Blacks in Law Enforcement Speak Out On Yonkers PD

As the Westchester Chapter of the National Black Police Association (NBPA), we applaud the federal investigation of the Yonkers Police Department. It is no secret to the law enforcement community of Westchester County, that the attitudes and actions of some Yonkers Police Department professionals are appalling. Look at how they have treated the citizens that they protect and serve, especially the communities of color.
We all can say that these are ALLEGED complaints. The mayor and the police commissioner appear to be in complete denial about these ALLEGED complaints. This is always the case when the victims are poor white, Black, and Hispanic citizens that lack the funds, knowledge and resources to fight City Hall.
We have attended the forums given by the NAACP at the Yonkers Public Library. With each one attended, there were wall-to-wall people of all ethnic backgrounds but mostly people of Black and Latino descent. This is not surprising when the Yonkers PD has 650 members and only 35 (or 5.3%) are Black and 40 (or 6.1%) are Hispanic (keeping in mind that the black population in Yonkers is 19%). At least half of the 35 Black police officers will retire soon. The last academy of police officers was completely white and the majority was children of white officers who are currently employed by the YPD. Where is community policing? Where are the young adults of color that want a job making good money and benefits? On the other hand, why would a young adult of color be a part of a system that they see on a day-to-day basis, abusing their authority and power over the powerless? ALLEGEDLY