Parsippany Police Skew Whiter, More Male Than Town Population

PARSIPPANY, NJ — Police departments around New Jersey are less diverse than the Garden State itself. That includes the Parsippany Police Department, which remains whiter and more male than the township as a whole (see full data below).

The New Jersey Office of the Attorney General released demographic data Thursday on all police departments around the state, including Parsippany PD. The disclosure of diversity data represents a step in the state's efforts to get law enforcement to reflect the diversity of their communities, according to the attorney general's office.

In Parsippany, 38.6 percent of residents are Asian, and 44.4 percent of residents are white. But the state data does not show any Asian officers in the Parsippany Police Department as of Dec. 31 — the date for which police agencies submitted demographic data to the state. According to the report, 81.1 percent of Parsippany's 95 police officers are white.

Meanwhile, only 6.3 percent of Parsippany officers are women. A spokesperson for the township did not return Patch's request for comment.

The underrepresentation of women and Asians in law enforcement isn't exclusive to Parsippany. Nationwide, only 2 percent of police are Asian, while about 13 percent are women.

A state law established in 2020 requires and establishes a framework for each law-enforcement agency to establish minority-recruitment programs. Per the law, the attorney general monitors the results of each agency's minority recruitment and selection program and releases the data annually.

The attorney general's office released the first police-diversity report Thursday. Because of a shortened first reporting period, the available data only reflects current officers (as of Dec. 31). The agency said it will also include applicant and promotional information after the first full calendar year of reporting.

"In a state as diverse as New Jersey, it is imperative that law enforcement reflect the diversity of the communities we serve, especially as we seek to build trust between police and the community members they are sworn to protect," said Acting Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin. "This public release of officer demographic data is an important step towards transparency and achieving that goal."

Here's the Parsippany Police Department's full data:

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