So, put more black cops in place and more black civilians will be subjected to police violence and death! The idea sounds counter-intuitive but a new study suggests that this could be the outcome while black officers remain less than 40% of the total force!

Many believe the police force needs more black officers who understand the culture, are part of the community and can help mediate between the public and the force. Of course, the other side of the argument is that black people should completely disengage from the police and even start their own force! This study will be music to the ears of that camp!

Why would more black officers lead to more violence against blacks?

Well, basically the logic says that until black officers reach critical mass (judged at 40%) they will be in the minority which will lead to more officers trying to tow-the-line and fit in with overall police culture… So they’ll overwork at proving themselves and act up.

The Washington Post reported:

a new study finds that adding black police officers is not an effective strategy for reducing police shootings of black citizens in the vast majority of cities. In fact, hiring more black officers could lead to even more violent interactions with black citizens — at least until they make up more than 40 percent of the police force, according to researchers at Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs.

“Police organizations that have higher percentages of black officers are likely to have more police-involved homicides of black citizens, until they reach a critical mass,” said Sean Nicholson-Crotty, an author of the study who teaches public affairs at Indiana University.

The paper — “Will More Black Cops Matter?” — is slated to publish in Public Administration Review next month.

Explaining this counter-intuitive outcome may come down to a simple concept: the desire to be accepted as a member of a team. Black officers may feel they cannot advocate for the interest of black citizens in fear they might be “perceived as violating prevailing norms,” the authors wrote.

“African Americans in any organizations — if you were only one of a small handful of people working in a place who look like you — would be more likely to really toe the organizational line, but it’s even more so the case in police organizations,” Nicholson-Crotty said in an interview. “Police tend to have heavily socialized insular cultures. It’s sort of an us versus them mentality. They have a dangerous job and as a result, they really stick together and look out for and defend one another.”

He noted that the strongest predictor of how many black people police kill is how many white people are killed.

“Some police organizations simply use lethal force more than others,” Nicholson-Crotty said. “If the organizational culture is aggressive, you’d get stronger adherence” among minority officers.

That desire to belong plays out in the field with troubling consequences: Previous research has shown that black officers are more likely than their white colleagues to racially profile black drivers and disproportionately arrest black citizens. Some researchers have suggested that black officers may be tougher on black citizens because they are working to make black communities safer.

This is certainly a difficult and complicated issue and other studies have come out with counter-opinions. You can read more details on the Washington Post here and please let us know your thoughts…