DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - “I can’t breathe.” They are the words heard around the world after a video of a white Minneapolis police officer kneeling on the neck of a black man went viral.
That man, George Floyd, would ultimately die. The video of his death has re-ignited a long running conversation about black Americans dying during interactions with police and the lack of African-American cops.
"We want to make sure that we are breaking down the barriers, we are destroying the myths and having those meaningful conversations,” Teresa Hadley, president of the Springfield NAACP, said.
Police departments across central Illinois said the stigma that comes from videos like Floyd dying is a driving factor in the struggle to recruit minority officers.
"It is very difficult,” Decatur Police Chief Jim Getz said. “That was my goal when I became chief in 2014."
Departments across the country and in central Illinois are struggling with diversity.
In Decatur, a community with a population of 70,746, the police department employees 145 officers. The population is 20.5% black, but black officers only back up 3.4% of the force.
"I think it is important to match the demographics of our community,” Getz said. "We want to get in line with our demographics and I think that helps the future of law enforcement in the African-American community."
With less than 10 black officers on his force, Getz has an idea why there are so few. He believes it has to do with officers going into mainly black neighborhoods and making arrests.
“We don't control what neighborhoods we go into,” Getz said. “It is based on a call from a citizen. Police are going into the neighborhood and sometimes arresting mom and dad as it comes with the job, but little kids see that and think cops are the bad guys."
Getz also said the issue is one of perception. He said minorities may worry about how being a cop is seen by their peers.
Of the five department WAND News looked in, including Danville, Urbana, Champaign, Decatur and Springfield, the numbers do not reflect the community.
Combined, the communities have a minority population of 21.88% and minority officers make up 7.9%. Springfield police have the largest department with 241 officers. Twenty-two of them identify as black.
"You want your PD to represent your community and to have that connection with them and here in Springfield, we are doing a good job at that,” Lt. Sara Pickford, who handles recruiting for Springfield police, said.
Both Getz and Pickford said nationwide protests calling for police reform has impacted their departments.
"Any bad press that a police department gets takes away from your hiring pool,” Getz said.
The Springfield chapter of the NAACP said videos of police brutality should be a clue to police departments that it is time for change or things will remain the same.
'When you see a lot of bad behavior, do you really want to be a part of that bad behavior?” Teresa Hadley, the chapter’s president, said.
Hadley, Getz and Pickford all agree minority police recruitment is a must.
"My message to the minority community is if they think there are issues with police departments, or police officers, it is time to step up and be part of the solution and by doing that you get an application and become a police officer,” Getz said.
"It is about forming that one-on-one relationship with someone and letting them know what the job entails and how it is different department to department," Hadley said.
Both the Decatur and Springfield police departments are hoping to turn around the trend of few minority policy officers and are currently taking applications. Decatur police are accepting applications through Aug. 31. Getz said DPD currently has 38 African-American applicants. Springfield police are accepting applications through Sept. 9.
