More diversity in police departments is one way to boost trust in minority communities.
Police forces are often much more white than the communities they serve.
For the first time in the city of Carrollton’s history, minorities make up the majority of police applicants, according to the police department.
Of the total number of applicants who took the entrance exam on Saturday, 58% were either Black, Hispanic, Asian or Pacific Islander, according to the department.
“It’s very important for us that our police department reflects our city,” Carrollton Police Chief Derick Miller said.
In Carrollton, sworn white officers overrepresent the white population by about 7%.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
Sworn Black officers about equal the black population.
But the gap widens with Asian and Latino officers who are underrepresented by over 11% and 24%, respectively.
“What we're trying to do is get into those communities and specifically recruit there,” Miller said.
It’s a strategy that seems to be working.
Saturday’s entrance exams marked the city’s second in a row in which minorities made up the majority of applicants. In October, 61% of applicants who took the exam were either Black, Hispanic, Asian, or Pacific Islander, according to the department.
