How to make local governments reflect the populations that they actually serve, rather than reflect traditional political structures, is a perennial problem. It’s a particular issue in Northeast Pennsylvania, where growing minority populations encounter overwhelmingly white public servants in city halls, public school classrooms and boardrooms, and especially among local police.

Fair, broad-based representation in government employment isn’t a matter of “political correctness.” It’s a matter of building and maintaining trust in the government — of, for and by the people — across the population.

In Wilkes-Barre, Hispanics comprise 19% of the population and Blacks account for 13.8%, but as of Aug. 30, the 78-member city police force had just two Hispanic officers, 2.5% of the total, and no Black officers, although one member of the civilian staff is Black.

Other similarly sized Pennsylvania cities have higher percentages of minority officers, including Reading and Bethlehem.

There is no single reason for the dearth of minority representation in local police ranks. Anyone can apply. But that alone doesn’t mean that minority residents, who are not as dialed-in to municipal operations as more entrenched groups, are equally as aware of the opportunities available and the processes to realize them.

For smaller departments, the traditional explanation is that their communities have relatively few minority residents. That is yet another reason that the state government should force the consolidation of small, often part-time departments into full-time regional forces. Doing so not only would improve the coverage, training, and consistent professionalism of police while spreading costs among multiple tax bases, but make police jobs available to a far broader pool of candidates.

Larger cities can accelerate diversification by filling vacancies on civil service commissions and other boards and authorities with minority candidates.

Pennsylvania undoubtedly will continue to change. Local leaders should commit to ensure that local governments change it with it to instill trust and be as responsive as possible to the community as it exists.

— The Citizens’ Voice, Wilkes-Barre (TNS)