San Bernadino - On Monday, the first Latino in at least two decades was sworn in to the county school board, and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa appointed his city's first black fire chief.
But many in San Bernardino were focused on the ascension of Lt. Ted Henson, a 29-year veteran of the Police Department, to the rank of captain, the second-highest police position. He is the first black to hold the rank in the city.
"Henson's promotion is big," said Hardy Brown, co-publisher of the Black Voice News. "To be the first in history in an institution that has historically not had a good relationship with the black community is a major step forward."
Mayor Pat Morris called the promotion "an important event in the city's history."
But statistics from city public safety departments temper the enthusiasm, suggesting to many that much work remains to be done.
Personnel statistics from both the Police and Fire departments show blacks are under-represented in those institutions when compared to the community they serve.
Only 11 of the city's 151 firefighting personnel, or 7.3 percent, are black. Of a sample of 303 sworn police dated December 2005, 25 were black, a rate of 8.3 percent.
The rate of blacks in both departments is far less than the citywide demographic. About 20 percent of San Bernardino residents are black. Police and fire also lag behind the total city work force in terms of diversity.
The city's 1,251-person full-time employment force, a figure that includes the Police and Fire departments, is 14 percent black and 26 percent Latino, according to city records, numbers much closer to citywide demographics.
Fire officials acknowledge the less-than-ideal ratio of blacks in their ranks, but say the problem lies not in their hiring processes but in low application rates.
Mat Fratus, a division chief with the department who published a research paper in 2004 titled "Factors Affecting Hiring of Black Firefighters," said he found that less than 2 percent of applicants to the department in the last 14 years were black.
Fratus also found that enrollment of black students at Crafton Hills College in Yucaipa, where most applicants receive their educations, was about 3 percent.
At the time the paper was published, the department had not hired a black firefighter in 12 years.
"We have not achieved the level (of diversity) we would like, but we are working to improve," Fratus said.
Fratus added that diversity should not be gauged by a set number or quota, and that to transition toward an institution that is more reflective of the community takes time.
The Fire Department hired its first black firefighter in the mid-1970s, and named its first black battalion chief, Howard Bennett, in 1997.
"This is a much different fire service than it used to be," Fratus said.
Fratus also pointed out that under-representation is not a problem solely borne by San Bernardino public safety entities, nor are blacks the only minority group in need of outreach.
At 7.3 percent black and 23.2 percent Latino, the San Bernardino Fire Department is more diverse than the state averages for city fire departments, which are 4.7 percent and 15.9 percent, respectively.
As for the Police Department, Jim Morris, the mayor's son and chief of staff, said Henson's promotion could have an effect beyond his own history-making ascent.
He stopped short of saying the Police department's composition should change to include more minorities, saying there is no "magic number" for diversity. But he did say it was desirable to have a police force more reflective of the community.
"We now have our top African-American in the department in charge of recruiting. If that doesn't send a strong message, I don't know what does," Morris said.
The dearth of blacks in the department is even more pronounced in the upper levels of the command structure. Of the 58 officers ranked sergeant or higher, only one, Henson, is black. Seven of the 58 are Latino.
Not all city officials are concerned with the levels of diversity in city departments.
"As a policymaker, I want the best people hired and I don't care what the color of their skin their is," said Councilman Neil Derry. "We need to keep hiring qualified officers and firefighters. Period."
On Monday, police brass were mum on the historical significance of Henson's promotion, which Chief Michael Billdt decided on last month.
Said Capt. Steve Klettenberg, whom Henson referred to as a mentor during his public comments: "He has earned everything he's got."
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