The number of Hispanic police officers on Long Island has increased 30% in five years, a jump admired by officials as one of the more promising developments in their four-decade effort to diversify law enforcement. The Nassau and Suffolk police departments say they have been trying to hire more minorities since the 1980s, when the U.S. Justice Department accused them of discriminatory hiring practices in civil rights lawsuits. A Newsday review of the latest racial and ethnic breakdown of Long Island's nearly 7,000 sworn officers shows that both counties still have a way to go before police forces reflect the makeup of Long Island's 3 million residents. Link in bio for more information on the analysis. (Photo: James Carbone) - - #longisland #diversity #policeofficers