Transcript Fair and Impartial Policing

Fair and Impartial
Policing: The
Supervisor’s Role
Intro
All people, even well-intentioned people
have biases.
 We’ll discuss various biases.
 We’ll explore what social science research
has taught us (implicit bias).
 Need to recognize our unconscious
biases, so we can implement UNbiased
behavior

Fair and Impartial Police
Officers are more likely to



Be effective at solving crimes and handling
disorder problems
Stay safe and go home at the end of the shift.
Enhance/promote trust on the part of the people
they serve.
Effective First Line Supervisors
Are:
Role Models
 Mentors
 Representatives of the Department
 Authorities on Policy and Practice
 Professional Coaches
 Disciplinarians

[NS] Understanding the science
of bias is critical to you as you
fulfill your role as a supervisor
…..
This training will help you to “supervise to
promote fair and impartial policing” in
yourself and in your subordinates
Goals of the Training




Recognize our own human biases
Understand how implicit biases can affect
perceptions and behavior
Understand how biased policing impacts
community members and the department
Reflect on the role effective supervisors have
in promoting fair and impartial policing
During this training
 Relax:
Leave your preconceived
notions about “bias” training at the
door.
Our
approach is different from
traditional training.
During this training
 Reflect:
Think about what it
means to be an effective
supervisor.
…what
you expect of yourself and
your officers.
During this training
 Recognize
You
your expertise.
bring experience and expertise
to the discussions.
During this training
 Stretch
your imagination and
apply your skills.
 This
training requires active participation in all
of the discussions and exercises.
Understanding
Human Bias
Susan Boyle – Britain’s Got Talent
Fundamental Concepts of Human
Bias




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Bias is a normal human attribute—even wellintentioned people have biases
Biases are often unconscious or “implicit”
Implicit biases are sometimes incompatible with
our chosen beliefs and values
Implicit biases can influence our actions
Understanding how implicit bias can affect our
behavior is the first step to “overriding” implicit
bias
To Understand Implicit Bias, We
Need to Understand….
Whom we are most likely to pre-judge
 What determines the characteristics we
assign to them
 Whether we know when we are prejudging
people

To understand implicit bias:

Whom do we pre judge?
 We

prejudge “ambiguous stimuli”
What determines the characteristics we
attribute to them?
 Group

stereotypes/biases
Do we know when we are doing this?
 Not
always.
What are bases on which people may
be stereotyped (and treated
differentially)?
Income
 English language abilities
 Gender
 Age
 Religious affiliation
 Profession
 Sexual orientation, identity
 etc.

Key Point of Role Play
Policing based on stereotypes is
unsafe.
Key Points of the “Blink”
Response
Recognize the “blink” response
 Replace it with objective (bias free)
judgments

“Money Train”
Woody Harrelson is an undercover officer.
Note: The use of the copyrighted material falls under fair use laws with no
intended copyright violation.
Stereotyping and Human Bias
When we don’t know an individual, we
assign a group characteristic to them
 Often we do not know when we are
impacted by biases (they can be
unconscious or “implicit” biases)
 Recognizing our biases allows us to
override them—to engage in unbiased
behavior.

Mad World Video – Gary Jules
Key Point:
Policing based on stereotypes is
unsafe, ineffective, and unjust.
Race-Crime
Association Studies
The “Bump” Study

Study: Experiencing an ambiguous “bump”
from a stranger
 How
did people interpret the bump by African
Americans versus the bump by Whites?

Result: The “bump” was perceived as more
threatening when performed by an African
American.
 Replicated
to show this was true for both White and
non-White “victims”/subjects.
The Visual Perception Study
Subjects were “primed” with Black male
faces, White male faces, or no faces
 Completed object recognition task
 Eberhardt, Goff, Purdie, & Davies (2004).
Journal of Personality and Social
Psychology.

