(Politico) – The diversity of the FBI’s special agent ranks slipped further in the past three years, according to key statistical measures just released by the nation’s premier law enforcement agency.
African Americans accounted for 4.5% of the special agents at the end of 2014, the FBI disclosed, down from 4.74% in early 2012 and 5.6% in 1997.
Hispanic agents made up 6.81% of the force in December 2014, down from 7.14% in 2012 and 6.9% in 1997.
The numbers were quietly released in a posting on the FBI website after some high-profile attention in recent weeks to the agency’s problems recruiting a more diverse workforce.