I have long stood with the membership of MAMLEO, the Massachusetts Association of Minority Law Enforcement Officals, in their demands for advances in testing, hiring, firing, discipline and promotions. Many of the officers of the BPD from my community are my life long family friends, elders, mentors and childhood buddies. In the spirit of community policing and given the fact that the population of Boston is 55% People of Color it only makes sense that the officers of the BPD from Rank & File, Administration all the way up to top-level positions are reflective of the diverse city that they are sworn to serve.
Diversity on the Boston Police force will also serve to further develop community relations as people are more likely to trust and have relationships with officers who they grew up with, reside in the community and share similar cultural backgrounds.
I have long supported the idea that Boston, like many major cities across America is ready for an African-American or Latino Police Commissioner.
For the residents of my District I would ensure that all are informed of upcoming testing dates for the civil service exam and work to increase qualified and diverse applicants to the BPD.
This not new for me. This is not something I just whipped up for the campaign. I believe in this wholeheartedly and it has been something I have been working on for some time.
See more here from our Community Newspaper The Blackstonian:
http://blackstonian.com/info/2012/10/focus-on-diversity-boston-police-department-f/
