Explain the changes that have occurred in the demographics of the police force by hiring of minority and female officers. What are some of the problems these two groups of officers experience?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Experiences of African American officers have not been easy. When they first joined the force, they faced discrimination by having their duties and responsibilities restricted, like having to radio a white officer to be able to make an arrest. Early African American officers faced the problem of double marginality, having to deal with the expectation they would give members of their own race preferential treatment and being targets of institutional racism. Minority police officers are now well integrated in America's police departments; many large agencies are quite diverse. These officers experience some of the same problems and issues encountered by white officers, and if they consider themselves marginalized in the department, they do report more stress. For more than half a century, females endured separate criteria for selection, were assigned menial tasks, and were denied the opportunity for advancement. Studies show that women are still struggling for acceptance, believe they do not receive credit for their job performance, and report sexual harassment from coworkers. Male officers do not think women can handle the physical requirements of the job as well as men can. Women are also more likely to be targeted for disciplinary action and are more likely to receive harsher punishments. As a result, female officers report higher levels of job-related stress than male officers. Despite these issues, the future of women in policing continues to grow bright, although gender parity might take a while to achieve. About 13 percent of all officers are female, and 27 percent are members of minority groups.