Lawrence Police Chief Tarik Khatib believes it’s important for his department to look like the community it serves.

Considering Lawrence’s African-American and American Indian populations, the department is on par with its diversification efforts. However, in the past years the number of Asian and Hispanic officers within the department has fallen sharply.

Khatib said he’s pleased the department has been able to increase its number of African-American officers, but there is work to be done within other demographics and the challenge can be an uphill battle.

Lawrence Police Chief Tarik Khatib

“Diversity helps attract diversity,” Khatib said in a written response. “So, we’re hoping that diversity will continue to increase as the community sees themselves reflected in the department.”

According to 2014 data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau, Lawrence’s population is 90,194.

The population is then broken down into the following racial demographics:

• American Indian and Alaska Native — 2.4 percent, or about 2,200 people.
• Asian — 5 percent, or about 4,500 people.
• Black or African-American — 4.6 percent, or about 4,100 people.
• Hispanic or Latino — 6.5 percent, or about 5,800 people.
• White or Caucasian — 82.2 percent, or about 74,000 people.

According to 2015 data submitted by LPD to the annual Benchmark Cities Survey conducted by the City of Overland Park, minority demographics for the department’s 155 officers breaks down as follows:

• Asian — 1.3 percent, or two officers.
• Black or African-American — 5.2 percent, or eight officers.
• Hispanic — 1.9 percent or three officers.
• Other, which Khatib said includes American Indians — 2.6 percent, or four officers.

As far as the female demographic is concerned, Khatib said in 2015 women accounted for 11 percent of the department’s workforce, just short of the 11.7 percent average outlined in the Benchmark Survey.

Currently, four women hold the rank of sergeant or a civilian equivalent of the rank within LPD, the survey says.

Diversity within the department’s leadership is also important, Khatib said. In the past five years, two women and two minorities have been promoted to supervisory positions, he said.

In addition, the department employs two American Indian sergeants, a man and a woman, alongside two American Indian officers, Khatib said. All four were Haskell Indian Nations University students who joined the department, and several are still involved with the university, serving as role models and recruiters, he said.

The LPD’s percentage of black officers has increased 1.8 percent since 2011, the survey says. Currently the percentage within LPD is greater than that of Lawrence’s population.

Similarly, the department’s percentage of American Indian officers also sits above the city’s percentage for the same population. Over the past five years, the department’s “Other” category within the survey has remained constant.

However, the department’s Hispanic and Asian populations have decreased by 1.6 percent and .8 percent, respectively.

At no point in the past five years has LPD’s number of Hispanic or Asian officers come within 2 percentage points of the city’s population for the same demographics.

“While I am pleased we have been able to increase our percentage of African-American officers, I think there is more work to do,” Khatib said.

There aren’t any specific target numbers when it comes to the department’s demographics, Khatib said. Simply put, the goal is to attract diversity, though adding several more Hispanic or Asian officers is something Khatib said he would like to see.

“I think those populations are on the rise in our community,” he said. “So we need to pay attention to this as well.”

With respect to increasing LPD’s number of Hispanic officers, Khatib said the department could use men and women who speak Spanish. And in an effort to hire Spanish-speaking officers, LPD has offered hiring bonuses for those who are bilingual, he said.

“We’ve had some success, but not what we had hoped for,” he said.

Attracting a diverse array of applicants to a police department can be challenging, Khatib said.

“I think some of it has to do with the fact that in minority populations, there is a higher distrust of law enforcement than in the majority population,” he said. “That’s the reality backdrop.”

As such, finding minority recruits must be a “targeted effort, a general recruitment effort and a word-of-mouth effort,” he added.

In a past training exercise, Khatib said he learned that once the ball is rolling it’s easier to keep the momentum going.

Within a police department, it can take between five and 10 years worth of experience for an officer to be promoted to sergeant, Khatib said. But once minorities and women begin rising to supervisory positions, the impact can be seen with new recruits.

“The minorities and women who may be interested in applying like to see minorities and women at the department they are applying to and that there is career development and upwards mobility in the department,” he said. “That sends a positive message and may increase interest.”