Shades of Blue: A review of the hiring, recruitment, and selection of female and minority police officers*

Donohue, Richard H.

doi:10.1016/j.soscij.2019.05.011

Cited by 31 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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Section: (Constable 22)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Much of the international body of research examining diversity in policing posits that being identified as a diverse officer increases the likelihood of exclusion from the collective group by other officers [47,59,[62][63][64]. Critics of police organizations argue that this is a long-standing problem in policing and the lack of inclusion of diverse officers needs to be addressed within the culture of policing [63,64]. Many of the officers in this research also spoke about the exclusion of diverse officers being affected by negative associations that non-diverse officers make between police work and engagement with diverse groups.…”

Section: (Constable 22)mentioning

confidence: 99%

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“Being Diverse and Being Included, Don’t Go Together in Policing”—Diversity, Inclusion, and Australian Constables

Miles-Johnson

Fay‐Ramirez

2022

Societies

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Across the globe, there is little research that examines the impact of diversity on police practice, particularly whether it increases or decreases the competency of the police organization or whether police officers perceive diversity within the organization and the addition of diverse officers as positive or negative. Contributing new findings to the extant policing literature, this research analyzes data collected from interviews with forty-six constables working in one of the largest Australian state police organizations. Contributing five key findings regarding diversity and inclusion in policing, this research suggests that lack of acceptance of diversity broadly, and bias towards diverse identified officers, results in the exclusion of officers, and a workforce that is fragmented. The lack of unification constables in this research have with diverse colleagues is concerning given that a cohesive police team increases the safety of all officers, improves the effectiveness of police response, strengthens the communication between police and citizens (as well as communication within the organization), increases the morale of officers, and will support the legitimacy of the organization. Whilst constables in this study were not asked questions about their own implicit or explicit levels of bias towards members of diverse groups, the unsolicited responses from many of the constables, as well as the recognition of Whiteness in terms of the racial identity of many officers within the organization, suggests that constables in this study are biased towards officers that are not part of the majority group.

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Section: (Constable 22)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: (Constable 22)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“Being Diverse and Being Included, Don’t Go Together in Policing”—Diversity, Inclusion, and Australian Constables

Miles-Johnson

Fay‐Ramirez

2022

Societies

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“…The marketing strategies that have been considered ‘effective’ have tended to highlight the variety of roles available to future officers, benefits packages, and career development (Charrier, 2000) but for the most part, have been found to deter minority groups because historically, these recruitment attempts have been Eurocentric (Wilson et al, 2013). As a result, in recent years, more of an emphasis has been placed on recruiting for a diverse police force that will bring with it legitimacy, positive community relations, knowledge, and comfort with people of different backgrounds (Aiello, 2021; Donohue, 2020; Linos, 2018). The objective is to have those engaging in the policing, who are representative of the people they police.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Promoting the police: A thematic analysis of the New Zealand Police recruitment campaigns and the construction of officers’ identities

Nairn

Roebuck

2022

Journal of Criminology

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Prior to 2021, the New Zealand (NZ) Police had consistently struggled to meet the required target of recruiting new police officers. As a strategy to promote the NZ Police and to subsequently increase the number of officers within the force, a series of recruitment campaigns were broadcasted. Despite appearing to frame the career of a NZ Police officer positively, research has suggested that there is a lack of diversity within the police force with women and ethnic minorities consistently underrepresented, and inequitable working conditions, therefore leading the job to be perceived as unattractive to most. However, after the release of the ‘Breaking News’ recruitment campaign together with television advertisements and targeted websites outlining information on the recruitment process, the NZ Police successfully met their target with applications exceeding 600 per month. The aim of this research was, therefore, to explore how the identities of NZ Police officers were conceptualised and constructed in the recruitment messaging. A specific focus was how the content in the videos might entice people into considering a role in the force considering the government wanted to increase police numbers by 1800 by 2021. Thematic analysis was applied to 2 NZ Police recruitment videos, 15 ‘career path’ videos, and 10 ‘bring yourself’ videos that is accessed through https://www.chatcops.co.nz/ . Four key themes were identified which emphasised that the NZ Police are comprised of a diverse group of people, committed to helping the community, prioritising safety and that they are ‘normal people’ despite their instilled authority.

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“…The low numbers of female troopers and law enforcement officers across the USA may be in part the result of selection process barriers such as physical fitness standards (Donohue, 2020). This study seeks to assess whether pre-employment physical fitness standards negatively affect females applying to the Kentucky State Police (KSP).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physical fitness standards: An assessment of potential disparate impact for female state police applicants

Williams

Higgins

2022

International Journal of Police Science & Management

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To improve diversity in hiring, this quantitative study examines the applicant physical fitness testing standards of the Kentucky State Police (KSP) to determine whether the test or specific events have a disparate impact for female state police applicants. A sample of 427 state police applicants was collected from applicant fitness testing conducted by the KSP between 2014 and 2019. Bivariate analysis was used to compare the output of males and females. Logistic regression was used to determine predictors for passing fitness testing. The results show a potential disparate impact based upon significant performance differences in three of the five fitness events: bench press, 300-meter run, and push-ups. Predictors for passing applicant fitness testing were being male, having a lower body weight and having 2 years of military service. Sex was found to be a predictor for passing push-ups and 300-meter run. Recommendations suggest amending the fitness events, establishing equitable scoring criteria based upon sex without averaging, and reassessment and evaluation. Provisions for evaluation were provided.

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Shades of Blue: A review of the hiring, recruitment, and selection of female and minority police officers*

Cited by 31 publications

References 43 publications

“Being Diverse and Being Included, Don’t Go Together in Policing”—Diversity, Inclusion, and Australian Constables

“Being Diverse and Being Included, Don’t Go Together in Policing”—Diversity, Inclusion, and Australian Constables

Promoting the police: A thematic analysis of the New Zealand Police recruitment campaigns and the construction of officers’ identities

Physical fitness standards: An assessment of potential disparate impact for female state police applicants

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