Workforce Diversity: Ethnicity and Gender Diversity and Disparity in the New York City Police Department

Abstract

This study examines minority and female integration in the New York City Police Department (NYPD) from 2005 to 2011. The Lieberson index of diversity and disparity indices are applied to police force employment data from the NYPD to assess the degree to which White officers outnumber minorities and females. The findings show that the level of diversity within the police ranks declines precipitously and consistently after the rank of sergeant, and the disparity ratios reveal that the number of White officers exceeds the number of Black, Hispanic, Asian, and other minority group officers for all ranks with the exception of the rank of police officer. The findings also show that the number of female officers in general lags far behind those of males as well as of specific police ranks. The data show that among females entering the NYPD, more Hispanic females have been hired relative to White, Black, and Asian females. Despite progress in hiring minorities and females into the NYPD, the advances that minorities and females have made in regard to promotions within the NYPD have been marginal at best.