Recently I had somebody tell me “most of the thin blue line in many cities are primarily minorities”.
Which sounded wrong. But hey, maybe it’s right. Figured I’d look into it.
I found a website called Governing.com which tracks a lot of government statistics, including those for racial representation in police departments. Their data was pulled from the 2013 Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics survey. Then I found a list of the 30 largest cities in the US. I went through the LEMAS data and looked at minority representation on the police forces of these 30 largest cities in the US, particularly relative to the minority population.
What I found did not particularly surprise me.
New York City Police Department
Total Minority Police Share: 47.8%
Total Minority Population Share: 67.2%
Percentage-Point Difference: -19.3 (compared to national average of -24.5)
Whites over-represented, making up 33% of the city population and 52% of the police force. All minorities are under-represented on the police force compared to their population.
Los Angeles Police Department
Total Minority Police Share: 64.6%
Total Minority Population Share: 71.5%
Percentage-Point Difference: -6.9 (compared to national average of -24.5)
One of the few where whites are a minority on the police force, but still over-represented. Largest minority on the police force is Hispanics, who make up 43% of the LAPD but 49% of the LA population.
Chicago Police Department
Total Minority Police Share: 47.9%
Total Minority Population Share: 68.0%
Percentage-Point Difference: -20.1 (compared to national average of -24.5)
Whites over-represented, making up 32% of the city population and 52% of the police force. All minorities are under-represented on the police force compared to their population.
Houston Police Department
Total Minority Police Share: 54.9%
Total Minority Population Share: 74.2%
Percentage-Point Difference: -19.3 (compared to national average of -24.5)
Whites over-represented, making up 26% of the city population and 45% of the police force. Hispanics sharply under-represented. However, Houston is a rare city where Asian police share and Black police share perfectly match their population share.
Philadelphia Police Department
Total Minority Police Share: 43.2%
Total Minority Population Share: 63.6%
Percentage-Point Difference: -20.5 (compared to national average of -24.5)
Whites over-represented, making up 36% of the city population and 57% of the police force. All minorities are under-represented on the police force compared to their population.
Phoenix Police Department
Total Minority Police Share: 23.4%
Total Minority Population Share: 54.1%
Percentage-Point Difference: -30.6 (compared to national average of -24.5)
Whites significantly over-represented, making up 46% of the city population and 77% of the police force. All minorities are under-represented on the police force compared to their population.
San Antonio Police Department
Total Minority Police Share: 57.7%
Total Minority Population Share: 73.4%
Percentage-Point Difference: -15.8 (compared to national average of -24.5)
Whites over-represented, making up 26% of the city population and 42% of the police force. All minorities are under-represented on the police force compared to their population. However, despite being under-represented, Hispanics on the police force are a majority (51.5% where they are 63% of the popluation)
San Diego Police Department
Total Minority Police Share: 34.3%
Total Minority Population Share: 56.8%
Percentage-Point Difference: -22.4 (compared to national average of -24.5)
Whites over-represented, making up 43% of the city population and 66% of the police force. Blacks are accurately represented relative to their population, Hispanics and Asians are sharply under-represented.
Dallas Police Department
Total Minority Police Share: 46.2%
Total Minority Population Share: 70.6%
Percentage-Point Difference: -24.4 (compared to national average of -24.5)
Whites over-represented, making up 29% of the city population and 54% of the police force. Blacks are accurately represented relative to their population, Hispanics and Asians are under-represented.
San Jose Police Department
Total Minority Police Share: 43.7%
Total Minority Population Share: 72.3%
Percentage-Point Difference: -28.6 (compared to national average of -24.5)
Whites over-represented, making up 28% of the city population and 56% of the police force. Blacks are slightly over-represented relative to their population, Hispanics are under-represented. Asians are significantly under-represented, constituting 37% of the population and only 3% of the police force.
Austin Police Department
Total Minority Police Share: 30.8%
Total Minority Population Share: 50.8%
Percentage-Point Difference: -19.9 (compared to national average of -24.5)
Whites over-represented, making up 49% of the city population and 70% of the police force. Blacks are slightly over-represented relative to their population (by 1 percentage point), Hispanics and Asians are under-represented.
