NYPD graduation ceremony/Photo courtesy of NY Daily News
Good news has come out of New York. The New York Police Department has seen a drastic increase in minority applicants interested in taking the police exam. The is the highest number of minority entrants for the exam that has been given to prospective officers since 2016, reported The Wall Street Journal.
After the NYPD extended the deadline for applications and eliminated fees, the number of minority applicants for the exam, last heald in November 2019, jumped from 6,710 to 7,553. Of the people who shared their race, over 29 percent were Black, which is up from only about 17 percent over the last five years.
Back in April when the NYPD started accepting applications for the June 15 exam, there was a special push to get applicants from communities of color. In March, Mayor Bill DeBlasio called for police reform that included greater diversity in the NYPD. The force saw a half percent drop in the number of Black officers since his entry in 2014. However, Hispanic and Asian officers have increased.
Amidst cries for defunding the police and NYPD’s reputation for being one of the most corrupt police forces in the nation, the fact that the department garnered so much minority interest was a delight to police officials.
“I am thrilled to be standing in front of you today to tell you that we not only moved the needle, we surpassed what we thought we could,” said Police Commissioner Dermot Shea.
In addition to offering more help to applicants in terms of test preparation and getting the necessary paperwork, like background checks, the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) assisted in waiving the $40 filing fee which helped working-class and student hopefuls. They also allowed remote applying.
Last year, the NYPD dealt with a retirement surge during the protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd. Coupled with a relatively low starting salary of just over $42,000 a year, the desire to be an officer was low.
The president of the Police Benevolent Association of the CIty of New York, Patrick Lynch, said,
“If our city would just support its police officers and pay us a salary on par with other local cops, they wouldn’t need to extend filing deadlines and waive test fees.”
The NYPD currently employs 36,000 officers.