Policing reforms in the 21st century: an examination of racial diversity post-executive order 13684

Abstract

PurposeThis study aims to examine minority representation amid the largest police departments in the USA that employ at least 500 sworn officers to determine whether the passage of Executive Order 13684 (2014)—a comprehensive criminal justice reform initiative to identify policing best practices and offer recommendations on how those practices can promote effective crime reduction while (re)building public trust—had any policy impact for increasing racial diversity in policing.Design/methodology/approachSurvey responses on race and ethnicity are collected from 83 police departments across three cross-sectional points in time (2007–2013 and 2013–2016) to examine changes in racial diversity.FindingsThe findings suggest that nearly 20% of the police departments in this study had increases in racial diversity that could be attributed to Executive Order 13684 (2014).Research limitations/implicationsInsufficient time may have lapsed between the passage of Executive Order 13684 (2014) and the last survey collection period to generate meaningful change.Practical implicationsThis study responds to the call by the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing (2015) to highlight those successful police departments, as well as those less successful police departments, for improving diversity in the police force.Originality/valueTo the best of the author’s knowledge, the findings from this study provide one of the first attempts to examine how federal recommendations impact local policing practices.