Next Generation NYPD

For years, the NYPD struggled to recruit, retain and promote diverse NYPD officers. Currently 52% of the force are people of color. Diversity in the upper ranks are sorely lacking. Seventy-five percent of officials with a rank above captain are white, a modest decrease from the 78.5% in January 2019, while the city itself is 32.5% “non-Hispanic white,” according to Census numbers.

The last round of applications made an attempt at growing the number of Black, Latino and Asian officers through dedicated recruitment with a focus on prospective Black officers and making the entrance exam free. These efforts were successful resulting in the highest number of minority applicants in 5 years. Of the most recent round of applicants, 29.2% were Black, up from 17.8% average over the last 5 years.  

There are a number of reasons why the force lacks racial and gender diversity - from lack of trust between community and police to a lack of encouragement from trusted community leaders to join the ranks. 

 A Yang Administration knows that the next generation of leadership in the NYPD must reflect our diverse city. Andrew Yang will do the following to usher in the next generation of diverse NYPD leadership: 

• Make the NYPD entrance exam permanently free: A Yang administration will no longer charge a $40 entrance fee for the NYPD exam. If you want to take the test, your ability to pay will not be a deterrent. 
• Aggressively recruit prospective Black, Latino, Asian American, Jewish, Muslim and women to join the ranks: New York City needs its force to look like its city. Under a Yang administration, the NYPD will recruit diverse officers with language skills, cultural competency, community relationships and a commitment to transforming their neighborhoods and preventing crime. 
• Make Executive Order 67 permanent, and set a goal of 50% of the officers in the upper ranks of the NYPD to be people of color: On March 31, Mayor De Blasio issued Executive Order 67, requiring the NYPD to interview at least one underrepresented candidate for every senior officer position. A Yang Administration will make this Executive Order permanent and move towards the goal of 50% of officers in the upper ranks of the force to be people of color.