In his Feb. 5 op-ed, “Don’t give up on diversifying the police,” Jonathan Mummolo cited interesting statistics about the effect of police officers of different sexes, races and ethnic backgrounds on the way police situations might be handled. I believe diversity affects a police department in another more subtle and perhaps even more important way: It helps to mold the police culture.
The culture in a police department shapes the understanding about what is valued in the department and what is acceptable and what is not. A diversity of officers blending and forming this culture helps the department to develop a richer and more multilayered approach to crime and criminals.
Florence Starzynski, Arlington
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