What's worse is that the numbers of black officers in many Pennsylvania towns are actually declining.
Allentown's department went from 85 percent white in 1990 to 94 percent in 2006. "We're doing as much as we can. We went to colleges, we went all over," Chief Roger MacLean said.
It is the same story in Erie, Harrisburg, York - even with the Pennsylvania State Police. All have fewer minorities now than they had a decade ago, an analysis shows.
Pennsylvania's state police ranks, with only 5 percent black officers, are now far less diverse than in states such as Alabama and Mississippi.
In this failure to hire minorities, Pennsylvania's cities are lagging far behind the rest of the nation. Across America, nearly 24 percent of police were minorities by 2003, up from 15 percent in 1987, according to federal studies.
This woeful record startles state officials.
"Wow!" said Walter M. Phillips Jr., Pennsylvania Crime Commission chairman, after hearing a roll call of departments with few or no minority officers.
Phillips said the commission, which hands out millions of dollars in grants annually, should begin to consider racial diversity when it makes the awards.
"Historically, it's been very difficult for white officers to go into the minority community and command the respect," he said.
State Rep. Harold James (D., Phila.), a former city police officer who once headed the city's association of African American officers, said federal authorities should investigate whether there were "intentional discriminatory policies" in towns that are not hiring black officers.
"It seems to be by design," said James, a board member with the state agency overseeing police training. "We need to call on the Justice Department."