Jacksonville Sheriff's Office
Total Minority Police Share: 24.0%
Total Minority Population Share: 45.7%
Percentage-Point Difference: -21.7 (compared to national average of -24.5)
Whites over-represented, making up 54% of the city population and 76% of the police force. All minorities are under-represented on the police force compared to their population.
San Francisco Police Department
Total Minority Police Share: 47.6%
Total Minority Population Share: 58.4%
Percentage-Point Difference: -10.8 (compared to national average of -24.5)
Whites over-represented, making up 42% of the city population and 52% of the police force. Hispanics are evenly represented. Blacks are fairly significantly over-represented, constituting 9% of the police department but 5.5% of the population, this is very rare. Asians are sharply under-represented.
Indianapolis Metro Police
Total Minority Police Share: 15.8%
Total Minority Population Share: 42.5%
Percentage-Point Difference: -26.7 (compared to national average of -24.5)
Whites significantly over-represented, making up 57% of the city population and 84% of the police force. All minorities are under-represented on the police force compared to their population.
Columbus Police Department
Total Minority Police Share: 13.6%
Total Minority Population Share: 41.6%
Percentage-Point Difference: -27.9 (compared to national average of -24.5)
Whites significantly over-represented, making up 58% of the city population and 86% of the police force. All minorities are under-represented on the police force compared to their population. Predictably CPD has had a history of racial misconduct and violence, as well as internal harassment and discrimination against Black police officers.
Fort Worth Police Department
Total Minority Police Share: 30.8%
Total Minority Population Share: 59.2%
Percentage-Point Difference: -28.3 (compared to national average of -24.5)
Whites significantly over-represented, making up 41% of the city population and 69% of the police force. All minorities are under-represented on the police force compared to their population.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department
Total Minority Police Share: 22.8%
Total Minority Population Share: 55.8%
Percentage-Point Difference: -33.0 (compared to national average of -24.5)
Whites significantly over-represented, making up 44% of the city population and 77% of the police force. All minorities are under-represented on the police force compared to their population.
Seattle Police Department
Total Minority Police Share: 24.7%
Total Minority Population Share: 34.0%
Percentage-Point Difference: -9.3 (compared to national average of -24.5)
Whites over-represented, making up 66% of the city population and 75% of the police force. Blacks are slightly over-represented relative to their population (by 1 percentage point), Hispanics and Asians are under-represented.
Denver Police Department
Total Minority Police Share: 32.9%
Total Minority Population Share: 47.1%
Percentage-Point Difference: -14.1 (compared to national average of -24.5)
Whites over-represented, making up 53% of the city population and 67% of the police force. Blacks are accurately represented relative to their population, Hispanics and Asians are under-represented.
El Paso Police Department
Total Minority Police Share: 81.1%
Total Minority Population Share: 85.1%
Percentage-Point Difference: -4.1 (compared to national average of -24.5)
Whites are narrowly over-represented, making up 15% of the city population and 19% of the police force. Minorities are narrowly under-represented, with Hispanics making 80% of the population and 77% of the police, and Blacks making 3.1% of the population but 2.9% of the police, however these margins are incredibly narrow. Overall it’s probably the most balanced of any major metropolitan police department in the country. Also one of the few where minorities are a majority of the force.
Detroit Police Department
Total Minority Police Share: 66.9%
Total Minority Population Share: 91.6%
Percentage-Point Difference: -24.6 (compared to national average of -24.5)
Whites over-represented, making up 8.5% of the city population and 33% of the police force. Blacks are under-represented (81% of population) but are a majority (63%) of the police force. Hispanics and Asians are under-represented.
Washington Metropolitan Police Department
Total Minority Police Share: 68.4%
Total Minority Population Share: 64.5%
Percentage-Point Difference: 3.8 (compared to national average of -24.5)
The only city in the 30 largest cities in the US where whites are under-represented relative to their population, 32% of the police force compared to 36% of the population. Blacks are over-represented and a majority of the police force, 59% to 49%. Hispanics and Asians are under-represented. Given the prevalence of federal law enforcement in DC, its possible that whites in DC interested in law enforcement tend to go that route instead.
