BOSTON (AP) - Boston’s new top cop says creating a more diverse police force will require help from the community to dispel entrenched stereotypes and negative perceptions about law enforcement.
William Gross told The Associated Press on Tuesday that potential candidates are sometimes discouraged from becoming officers by the same people who complain the police force isn’t diverse enough.
Gross said officers need to help change those views by going out into the community and talking to residents.
Gross’ remarks came a day after he was sworn in as the city’s first black police commissioner. Gross has served as the department’s second-in-command since 2014.
Gross is under pressure to diversify his ranks, which are two-thirds white even though whites makeup a minority of the city’s population.
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