Records from the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, though, show that since 2023, more Latino CPD officers have been accused of wrongdoing than any other racial group.

Craig Futterman, a clinical professor of law at the University of Chicago and founder of the Civil Rights & Police Accountability Project, said police departments “that reflect the community they serve” are better suited to foster “legitimacy, relations, trust, (and a) willingness to engage” with members of the public.

Futterman cautioned that, as have white officers, Latino and Black CPD officers have been found to commit serious, even criminal, misconduct — Ronald Watts and Reynaldo Guevara, among others. But Futterman also pointed to a 2021 study that found greater racial diversity among police officers “can lead to a reduction in overall police violence in the city.”

The findings also supported “the theory that having more officers with sensitivity and empathy toward community members who’ve been impacted by racism and discriminatory policing in Chicago, can lead to meaningful reductions in racially disparate treatment and force by police.”

“Big picture and bottom line, this is a good thing,” Futterman said.

Read more at Chicago Tribune