Diversifying most Corridor law enforcement agencies proves elusive

IOWA CITY — In December, the Iowa City Police Department did something virtually unheard of in this area.

It hired three black police officers.

How unusual is that? Of the nine law enforcement agencies that provide service to Linn and Johnson counties — eight municipal or county departments and the University of Iowa Department of Public Safety — six of them have fewer black officers on their rosters than the three Iowa City hired. Of those six departments, three have no black officers at all.

Of the 645 officers on the nine forces combined, only 16 — or 2.4 percent — are black.

Every police department in the Corridor has sought to diversify its ranks to make the force more reflective of the community. But police leaders say their efforts to attract more minorities to law enforcement have borne little fruit.

Not only do they have trouble attracting non-white applicants, they say, but the few who do apply often are eliminated in the standardized testing process over which local departments have no control.

And even when minority applicants make it through testing, it still can take extraordinary measures to hire them. In Iowa City's case, it took seeking City Council approval to temporarily increase the department's authorized strength in order to extend job offers to four candidates, three of whom were black. All four accepted and are attending the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy.

'We really are aware of that, trying to diversify,' said Iowa City Capt. Bill Campbell, who hired the officers while serving as interim police chief. 'Our goal is to have the police department reflect the community.'

Mirroring the community

The heads of other law enforcement agencies have stated a similar goal: to have a department that mirrors the citizens they serve. Based on an analysis of black police officers and deputies, as well as 2010 census data, few departments have achieved that goal.

- The Iowa City Police Department now has the most black officers in the area with five, representing 6 percent of its sworn officers. The city's population is 5.8 percent black.

- With one black officer, the Marion Police Department is 2.2 percent black. The city's population is 2 percent black.

- The UI Department of Public Safety has four black officers, 9.3 percent of its force. The UI student body is 3.1 percent black, according to the Iowa Board of Regents.

- Cedar Rapids employs four black officers, or 1.8 percent of its force. The city is 5.6 percent black.

- The Coralville Police Department is 3 percent black, with one black officer. The city is 7.9 percent black.

- Johnson County's population is 4.8 percent black, but its Sheriff's Office has only one black deputy, or 1.4 percent of the force.

- The Linn County Sheriff's Office and the Hiawatha and North Liberty police departments have no black officers.

INTERACTIVE: Linn County Sherrif breaks down the diversity challenge

'We're having a hard time getting candidates as a whole and have for quite some time,' said Linn County Sheriff Brian Gardner. 'What's made it a little more difficult is law enforcement has not been portrayed the best of late, either in the media or in the public's eyes due to some high-profile events that have occurred. People are having second thoughts.'

Striving for diversity

Cedar Rapids Police Chief Wayne Jerman said there are numerous reasons police departments strive to diversify. Minority groups find comfort in seeing minorities in the ranks, he said.

'African American residents want to see African American officers,' he said. 'They're familiar with the African American culture because it's the culture they'd grown up in. Same with Latinos and other ethnic groups. They are more familiar with their cultures than those who are not of the same ethnicity or race. ... It's all about inclusion. We want to include all sorts of diversity, also gender and sexual orientation.'

Iowa City's Campbell said having a diverse force benefits the entire department. While departments offer training on cultural awareness, having greater interactions with different communities leads to greater understanding, he said.

'New officers bring part of that community into the department,' he said. 'Now, I also have part of that community within the workplace.'

Cedar Rapids police Lt. Tobey Harrison agrees with the need for more diversity in law enforcement. Growing up in Cedar Rapids, Harrison said there were no black officers when he was a kid. Now, he's one of four employed by the department.

Harrison said people sometimes just feel more comfortable talking with someone like them, whether it's a black officer or a Latino officer who can speak Spanish.

'I think that it facilitates people feeling more comfortable and better communication,' he said.

Harrison said he believes the department is making efforts to further diversify. He's gone on recruiting trips on the department's behalf.

'I think that is certainly a priority that has been conveyed by the chief,' he said. 'That is his desire.'

No simple solutions

Why aren't police departments and sheriff's offices not hiring more black officers? There's no simple explanation, authorities said.

'I just don't know the magic answer,' said Johnson County Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek.

Pulkrabek said when the office seeks job applicants, it tries to advertise to diverse populations. He mentioned social media sites, newspapers, workforce development centers and parts of the state with greater minority populations such as Scott, Black Hawk, Woodbury and Muscatine counties.

'You just don't get a lot of interest,' Pulkrabek said.

Gardner said sheriff's offices might face more of an uphill battle in hiring because of the nature of their departments. Deputies generally spend the first several years of their careers working in the jail, which Gardner sees as a good learning environment, but not necessarily somewhere a young officer wants to start his or her career.

Jerman said he has tried to recruit minority applicants by working with minority leaders in the community. The department also tries to reach minority youths through its Police Explorer program, which teaches 16- to 20-year olds about what it's like to be a police officer.

'Some of them aren't hold enough to apply to be police officers,' Jerman said. 'It's one method we're using to increase the diversity down the road.'

Unfortunately, those efforts simply aren't translating to many minority applicants. Jerman said during a hiring process two years ago, he had only 10 black applicants appear to take the physical and written tests required to be considered. None made it to a hiring list.

However, Jerman said he is hopeful about the latest round of hiring. Testing for that process was earlier this month.

'We still have a number of minorities who have passed the first two tests, which I am encouraged and pleased to see,' he said.

In Iowa City, despite its latest round of hires, the department isn't ready to declare mission accomplished.

'If you're really looking to be truly diverse in what you have going in your organization, you're not only going to be looking at how many officers you have, but what do your supervisors look like?' Campbell said. 'How are you going to retain them? How are you going to see them be viable candidates to climb the ranks?'

INTERACTIVE: Linn County Sherrif breaks down the diversity challenge

l Comments: (319) 398-8238; lee.hermiston@thegazette.com