Officer Deon Joseph stands beside his patrol car at the Central Division station.
Officer Deon Joseph stands beside his patrol car at the Central Division station.
On March 13, the Los Angeles Police Department celebrated its 150th anniversary. Since its inception, the force has been plagued by a number of scandals: systemic racism, police brutality and misconduct, excessive use of force and corruption. The relationship between the police and the city’s communities of color was once so strained that civil rights leader John Mack once described the LAPD as an “occupying force.”
A lot has changed in the last two decades. The force has transitioned from mostly white to one that roughly reflects the demographics of the city. There is more focus on working with residents rather than imposing on them, and in an effort to remove human biases, the department is also pioneering data-driven policing. The road to reform, however, has not been smooth.
How does data-driven policing work?
How much has the relationship between communities of color and the LAPD changed over the years?
This is that story.
