In 2020, the Bureau of Justice Statistics at the Department of Justice reported that just 6 % of chiefs of local police departments were Black, though chiefs were much more likely to be Black in departments serving 250,000 or more residents.
“It is lonely,” said, the first woman, first person of color and first known member of the LGBTQ community to lead the Anne Arundel County Police Department in the Annapolis, Maryland, area. “There’s a lot of pressure there, and I’m just me. I’m not Superwoman.”In addition to microaggressions and overt racism, new chiefs of color can face intense pressure from communities of color to make significant changes quickly, Gau said.
Cox said he questioned whether he wanted to continue being a Boston police officer during the height of the racial justice protests. “There was so much rhetoric around poor policing and how bad the police are and how much damage they’ve done in the world that I was even questioning, ‘Why am I in this profession?’”Boston Mayor Michelle Wu bumps fists with Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox, who was sworn in in August 2022.
“I met with members of the community and had them literally scream at me about the history of police,” he said. “It is tough being a chief in this time, and it is doubly tough doing it as a Black man,” he said. “They don’t understand the amount of implicit bias that goes on in this position where people are questioning your expertise.”Gau said Black police chiefs looking to make even symbolic changes often face opposition within their departments.in November 2021 after nearly a year as acting chief, said he faced backlash when he restricted the use of “Thin Blue Line” imagery.
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