Levels of Degradation
Frame25
141
Frame
Crime Object
Crime Object
Other Object: Crime Irrelevant
Hypotheses

If the Black-crime association impacts our visual
perception, then:
 Participants primed with Black male faces
should be faster to identify crime-relevant
objects than those primed with White male
faces.
 There should be no effect of prime for crimeirrelevant objects.
Object Identification
________________________________
28
Crime-Relevant
Frame number
26
Crime-Irrelevant
24
22
20
18
16
Flashing White
Faces
No Faces
(Control)
Flashing Black
Faces
Visual Perception Study:
Conclusions

Exposure to Black male faces facilitated
the identification of crime-relevant objects.

Exposure to White male faces inhibited the
identification of crime-relevant objects.
Be a research participant!
We will see slides of backgrounds and
then a person will appear—very quickly—
with something in his hands.
 Shout “Threat” if you see a threat
 [Silent if no threat]

Correll Results: Race Made a
Difference
Speed: Participants shot a White armed
man slower than a Black armed man
Errors: Participants were more likely to
shoot an unarmed Black man than an
unarmed White man
The Turban Effect Study
Research volunteers played a computer
game that showed apartment balconies on
which different people appeared, some
wearing Muslim-style turbans and others
bare-headed.
 They were told to shoot at the people
carrying guns and spare those who were
unarmed.

The Turban Effect Results
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Subjects were much more likely to shoot
Muslim-looking people, even if they were
carrying an “innocent item” instead of a weapon.
They also found a gender effect: Subjects were
more likely to shoot men than women (even
when harmless)
Unkelbach, Forgas and Denson (2008). J. of
Experimental Social Psychology.
Due to implicit bias, officers
may:
Increase scrutiny of people of color
 Interpret ambiguous behavior on the part
of people of color as more aggressive
 Respond to people of color more
aggressively
 Under-respond to Whites, Asians, etc.
 And so forth.

Biases are Based,
at Least in Part, on
Fact
Economic Status, Race and
Crime
A= Lower income people are
disproportionately represented among
people who commit street crimes
 B= People of color are disproportionately
represented in lower income levels
 A+B=C People of color are
disproportionately represented among the
people who commit street crimes.

Crash Scene: The
Streets of Los
Angeles
Usage of the copyrighted material
falls under fair use laws with no
intended copyright violation.
First-Line Supervisors Help
Their Officers To:



Effectively perform their duties and solve crimes
Identify the right suspect and make good cases
Keep safe and go home at the end of the day
Policing based on biases/stereotypes
impedes achievement of these
objectives!
Implicit Bias
Manifests in NonPrejudiced People
Addressing Our
Implicit Biases
Contact Theory: Reducing Implicit
Bias

Positive contact between members of
groups improves inter-group attitudes and
reduces both explicit and implicit biases.
Personal Contacts and Implicit
Biases in Officers

Peruche and Plant (2005) Measured
implicit bias on the part of officers
 Shoot/don’t
shoot simulator to measure
implicit bias.

Surveys too
 Police
too manifest the blink response
 But the blink response is weaker in officers
who report positive attitudes and positive
interpersonal contacts with racial/ethnic
minorities
Unlinking Stereotypes: Correll
Study Number 2
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Speed: Both police and civilians exhibited racial
bias
Errors: Bias was less likely to manifest itself in
police errors.
 Bottom Line: Police made correct decisions.
Interpretation: High quality, role play use-offorce training helps police “unlink” race & crime
for split-second use-of-force decisions.
Implementing “Controlled
(unbiased) Behavior”

We can implement “controlled
behaviors” that override our (natural)
implicit biases.
Fundamental Concepts of Human
Bias





Bias is a normal human attribute—even wellintentioned people have biases
Biases are often unconscious or “implicit”
Implicit biases are sometimes incompatible with
our chosen beliefs and values
Implicit biases can influence our actions
Understanding how implicit bias can affect our
behavior is the first step to “override” implicit
bias
The Impact of Biased Policing on
Community Members and the
Department
MODULE 2
Biased Actions Impact:
Community members
 Your law enforcement agency

FAIR AND IMPARTIAL
POLICING ENGENDERS
COMMUNITY RESPECT AND
COOPERATION
Research Demonstrates
Police cannot be effective without
support/cooperation of the community
 Community members who perceive the
police as being fair see them as a
legitimate authority

