An Analysis of Discrimination between African-American and Women Police Officers: Are There Differences? Similarities?

Discrimination in the workplace has been particularly troubling for minorities and women. This is especially the case in traditional male dominated professions such as policing and the fire service. This article examines discrimination between African Americans and women who are police officers. In the article we set out to accomplish four primary objectives, to: (1) provide a brief overview of the theoretical explanations of discrimination; (2) examine the early roles of women and African-American police officers; (3) discuss the findings of discrimination against women and African-American police officers with a review of the subsequent commission reports aimed at eliminating discrimination; and (4) to conclude with a discussion centering on the expanded roles of African Americans and women in policing, and specific recommendations to minimize discrimination in police organizations.