Evanston Police's Racial Diversity on Par with City's

At a time when the issue of the racial diversity of police forces is very much in the public mind after the protests in Ferguson, MO, Evanston has reason to be proud: the city’s police force is nearly as diverse as the city itself, according to an interesting analysis by the New York Times.

Evanston’s police force is 1 percent more white than the city’s population, according to the data. Of the 157 officers in the department, 30 percent are black compared to 18 percent of the city’s residents. When you add in Hispanic and Asian officers and those in the category of “other,” the department is just a fraction more white than the city.

The analysis is based on 2007 data, the most recent comprehensive data set available.

Only three communities’ police departments of the 50 looked at in Illinois had a ratio that was more diverse as compared to the general population: Kenilworth, East Dundee and Palos Park. Those three communities have significantly smaller percentages of their populations that are minorities.

By contrast, Waukegan’s force is 53 percent more white than its population, Skokie’s is 25 percent more white, Chicago is 23 percent more white, Niles is 22 percent more white and Oak Park is 6 percent more white, the data shows.

You can see the full New York Times analysis here.