Fair and Impartial Policing
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Transcript Fair and Impartial Policing
Fair and Impartial
Policing: The
Supervisor’s Role
Goals of this Training
Understand that all people, even wellintentioned people, have biases
Understand how implicit biases can affect
perceptions and behavior
Understand how biased policing impacts
community members and the law
enforcement organization
Goals of this Training--2
Understand how to address biased
behavior with individual officers,
community members and the public.
Understand the role of supervisors, as
leaders, in implementing organizational
change that leads to fair and impartial
policing
Supervisors/Leaders Have a
Responsibility to Ensure that
Officers:
Are effective at solving crimes and handling
problems
Stay safe and go home at the end of the shift
Enhance/promote trust with the community they
serve.
Effective Supervisors/Leaders
Are:
Role Models
Mentors
Representatives of the Department
Authorities on Policy and Practice
Professional Coaches
Disciplinarians
Change Agents
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
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
Understanding Implicit Bias
Whom we are most likely to pre-judge
What determines the characteristics we
assign to them
Whether we know when we are prejudging
people
Understanding Implicit Bias-Answers
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.
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.
Credits:
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
unjust.
Race-Crime
Association Studies
The “Shove” Study
Study: How did people interpret the shove by
African Americans versus the shove by Whites?
Result: The “shove” was perceived as more
threatening when performed by an African
American (Duncan, 1976).
Replicated and showed this was true for both
White and non-White subjects (Sager and
Schofield, 1980).
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).
Levels of Degradation
Frame25
141
Frame
Crime Relevant Object
Crime Relevant Object
Crime Neutral/Irrelevant
Object
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.
(Correll, 2002)
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
People were much more likely to shoot Muslimlooking characters 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 both appeared harmless.
(Unkelbach, Forgas & Denson, 2008)
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
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 (2006) Measured
implicit bias on the part of officers
Shoot/don’t
shoot simulator to measure
implicit bias.
Police, too, manifest implicit racial bias
But implicit racial/ethnic bias is weaker in
officers who report positive interpersonal
contacts with racial/ethnic minorities
Unlinking Stereotypes: Correll
Study #2
Speed: Both police and civilians exhibited robust
racial bias
Errors: Bias was less likely to manifest itself in
the decisions by police (Correll, 2007).
Bottom Line: Police made the correct
decisions.
Implication: High quality, role play use-of-force
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
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
Identifying Biased Policing in
Your Direct Reports
SC Law on Data Collection
Article 48, Chapter 5, Title 56
Requires the collection of data on motor
vehicle stops that do not result in a citation
or arrest
Information collected: Age, gender, race of
driver
Agencies who comply are eligible for
highway safety funds
Intervening to Thwart Biased
Behavior
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
Supervisors are Human Too!
Be aware that your decisions may be
influenced by your own biases.
Be aware that some directions that you
give could:
Be
interpreted through the biases of your
officers
Produce perceptions of biases, racial tension.
Departmental Policies
Small Group Discussion
Question
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 Model
Officers shall not consider race/ethnicity [or other
demographics listed here] in carrying out law
enforcement activities except when credible,
locally relevant information links a person or
people of a specific race/ethnicity [or other] to
an unlawful incident, unlawful incidents, criminal
patterns, or schemes.
Talking with the Community and
the Media about Bias
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].”
What To Do
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
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…
The Crisis Communication
Message
The agency does not tolerate biased
policing; and has adopted policies,
practices and training to promote fair and
impartial policing.
The agency is committed to conducting a
comprehensive and transparent
investigation
Crisis Communication—2
The agency will listen to the individuals
involved—both the subjects and the
police–to understand fully the perspectives
and facts. (Identify the specific steps in the
investigation process).
Crisis Communication–3
The agency will listen to community
members to understand your frustration
and anger.
The agency will openly communicate the
findings and results of the investigation.
The Media Message
Use the crisis communication
Describe what the agency is doing to
promote fair and impartial policing
Leadership and
Organizational Change:
Promoting Fair and Impartial
Policing
To Promote FIP, Your
Organization Might….