Supervisor’s Role in
Engendering Police Legitimacy
Police Legitimacy Impacts the
Public’s Willingness To:
Obey societal laws
 Cooperate with the police
 Assist with crime prevention efforts
 Assist with valuable information during
criminal investigations
 Support criminal prosecutions

Fair and Impartial Policing
Results In….
Community trust and cooperation
 Legitimacy of police among community
members
 Safe policing
 Effective policing
 “Good” policing

Supervising for Fair, Impartial,
and Effective Policing
MODULE 3
[NS] Previous module

Supervisors’ role
 You

are many things……
One of your most challenging tasks…
 One
aspect: You must supervise to promote
fair and impartial policing

And with your decisions/actions…
In This Session
How to identify bias in your direct reports
 How to intervene when you suspect bias
 How to assess your own potential for
biased decisions
 How to speak to individuals, community
forums and media about bias and biased
policing

The power of the police
supervisor to set
standards/expectations
How you respond to concerns
of bias is very important.
“Crash”
[NS] Crash Points
Think about what the LT should have done
 Think about the message
 Think about the culture

Identifying Biased Policing in
Your Direct Reports
[NS] Identifying biased behavior
Bias can manifest in well-intentioned, illintentioned
 YOUR job: To identify when biased
policing is occurring
 What are you looking for?

 Picture
officer…… sees crime in young Latino
males. [What might he do more of…..]
 Picture officer …. well-to-do are law abiding,
honest, worthy of respect. [What might he
do…]
[NS] What sources of
information would be helpful in
detecting biased behavior?
EIS, limits of
 These sources: Might lead to concerns or
confirm/refute concerns.

[NS] It is difficult to identify bias!
Not visible behavior like force, it’s what the
officer is thinking
 This is why we can’t rely on dept’s
complaint system
 But this does not mean “throw up your
hands”….

 Must
understand and deal with less than clear
information/evidence.
Intervening to Thwart Biased
Behavior

Discussed:
 How
bias might manifest
 What information sources are useful

Now the Q: What do you do if you think a
subordinate is engaged in biased
behavior?
EX:

Gary sees crime in all young, Latino
males.
 You
believe he makes traffic stops to ask
questions, look in the car, etc.
 Much more aggressive with these individuals
 No specific crime reports in area to support
this aggressive intervention
 He is otherwise a good cop …wants to serve
community
 Has commendations, etc……
What do you do, as a
supervisor, about Gary?
Addressing Bias with Direct
Reports
Recognize ambiguous nature of the
“evidence” of biased behavior
 Approach:

 Share
your observations
 Ask why this might be occurring
 Use non-accusatory tone
 Structure concerns in terms of officer safety and
effectiveness
 Discuss how/why behavior might be biased and
unacceptable

Possible reactions
[NS] Roll call as a teaching
moment
Preventative measure
 Opportunity to discuss department’s
commitment
 Easier…relaxed group setting
 Opportunity for hypotheticals or questions
to reinforce key points for this training

 (all
this easier if you have had recruit training
in your agency on FIP)
Supervisors are Human Too!

Be aware that your decisions may be
influenced by your own biases.
 External

and internal
Be aware that some directions that you
give could:
 Produce
perceptions of biases, racial tension.
 Be interpreted through the biases of your
officers [Lorie example]
Departmental Policies
[NS] Department policies
There is not ONE definition of biased
policing
 Policies define biased policing

 Tells
officers………can/can’t
 Many focus just on race/ethnicity, some
broader

You need to know/understand policy to
supervise to promote FIP
In groups:

When is it appropriate for police to take
race/ethnicity into consideration when
making law enforcement decisions (e.g.,
decisions to stop, arrest, request consent
to search)?
The Suspect-Specific Policy
Model

Officers may not consider the race or
ethnicity of a person in the course of any
law enforcement action unless the officer
is seeking to detain, apprehend, or
otherwise be on the lookout for a specific
suspect sought in connection with a
specific crime who has been identified or
described in part by race or ethnicity.
The PERF Policy
Officers shall not consider or otherwise be
influenced by race/ethnicity in carrying out law
enforcement activities except when credible,
locally relevant information links a person or
people of a specific race/ethnicity to an unlawful
incident, unlawful incidents, criminal patterns, or
schemes.
[NS] Again: Policy Importance
In supervising to promote fair and impartial
policing
 Agency policy defines what it is.


