A new initiative at Roberts Wesleyan College aims to help local police departments attract a more diverse pool of applicants.
Mark Concordia, assistant professor of criminal justice, says a small survey of students shows why some may not be drawn to a career in law enforcement.
"They either had a negative contact with a police officer or the perception of the current crisis of trust between our community and the law enforcement sector," he said.
The college is planning a roundtable discussion next month with local police chiefs and community groups. Greece Police Chief Patrick Phelan says his department currently has just two Black and one Hispanic officer out of 100.
"One of the largest problems we have right now is the perception of police in America. There's a barrier between the police and certain ethnic communities. I think one of the ways to break down the barrier is to diversify the police department."
Phelan doesn’t have a specific goal to diversify his department. "As far as a hard number of where I want to get to, I don't really have that identified,” he said. “But any increases I can get to make my department more diverse would be, to me, a victory."
The Greater Rochester Public Safety Strategic Diversity Initiative will also focus on the development of curriculum training for police officers involved in recruitment.
