Before answering the question of why diversity is important, you need to understand what it is. According to Belfield, “multiculturalism is a system of beliefs and behaviors that recognizes and respects the presence of all diverse groups in an organization or society, recognizes and values ​​their socio-cultural differences, and encourages and enables their continued contribution to the within an inclusive cultural context". that empowers everyone within the organization or society.” Simply put it is the exchange of knowledge and understanding of other cultures for the betterment of humanity. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Growing tensions between law enforcement and the public have reached a boiling point and are starting to boil over. Some say tensions are as high as they were during the civil rights era in the early 1960s, others say they are worse. These conditions have pushed lawmakers and law enforcement leaders to seek answers on how to repair their relationships with the public and become an entity in which people can place their trust. To aid in the research, President Obama created the Task Force on 21st Century Policing in 2015. This task force brought together a diverse group that includes law enforcement leaders, community advocates, legislators, and community members, to explore ways to improve police-community relations, reduce crime, and promote public safety in the 21st century. In one of their key findings in building better community policing relationships, they focused on the need to ensure that law enforcement better reflects the diversity of the communities they serve. Through their research they found that a more diverse police force can bring about many changes and reforms not only for law enforcement but also for the community as a whole. This is supported by years of studies and research that confirm that when members of the public believe their law enforcement represents them, listens to them, respects them, and when communities perceive their agencies as fair, legitimate and responsible, this increases their confidence in them greatly. law enforcement and instills confidence in their government. This trust is critical to defusing tension in the community, allowing law enforcement to better solve crimes, and creating a system where residents view law enforcement as fair and just. Members of the public, including victims and witnesses of crime, cannot approach or interact with law enforcement if they do not perceive them to be responsive to their concerns. An example of this is urban communities where the police are unable to find witnesses who cooperated in a crime because the witnesses believe the police are unable to protect them or do their jobs properly. This improved relationship also allows officers to operate more efficiently and safely in the field and free neighborhoods from the stigma they have against police. This study also showed that the more diversity in the agency, the more open they will be to reform. According to the report completed by the Department of Justice/EEOC, “Research also suggests that greater diversity can make law enforcement agencies more open to reform, more willing to initiate cultural and systemic changes, and more responsive to the residents they serve. Some have pointed to increased diversity as a catalyst for reform, allowing law enforcement officers and leaders to become more introspective andthoughtful about the problems in their departments. A more thoughtful and open-minded culture in an agency can help drive reform in a number of areas, including civilian oversight, community policing, and racial bias. Furthermore, while greater workforce diversity alone cannot ensure fair and effective policing, a significant – and growing – body of evidence suggests that diversity can have a positive influence on specific law enforcement activities and practices. order". Diversity should not only apply to minorities but also to women. Women make up 51% of the U.S. population, but represent only 12% of police officers nationwide. The advantages of female officers have already proven themselves time and again. Research has shown that female police officers have a policing style that uses less physical force, which leads to less excessive force reports and less accountability. It has also shown that they are better at de-escalating potentially violent confrontations with the public and communicate better than their male officer colleagues. Because of these great benefits, law enforcement as a whole needs to make a substantial push to hire more minorities and women into the workforce. However, this goal will not be easily achieved as there are many barriers that prevent this from happening. Barriers to Diversity Diversity is a problem that has plagued law enforcement for years, and this isn't the first push to diversify the ranks. Over the past 20 years, departments across the nation have worked to diversify their workforces, but have had little success. Even departments that were federally mandated to diversify have struggled to meet their goals. The Chicago Police Department (CPD) has been on a hiring frenzy for the past 3 years looking to increase the size of the force to help deal with the department's rising crime rate and increasing retirement rate. The testing process itself can be a barrier to hiring minorities and women. According to the Chicago Tribune, the department has had some success in getting a higher percentage of minorities to apply to the department and take the entrance exam; 38 percent of applicants were black the last time the CPD took an exam before May 2018, but the number of Black officers declined slightly. CPD officials say that while the number of Black applicants has increased, they are not seeing the same number actually showing up for the exam. Test statistics from December 2017 showed that 44% of black test takers did not appear for the test. City leaders believe other parts of the hiring process unfairly exclude Black applicants and that's why they are discouraged from taking the exam. They believe a change in education requirements and debt/credit policy would allow more minorities to pursue the positions. The biggest barrier that needs to be overcome is poor relations between the community and law enforcement. This leads to a “catch 22,” diversity may be the answer to better community police relations, but bad relations may also be the reason why law enforcement has not been able to become more diverse. In communities with poor relationships, these tensions can lead to a level of mistrust that discourages people from considering a career in law enforcement. Research shows that the current climate of mistrust between law enforcement and at least some communities poses a significant barrier to recruiting a diverse police force. Bad relationships can too.