Lynchburg Police Chief Addresses Lack Of Diversity in Police Force
Lynchburg, Va., (WSET) -- Lack of Diversity - it's an issue the Lynchburg Police Department is tackling head on.
The chief of police says the department is working towards making sure the police force better reflects the community it's serving.
He says fixing the problem comes down to two main components - recruitment and community involvement.
"It's very important for a police agency to have diversity we need to reflect the community we serve," says Chief Raul Diaz.
Since being sworn in 3 months ago, Chief Diaz says one of his goals was to increase diversity within the department.
Right now, about 88 percent of LPD law enforcement officers are white, and only 8 percent are African American.
Chief Diaz says that's a large gap considering 30 percent of Lynchburg's population is comprised of blacks.
He says when looking at those statistics, the "department is no where close to that representation."
Hispanics, on the other hand, represent a lot smaller percentage of the population claiming about 1 percent.
Currently, the LPD comprises of 2 percent Hispanic officers - split even between male and female.
He says the first order of business is getting out in the community to make sure all voices are being heard.
Next, Chief Diaz says hiring more women, local residents, and people of color is imperative to building a more diverse team.
No one should ever believe that in order to hire minorities you have to lower standards that's not true. It's absolutely a falsehood we have the highest among any of the agencies in this local area, but here's the thing, we're looking for the right people to come work for us.
Chief Diaz recently hired two African Americans to join the team.
Officer Joe Tucker, a Halifax County native, was one of them.
"I would like to be somebody the community depends on, and count on if they need something," says Officer Tucker
He said he's proud to work within a department that values diversity in it's police force and community.
I think it's important. People want somebody they can relate to, someone they can identify with, somebody who they think understands them as a person.
Officer Tucker says whether they are white, black, brown, male or female, he considered all of his coworkers family.
You're a part of a family not just a police department. I feel that everyone genuinely cares about your growth not only as a person but as an officer.
