Critics of New York’s Finest argue that city cops can’t relate to the Big Apple’s minority communities — but a new study shows that the NYPD is virtually as diverse as the city it serves.
Criticism intensified after Eric Garner, a black man from Staten Island, was killed July 17 when he was placed in a chokehold by a white police officer trying to arrest him for allegedly peddling cigarettes illegally.
Some local leaders, such as the Rev. Al Sharpton, railed against the department, saying Garner’s death was proof that the NYPD’s relations with black and Hispanic residents were poisoned.
But the study — conducted by The Associated Press and involving police departments nationwide — shows that the NYPD’s racial makeup continues to grow closer to that of the city as a whole. The research was conducted after a white cop killed unarmed black teen Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo.
The study, based on Census data and 2007 federal figures for police diversity, shows that:
- Whites make up 33 percent of New York City’s population and 54 percent of the NYPD.
- Blacks represent 23 percent of the city’s population and 16 percent of the NYPD.
- Hispanics make up 28 percent of the city’s population and 24 percent of the NYPD.
- Asians represent 13 percent of the population and 4 percent of the NYPD.
The NYPD’s own most-recent numbers show that, as of June 2014, the department has become even more diverse since 2007.
Whites make up 51 percent of the department, Hispanics 26 percent and Asians 6 percent, with the percentage of blacks about the same, according to the newer figures.
“In the uniformed ranks, it’s virtually 50-50 [white vs. non-white],” NYPD spokesman Stephen Davis told The Post. “When you look at our ranks of 35,000 officers, we have a pretty representative force.”
Capt. Dominick Fonti, commanding officer of the NYPD’s recruitment division, said his officers seek out new hires daily at college campuses, job fairs and transit hubs.
“We send out teams every day to different locations to increase diversity and look for the best and most qualified candidates we can find,’’ Fonti said. “It’s a very diverse city, so we want a diverse police force to represent that city.”
But Sharpton was not satisfied — even as he took credit for increasing diversity in the department.
“There have been signs of improvement, but we still have ways to go,” he told The Post, adding that he made recruiting pitches himself in schools and churches to attract more minorities to the job.