Syracuse Police Department Chief Kenton Buckner should be commended for his calls for community help to diversify the department.

According to the Syracuse Police Department’s Annual Reports, 87% of Syracuse police officers are white and 85% percent are male. These are jarring numbers to see in a city where almost half the population are people of color, and half the population is female. Hearing about a police chief who wishes to actually takes measures to change these numbers is something worth taking pride in for residents of this city.

Police departments across the United States should look to replicate these initiatives to diversify the police force. Scenarios in which people of color are assaulted or killed by white police officers are far too common in today’s society. We have seen time and time again the tensions that arise between communities of color and police that do not look like them.

The best way to alleviate these problems is to work toward policies and practices that can see the demographics of the city and police force more closely resemble each other. Hopefully, in due time, Buckner’s policies will be reflected in crime and arrest statistics within the city.

Buckner is taking this new policy seriously. He is actively trying to work with the NAACP and with the Spanish Action League to evaluate potential racial biases within the police entrance exam. This is not some half-hearted promise that we see other public officials make — Buckner is actually acting on his words.

Racial biases within any police force might not ever be fully solved. But changes at the institutional level have the best chance to reestablish trust in the police.

Noah Estling is a freshman international relations and economics major. His column appears bi-weekly. He can be reached at npestlin@syr.edu. He can be followed on Twitter @NoahEstling.

Published on October 15, 2019 at 11:48 pm