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Recruiting black officers is a tough job for many cities

It's believed that recent protests will make it even harder to recruit.

Police departments in America have an historic race gap. 

Department of Justice data shows 90% of local police chiefs across the country were white in 2016.

Only 4% were black. 

Since the death of George Floyd, there have been renewed calls for police forces to hire more minority officers, especially in predominantly black communities. 

"The department needs to hire someone that looks like me, that looks like him, that knows the community."

But law enforcement experts say it's not that simple. 

Black candidates face a number of challenges when applying for the force, including discrimination during background checks, disadvantages with unfair application exams, and nepotism in the hiring process. 

Experts also say more funds are needed to recruit the most qualified candidates. 

"If we really want to change the community, how much money are we putting in recruitment? Because if it's $26,000, that's not enough."

The diversity problem is also due to a deep distrust in the system. 

After decades of police violence against black Americans, the blue uniform takes on a different meaning for black officers, making them less likely to want to join the force. 

"These were the same people who had fire hoses and had canine dogs, and they use these dogs and these hoses against us. So that's an uphill battle that every municipality is going to deal with as far as recruiting minorities."

Following weeks of nationwide protests, President Trump signed an executive order on police reform.

But Democrats and other critics say it falls short of what is needed to end racial injustice in America. 

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