But he said filling it with black detectives in particular did not necessarily serve the unit’s work. But detectives can receive strong recommendations for years, as the three black detectives in the complaint did, and not get bumped up in grade. The proportion of black police officers on the force has dropped since 2010, while the share of black detectives and sergeants has stayed roughly level and the share of black lieutenants and captains has grown. Black detectives also described struggling to learn of openings in specialized units in the first place because they had fewer relatives or friends in positions of power. She said Mr. Coleman joined the police in part to improve how officers treated black children, but grew exasperated by the obstacles facing black detectives.

Source: New York Times September 21, 2017 23:55 UTC