SPECIFICS
SPECIFICS ON 13 NEWSNOW LCOL. HAMPTON ROADS IS THESE. BUT WHEN IT COMES TO POLICE
DEPARTMENTS THAT'S NOT ALWAYS
THE CASE. DAN KENNEDY
INVESTIGATES AND EXPLAINS WHY
DIVERSIFYING DEPARTMENTS IN
2020 IS NO EASY TASK. ASK MOST
POLICE OFFICERS AND THEY'LL
TELL YOU LAW ENFORCEMENT IS NOT
A CAREER. IT'S A CALLING FOR
MIKAYLA BEASLEY. THAT CALLING
CAME WHEN SHE WAS A YOUNG TEEN
.I HAD ALWAYS KNOWN THAT I
WANT TO BE AN OFFICER. I JUST
DON'T KNOW HOW TO GO ABOUT. CAN
YOU SEE WHEN BEASLEY WAS 15.
HER DAD TOOK HER TO THE
CHESAPEAKE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
TO MEET WITH AN OFFICER ANY
OFFICER DETECTIVE VOTECAST TIME
COMES DOWN AND STARTS TALKING
TO ME AND LIKE THIS IS WHAT I
WANT TO DO. WE STARTED MEETING
UP AND GOING TO LUNCH AND
TALKING IN THE LAST 4 YEARS
WE'VE JUST GOTTEN CLOSE AND
JUST KIND OF GUIDED HER ON HER
PATH TO WHERE SHE IS NOW.
SERGEANT DORIENNE BOYKIN SAW
SOME OF HERSELF BEASLEY OR
HARDSHP WHO JUST THIS FALL TOOK
THE OATH TO PROTECT AND SERVE.
SHE GRADUATED FROM 1
OF CHESAPEAKE'S MOST DIVERSE
POLICE ACADEMIES EVER HANDS ON
SHOOTERS DOWN AT THE BUS GIARO
AT A TIME WHEN RECRUITING
MINORITIES TO THE FORCE IS A
NATIONWIDE CHALLENGE IN THE
REFORM POLICE ATMOSPHERE.
PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOUR
DEPARTMENT LOOKS LIKE. WE NEED
TO BE TRANSPARENT. LARRY BOONE
IS CHIEF OF POLICE IN NORFOLK.
WE HAVE A HOST OF ALL RACES
HERE AND IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE
REPRESENT THE CITY PERHAPS
EASIER SAID THAN DONE.
AFRICAN-AMERICAN MAKE UP 40
PERCENT OF NORFOLK BUT JUST 19
PERCENT OF THE POLICE FORCE.
WE'RE NOT QUITE WHERE WE NEED
TO BE. WE'RE STILL GOT WORK TO
DO BY WAY OF DIVERSITY, NOT
JUST US. VIRGINIA BEACH
PORTSMOUTH NEWPORT NEWS HAMPTON
RICHMOND EVERYBODY ELSE DO TOO.
AND WE CAN GO OUT OF STATE AND
LOOK AT SOME OTHER PLACES. THIS
IS NOT JUST A NORFOLK ISSUE.
THIS IS A COUNTRY ISSUE AND
THAT'S TRUE NATIONALLY 1 OUT
OF EVERY 10 COPS IS BLACK. IT'S
ABOUT THE SAME IN VIRGINIA
BEACH. 1 IN 10 IN CHESAPEAKE IN
NEWPORT NEWS ABOUT 1 IN 7 ARE
BLACK. IN NORFOLK AND SUFFOLK 1
OUT OF 5 IN PORTSMOUTH AND
HAMPTON FOR EVERY 4 OFFICERS 1
IS BLACK. BUT COMPARE THAT TO
LOCAL CENSUS DATA AND YOU'LL
FIND THAT NONE OF THESE
DEPARTMENTS COME CLOSE TO
MEASURING THE DEMOGRAPHICS
OF THE COMMUNITIES THEY SERVE.
ABOUT 40 PERCENT OF THE HAMPTON
ROADS POPULATION IS BLACK
COMPARED TO JUST 18 PERCENT
OF THE OFFICERS IN THIS REGION
.AND MINNEAPOLIS SAID
EVERYTHING CHIEF BOONE STOOD BY
DEMONSTRATORS THIS SUMMER AS
THEY DEMANDED JUSTICE FOR
GEORGE FLOYD RHIEL VOIDS MURDER
AND FALLOUT FROM IS MAKING
RECRUITING AND RETAINING
OFFICERS EVEN TOUGHER. I WILL
SAY IN THE LAST 4 TO 5 MONTHS
FOLKS HAVE SAT RIGHT THERE AND
SAID CHIEF, I CAN'T DO THIS
ANYMORE. I HAVE NEVER SEE
ANYTHING LIKE THIS. YOU'VE GOT
POLICE CHIEFS RESIGNING NOT
JUST OFFICERS, POLICE CHIEFS
BUT FOR EVERY OFFICER LEAVING.
OTHERS ARE SIGNING UP FOR
SERVICE. I DEFINITELY PUT A LOT
OF THE LAW INTO PERSPECTIVE
BEING AFRICAN-AMERICAN AND
BEING A FEMALE. BUT THAT DIDN'T
CHANGE WHAT I WANTED TO DO AND
WHAT WHAT I'M HERE FOR AND WHAT
I'VE WANTED TO BE A POLICE
OFFICER FOR MIKAYLA BEASLEY
BEAZLEY'S COP NEVER WAVERED. ON
A GRADUATION NIGHT IT IS MOM
WHO PINNED HER BADGE KNOWING
FOR HER DAUGHTER THIS IS NOT A
CAREER BUT A CALLING. DAN
KENNEDY, 13 NEWSNOW. WE HAVE
MORE ON THIS INVESTIGATION ON
OUR WEB SITE. WE LOOK INTO THE
DIVERSITY OF THE POLICE COMMAND
STAFFS READ ABOUT THE CITY WITH
AN ALL WHITE LEADERSHIP