This is relevant to next exercises…..
[NS] Scenarios: Supervising for
fair, impartial and effective
policing
Talking with the Community and
the Media about Bias
Talking with community,
individuals

For example: Citizen concerns of bias,
community meetings, media
 Palo

Alto
Have you had to deal with an individual or
group with concerns about bias?
 What
did you do? Were you good? Bad?
[NS] Individual community
member …..
Alleging biased behavior
 Can be tense
 Let’s start with this: How do you want your
subordinates to respond to accusations of
biased behavior made against them? …

A Suggested Response to an
Accusation of Biased Behavior
“I am sorry that you feel that way. I stopped
you [or whatever the officer did to
intervene with the community member]
because you _____ [officer explains the
violation or other reason for the
intervention].”
[NS] Why this language?

Officer’s denial will not be effective
 Won’t
change motorist’s mind
And besides: The motorist might be right!!
(What have learned?)
 Our suggested language:

 Acknowledge
 Back
to business.
[NS] Now you are called to the
scene
What do you do/say?
 What do you not do/say?

What To Do

[Objectives: Reduce tension but not
undermine your officer]
Listen to the concerns of community
members
 Inform community members of their right
to file a complaint and the process for
doing so.

What NOT To Do

Adjudicate on the spot
You do not KNOW whether bias occurred.
 Could debrief with officer.

[NS] Speaking to community
groups about bias BEFORE the
crisis
Do your agencies hold community
meetings?
 Use these to talk about bias

 More
constructive “before the storm”
Fair and Impartial Policing
Messages
Fairness and impartiality are the values of
the agency
 Agency does not tolerate biased policing
 We understand, however, that humans
have biases and so…
 The agency has instituted policies and
procedures to promote fair and impartial
policing, including…

[NS] Speaking to an angry
community after an incident
(where bias is alleged)

Objectives:
 Reduce
anger, tension
 Relay factual information (about incident)…
The Crisis Communication
Message

The agency does not tolerate biased
policing
 The
agency is committed to fair and impartial
policing
The agency will conduct a comprehensive
and transparent investigation
 The agency will openly communicate the
findings and results of the investigation

[NS] Sure-fire way to increase
tension and anger

Declare: “No biased policing occurs in this
agency.”
The Media Message

[Establish the positive relationship
BEFORE the crisis]
Use the crisis communication
 Describe what the agency is doing to
promote fair and impartial policing

[More on media]
They may run the “bias” story…
 BUT, they may also write about your
agency’s science-based approach to FIP

Summary of Key Points:
Module 1

All people, even well-intentioned people
have biases
 They
can be “implicit” (unconscious)
 Susan Boyle:
We prejudge,
 We fill them in,
 Often we don’t know

[Sum, Module 1 Cont.]
Even though stereotypes might be based
in part on fact (remember Sandra
Bullock)…..
 Policing based on biases can be unsafe,
ineffective and unjust

 Shoot
don’t shoot (not shooting white…..)
 $ Train
 Treating homeless
 Man/woman with gun and DV role plays
Summary of Key Points:
Module 2

Biased policing has negative
consequences for community members
and the department
 Biased
policing erodes community trust
 Community trust is essential for cooperation
and support of officers and the department
 Community trust is essential for police
legitimacy
Module 3: Supervisors’
Responsibilities
Be role models, mentors, representatives
of the department, authorities on
departmental policy, and disciplinarians
 Identify possible manifestations of bias
 Prevent biased behavior and intervene
when indicated
 Discuss biased policing with subordinates
and community…..

Supervisors are Human Too!

Your decisions may be impacted by
human biases
 Your
biases may impact your treatment of
direct reports
 Your biases may impact your policing
decisions
We hope this training…
Better understanding science of human
bias
 Renewed your appreciation of negative
impact
 You learned skills ….will serve you

 In
your role as effective supervisor …
Will help you supervise to promote FIP
 Thank you!!

Assignments of Module(s) 3 segments to
teams
 Practice Teach of Modules 1 and 2 with
debrief

THANK YOU!