This can't just be about having more Black cops. Some neighborhoods have been known to be "unsafe" for decades and the police response seems only to arrest and arrest, costing taxpayers huge amounts for the court system, jails, and the occasional lawsuit, with no discernible improvement. This is grossly unfair to the families who have to live in these conditions and are paying taxes for police protection. It is unfair to the people who are arrested for "looking suspicious" and their families who pay with disrupted lives and careers. It is unfair to the police who appear to be helpless and hapless. I don't think it is a matter of the police doing things wrong, but doing the wrong things - which is a political decision and not made by the cops themselves. It would certainly be beneficial to have a more diverse police force. There is evidence that having a more diverse workforce does not lead to favoritism for the formerly excluded group but to generally more equitable outcomes. That would be better, but we won't really be a world-class city until we determine to have a city made up entirely of safe neighborhoods.
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