TOLEDO, Ohio — The African American Police League is demanding more diversity regarding the promotion of Toledo Police officers.
At a press conference Friday in downtown Toledo, AAPL accused TPD of longstanding discrimination in how it promotes minority officers.
The group, which represents African American police officers in Toledo, said the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, has found probable cause that African Americans and other minorities have been held back from rising into the upper ranks of the department for at least the last ten to fifteen years.
Only two of the department's 37 captains and lieutenants are people of color. One is Black/African American and one is Hispanic/Latino, according to data provided by TPD.
Eighteen of the department's 93 sergeants and 111 of the department's 475 patrol officers are people of color.
R. Kevin Greenfield, an attorney for AAPL, opened his speech with a quote from Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said of TPD Chief Mike Troendle's recent appointment to the position: "I don't know if this will be a popular decision, but I do know it's the right decision."
Greenfield repeated the statement and followed it with his own interpretation: "And you ask yourself, why (Kapszukiewicz) would make a comment like that? I think, for us to take a look at the history of the racial discrimination at the Toledo Police Department, the last fifty years will tell you why he made that comment."
Troendle, who is white, is another addition to a department with a mostly white command staff in a city with a much more diverse population.
Willie Perryman, the president of the Toledo chapter of the NAACP, estimated a 17-19% Black population in Toledo. According to estimated data from the U.S. Census, Toledo's Black population was 28.1% in 2021.
"But in the upper management level of the Toledo Police Department, it's far, far, far below, and we so we want to hold them accountable and give them a chance to turn it around," Perryman said.
This isn't the first time the department has been accused of a lack of diversity. In 1979, a consent decree was filed in a circuit court to increase and monitor minority representation in the force. But, it expired in 2011.
"Since that time, we've gone backwards," Greenfield said. "Hiring, promotion and assignments have started to decline quite a bit."
Since the decree's expiration, the AAPL brought forth similar complaints in 2019 and 2021.
Former TPD chief George Kral also came under fire in 2019 for a lack of diversity in the department when a video showing Toledo police officers forcefully arresting and restraining two African American siblings sparked questions from the community.
At that time, Kral admitted the department wasn't where it should be with diversity.
Greenfield said Friday that Black TPD officers have come to AAPL many times with "frustration, and wanting their voices to be heard, just wanting a fair shot."
In an email on Wednesday, the AAPL accused Troendle of discriminatory conduct regarding hiring, promotions and assignments of Black police officers. But, Perryman said he is willing to give Troendle a fair shot to enforce diversity in his department.
"(Troendle) has assured me he's going to listen to all of our concerns, he has assured me he wants to lift the morale of the department and he's even assured me that he's going to take a real good look at making sure that minorities are represented at all levels in our department," Perryman said.
TPD Public Information Officer Lt. Paul Davis responded to the press conference with the following statement:
"The Toledo Police Department is committed to hiring and developing a highly qualified and diverse group of officers to serve the residents of Toledo. The department will continue to partner with community members and organizations to meet the diverse needs of the City of Toledo."