Boston Police Department
Total Minority Police Share: 34.5%
Total Minority Population Share: 53.8%
Percentage-Point Difference: -19.4 (compared to national average of -24.5)
Whites over-represented, making up 46% of the city population and 66% of the police force. Blacks are slightly over-represented relative to their population (by 1.5 percentage point), Hispanics and Asians are under-represented.
Memphis Police Department
Total Minority Police Share: 51.9%
Total Minority Population Share: 73.0%
Percentage-Point Difference: -21.1 (compared to national average of -24.5)
Whites over-represented, making up 27% of the city population and 48% of the police force. Blacks are under-represented (63% of population) but are a slim majority (51%) of the police force. Hispanics and Asians are under-represented.
Nashville Metro Police Department
Total Minority Police Share: 15.1%
Total Minority Population Share: 43.9%
Percentage-Point Difference: -28.9 (compared to national average of -24.5)
Whites significantly over-represented, making up 56% of the city population and 85% of the police force. All minorities are under-represented on the police force compared to their population.
Portland Police Bureau
Total Minority Police Share: 14.6%
Total Minority Population Share: 28.0%
Percentage-Point Difference: -13.4 (compared to national average of -24.5)
Whites over-represented, making up 72% of the city population and 85% of the police force. All minorities are under-represented on the police force compared to their population.
Oklahoma City Police Department
Total Minority Police Share: 14.5%
Total Minority Population Share: 44.2%
Percentage-Point Difference: -29.7 (compared to national average of -24.5)
Whites significantly over-represented, making up 56% of the city population and 86% of the police force. All minorities are under-represented on the police force compared to their population.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
Total Minority Police Share: 19.1%
Total Minority Population Share: 54.7%
Percentage-Point Difference: -35.6 (compared to national average of -24.5)
Whites significantly over-represented, making up 45% of the city population and 81% of the police force. All minorities are under-represented on the police force compared to their population.
Baltimore Police Department
Total Minority Police Share: 49.3%
Total Minority Population Share: 71.9%
Percentage-Point Difference: -22.6 (compared to national average of -24.5)
Whites over-represented, making up 28% of the city population and 51% of the police force. Blacks and Asians are under-represented on the police force compared to their population. This is a rare city where Hispanics are over-represented relative to their population, 7% police compared to 4.5% of the population.
Louisville Metro Police Department
Total Minority Police Share: 15.2%
Total Minority Population Share: 32.3%
Percentage-Point Difference: -17.1 (compared to national average of -24.5)
Whites over-represented, making up 68% of the city population and 85% of the police force. All minorities are under-represented on the police force compared to their population.
Cities where all minorities combined are a majority of the police force: Houston, San Antonio, El Paso, Detroit, Washington DC, and Memphis.
Cities where whites are a minority of the population but a majority of the police force: NYC, Chicago, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, Dallas, San Jose, Austin, San Francisco, Fort Worth, Charlotte, Boston, Las Vegas, and Baltimore.
Of course, all cops are bastards anyway. Regardless of race, through their actions as police they support capitalism and the racist police state while protecting the wealthy ruling class.
But the additional concern I have is that when you have a police force that doesn't reflect the community it polices, skin color becomes a uniform (thanks Vonnegut) and the white police see themselves as an occupying paramilitary force in an area that is more like a foreign country than their own homeland. And when you look at things from a military perspective you see your fellow citizens as the enemy.
The widespread infiltration of US police forces by white supremacists over the last few decades, and really as long as there have been US police forces, just makes this worse. This also leads "Thin blue line" police supporters to gravitate towards racist positions, and even worse it can push minority officers towards self hating internalized racism that expresses itself in their community interactions because they see their allies as uniformed whites and their day to day enemies as the PoC communities they police.
It is not a sustainable situation and only highlights the need to disarm and disband all police in the US.
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