Create or revise policies addressing the
use of race and ethnicity (and other
demographics) in law enforcement
decisions and actions
Promote and facilitate the identification of
biased behavior on the part of your officers
Revise/expand training and education
about bias within the organization and
perhaps the community
Your Organization Might…
Strengthen the way you communicate your
organization’s values and respond to
allegations of bias from community
members.
Help personnel to speak effectively and
comfortably about bias when interacting
with individual officers, community
members and the general public.
Leading Change is
Challenging…
In ALL organizations
In law enforcement organizations, which:
Are
steeped in tradition
Are highly bureaucratic
Have hierarchical command, control and
communications structure
Leading Change: The Basics
A large body of literature—both academic
and popular
John Kotter, Harvard Business School
Leading Change (1996) — 8 Steps
Kotter’s 8 Steps to Leading
Change
Create Urgency
Form a Powerful Coalition
Create a Vision for Change
Communicate the Vision
Remove Obstacles
Create Short-Term Wins
Build on Change
Anchor FIP in Organizational Culture
Step 1: Create Urgency
Conduct open and honest dialogue about
the bias allegations by engaging
community and law enforcement leaders
and officers
Describe to your direct reports what would
happen if you did nothing
Present why “now” is the right time to act.
Step 2: Form a Powerful
Coalition
Key leaders from community and law
enforcement
Lends credibility to change efforts
Holds agency accountable
Continues to build urgency and
momentum around the need for change
Step 3: Create a Vision for
Change
Primary responsibility of the Chief
executive
Supervisors are key to:
ensuring
that the vision is supported within
the organization and
implementing specific actions/steps to
operationalize the change efforts.
What the Vision for Change
Should Do
Articulate how the vision for change
reflects the values of the organization
Outlines the roles of supervisors and other
members of the organization in
implementing the change
Identifies the organizational
systems/processes to promote FIP
Step 4: Communicate the
Vision
Communicate at EVERY opportunity
FIP = the values of the organization
What specifically the organization is doing
to institutionalize FIP
Address concerns of peers and direct
reports
Lead by example: Model the behavior you
expect
Step 5: Remove Obstacles
Identify resistors
Help
them see what’s needed and why
Help them see benefits of change
Recognize and reward commitment to FIP
Step 6: Create Short-Term
Wins
Identify short-term wins
What do you want to see or hear about
FIP?
Step 7: Build on Change
Analyze what is going right and what
needs improving
Set goals to continue building on the
momentum you've achieved
Keep ideas fresh—expand internal and
community supporters/coalition
Don’t be “Mission Accomplished!”
Step 8: Anchor FIP in the
Organizational Culture
Supervisor Role:
Model
FIP
Communicate commitment to FIP
Coach/mentor direct reports
Publicly recognize fair and impartial policing
behavior
Talk about progress
Leadership Defined
The process of influencing the behavior of
others…
To achieve organizational goals..
While developing high performing
individuals, teams, and the organization
for future service
Leadership is Influencing..
Individuals
Organizations
Groups
Leadership Styles
The Transactional Leader
The Transformational Leader
The Transactional Leader
Uses rewards and punishments
Clarifies roles and responsibilities
Subordinates’ self-interests are enhanced
when they behave appropriately
Fair
and impartial behavior leads to safe,
effective and just policing
The Transformational Leader
Inspires subordinates to be fair and
impartial by emphasizing the importance
of it
Gets subordinates to “transcend” their own
self interests for the sake of the team,
organization, community
Summary of Key Points
All people, even well-intentioned people
have biases
They
can be “implicit” (unconscious)
Policing based on biases can be unsafe,
ineffective and unjust
Summary of Key Points-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
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
Leadership and Change
Management
Leading change to promote FIP is
challenging
Apply the 8 steps of leading change to
implement a comprehensive approach to
promote FIP
Understanding leadership styles can
benefit FIP change efforts
THANK YOU!