Clovis police better at recruiting cops of color — but force still very white, report says
The Clovis Police Department has improved its efforts to recruit officers of color but still lacks diversity, according to a Fresno County Grand Jury report released Monday.
The department has hired one African-American officer in the past five years, bringing the number of officers in that demographic to two, or about 2% of the force, the report says of numbers from 2020.
Clovis police are 74% white, 21% Hispanic and 3% Asian, the report notes.
In comparison, the Fresno Police Department is about 45% white, 41% Hispanic, 6% African-American and 5.5% Asian, according to the report.
Clovis Police Chief Curt Fleming said the department began a number of recruiting practices that have diversified hiring in the past two years in which they’ve brought on 23 new officers.
Those new hires were 23% female, 36% Hispanic, 9% Indian and 5% Asian, he said.
“These are things we identified as a department we’re lacking and wanted to do better,” he said. “We developed it to hold ourselves accountable.”
The report notes multiple people interviewed said the department has a reputation of not being welcoming to people of color. The report does not identify who was interviewed beyond saying it included leaders and employees.
Fleming said he wasn’t sure if the department has a reputation for not welcoming Black officers, but said he’s always working on making the department a welcoming place to work.
The Clovis police force’s demographics are close to that of the city, but the department still lacks diversity, the report says. The grand jury recommended the Clovis police force look closer to the demographics of the greater Fresno area, which is less white.
The makeup of students coming out of the local academy suggests there is an opportunity to improve the diversity.
The Fresno City College police academy graduating class of 2020 of 138 officers included more than 7% who were African-American, 45% Hispanic and 11% Asian. The report notes that the academy’s class matches the demographics of Fresno.
The grand jury said in its report that it found “no evidence or reports of explicit discrimination or disrespectful treatment of police officers of color” but that the perception of an unwelcoming Clovis department remains.
City Manger John Holt noted the report found no misconduct and that the department closely reflects the makeup of the city.
“While we have been very successful in diversifying our department, we recognize that we have work to do,” he said in a statement. “Over the next 60 days, we will review and respond to the report.”
Recruiting
The department established the Citizens Diversity Committee in 2019 to try to improve its diversity, the report notes.
The committee has implemented a number of its goals to improve diversity, the report says, including identifying Clovis officers who will help recruit and developing news ways to advertise employment to candidates who come from diverse racial groups or are women.
But other goals, including increasing the number of diverse applicants, remains incomplete, the report said.
Fleming said the grand jury report focused on African-American officers, but noted the department has a force that is 2% African-American in a city where the population is 2.9%.
He said the greatest disparity is in Asian officers, who make up 3% of the department. The city’s Asian population is almost 11%.
Police use of force and other conduct has come under greater scrutiny in recent years as most people have a cellphone with a camera on them at all times.
Fleming said scrutiny like that seen after at least one Minneapolis police officer murdered George Floyd has made it difficult to recruit police.
“It’s not just African-Americans, it’s anybody of any race, any gender, it’s been difficult,” he said. “Fewer people are going to the academy.”
The department has increased its efforts on school and college campuses, he said, and recruits through its website, joinclovispd.com.
Clovis wants more officers
The report comes amid an effort to increase the police force. Clovis City Council appointed a citizens oversight committee in January and charged them to study the police department administration’s claim that the city lacks officers.
The city does not have the funding to increase the department to 138 officers, which is the recommended size of the department, according to an independent report.
The city council is mulling how to afford more officers, and when and how a vote could go before voters.
This story was originally published June 27, 2022 at 11:19 AM.
