The study analyzes the racial and gender composition of police departments in Los Angeles County and Orange County, California. Although the study found some similarities between the employment patterns of African-American and Hispanic officers, the most noteworthy findings involve the sharp differences between the factors which affect hiring of different groups of individuals for sworn officer positions. The research presented in this study improved on previous studies by showing the impact of violent crime rates on police hiring practices. The study highlights areas that should be explored in future research, for example: (1) the extent to which public scrutiny of governmental employment practices makes their hiring practices different from those in the private sector; (2) the reasons for the inverse relationship between minority police chiefs and Caucasian female employment; and (3) determination of whether this inverse relationship is an anomaly or indicative of a minority backlash against Caucasian women's gains through affirmative action. Tables, notes, references