Black in Blue: African-American Police Officers and Racism

Abstract

This book describes the accounts of 50 African-American police officers in 16 different law enforcement agencies in the Sunbelt. These police officers negotiate difficult organizational pathways designed to exclude or marginalize them. They must constantly prove themselves worthy to the many Whites that view them as unworthy. As they try to make policing fairer for residents of Black communities, their fellow White officers often view them as radicals, while some members of Black communities perceive them to be traitors. As Black officers have become more numerous and vocal in many police agencies across the country, both White researchers and public commentators have generally ignored them and their impact. Black police officers in historically White police agencies are a relatively new reality in United States society. Chapter 1 describes the history of discrimination in policing, a brief history of Black police officers, and the systemic character of everyday racism. Chapter 2 discusses the acquisition of knowledge about everyday racism, civil rights struggles, and lessons about racism from policing in Black communities, religious and educational settings, employment settings, and the mass media. Chapter 2 also discusses the geographical and demographic variations of racism. In chapter 3, cultural stereotyping, White notions of Black criminality, the denigration of Black personality, and the questioning of racism among Whites are all discussed. The racial barriers in police departments are detailed in chapter 4. Among the barriers are White networking in the workplace, recruitment and hiring, training and promotional, and assignments and authority. Deception and isolation, and discrimination in pay and benefits are also discussed. The hostile, racial climate within police agencies is described in chapter 5. The importance of Black officer background and self esteem are emphasized in chapter 6. Chapter 7 discusses the future of Black police officers.

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