That’s just an obstacle that we have to overcome.”

As society continues to degrade police officers, the majority of the younger generation has lost interest in pursuing law enforcement.

“I wouldn’t want to become a police officer just from the brutality that’s been happening around the world,” Amarah Martinez, African American student at Westchester High School says. “I feel like all cops aren’t bad but it seems like [the] majority of the population thinks that,” she adds.

Assistant Chief Peters mentions that the LAPD will lose about 40% of its African American officers within the next five years. If LAPD lacks a diverse force, it will be challenged by society because of that matter.

“It’s really important for us to maintain public trust, [and] that we are a diverse organization that reflects the community that we’re representing,” Chief Peters says.

Not only does the media negatively impact recruitment for policing, but it burdens those who are currently active in the force. While there are bad cops, not every officer is a bad cop.

LAPD Officer Arius George says, “We’re all people, you know, and you judge every situation as you would in a normal fashion. That’s how I look at it. Everybody’s a person and you should treat everybody with the same respect.”

The LAPD created a motivational recruitment video, which is posted on their twitter account to attract more recruits. As of now, there has not been an improvement. Hopefully, the LAPD will recruit more African Americans within the next couple of years to prevent their organization from being non-diverse.

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format