How Diverse Is Wayne PD? New NJ Report Sheds Light

WAYNE, NJ — Police departments around New Jersey are less diverse than the Garden State itself, and the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General wants to change that. As a result, the agency released demographic data on all police departments around the state, including Wayne's.

Statewide, New Jersey's police still lack women among their ranks, as they represent 10.4 percent of the roughly 30,000 police officers in the state. Women make up less than 13 percent of police nationwide.

New Jersey's blue are also more likely to be white than the state's general population. The white population makes up 51.9 percent of New Jersey, while 69.6 percent of the state's officers are white.

The Wayne Police Department shows similar gender disparities. As of Dec. 31 — the date for which police agencies submitted demographic data to the state — 6.6 percent of Wayne's 121 officers were women.

Here's the race/ethnicity data for the Wayne Police Department and the township, according to state data (all races or ethnicities not mentioned came in at 0 percent for both categories):

• white: 82.6 percent of Wayne PD, 72.9 percent of Wayne
• Hispanic: 12.4 percent of Wayne PD, 11.7 percent of Wayne
• Black: 3.3 percent of Wayne PD, 3 percent of Wayne
• Asian: 0.8 percent of Wayne PD, 9.4 percent of Wayne
• Native Hawaiian: 0.8 percent of Wayne PD, 0 percent of Wayne
• Two or more races: 0 percent of Wayne PD, 2.5 percent of Wayne
• other: 0 percent of Wayne PD, 0.4 percent of Wayne

The report also shares the age demographics of Wayne's officers:

• younger than 25: 5 percent
• 26-35: 37.2 percent
• 36-45: 30.6 percent
• 46-55: 23.1 percent
• 56-65: 4.1 percent

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."

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