The Columbus Division of Police is currently made up of about 1,950 officers. It's one of the largest police departments in the state with about 23 officers per 100,000 residents.
According to statistics from 2019 provided by the city's equal employment office when the total was 1,862, only 9.8% were black.
Every police department in the country is trying to actively recruit more minorities to the department and the Columbus Division of Police says it has a goal by 2028 to hire 400 to 500 people of diversity.
"We want to have people from all walks of life and that is the ultimate goal," said Sergeant Christopher Smith-Hughes who recruits new officers.
Deputy Chief Jennifer Knight oversees recruiting for the division.
"Our goal in recruiting is to get a diverse and reflective and qualified police force that means more than the color of someone's skin," she said.
Deputy Chief Knight says if the police department wants to reflect the community it protects it needs people of color to join.
"For those individuals out there who believe the police department needs to change I'm going to tell them that the same thing I tell people at Broad and High Street, change comes from within and we would like them to join us," she said.
It takes seven months to become a police officer and the qualifications make some people unqualified.
"In a really good job market it's really hard for everyone because we are all looking for the same thing," Deputy Chief Knight said.
A controversial report that examined the police department showed minority hiring isn't the only issue.
In a 2019 study, called the Matrix Report, it found: "About half of the Police Division’s 438 incidents involving use of force in 2017 were directed against black residents, who make up 28% of the city’s population. An internal survey of more than 1,000 departmental employees — about 44% of the police division — found that about 8% had witnessed an officer demonstrate bias against a member of the public. But among just black employees, about 30% said they had witnessed discrimination against the public. And almost 70% had seen it within the division."
"I don't necessarily agree with the numbers in the Matrix. I would say there is racism and bias in every part of our society and police department is part of that society and we are trying our best to root out that type of behavior but the men and women I work every single day are good people," said Deputy Chief Knight.
To help more young people become officers, the division started a CADET program which is like a paid internship for those 18 years or older to learn what it's like to be an officer.
There's also the TAP academy which bridges the gap between at risk youth and police.
The Division also trained more officers to be recruiters and they've started a podcast called "Uncuffed: Real Talk with CPD" where officers from diverse backgrounds talk about what it's like to patrol the streets.
