We do not spend enough time understanding our underlying assumptions (or biases), largely because the biggest one is that we don't have any.

-- Mal

bigots! Then he asked us to think about who it was we did not like when we were younger. I immediately had an image of a certain religious group jump into my head. I am guilty.

So later in that same class I came back from witnessing the Wounded Knee 1972 uprising. He asked me to tell the class about what I had seen. By the end of the class we were all yelling at each other about this issue. Pro and con. The professor stepped up to the podium and said "Okay, not how many of you are not biased toward another race?" There were less hands showing this time.

They have to change the mentality that would allow for "rough rides" to seem OK to them.

Play Book. Good news. Thank you.

Here's a link to the program: http://www.fairimpartialpolicing.com/training-programs/

It's a bit pricey, but less expensive than ruining lives...officer and citizen...and paying out millions of taxpayer dollars in settlements with all the publicity and bad feelings each promote.

I looked for it so that perhaps people here could do an act of non-violence within their own communities and email it or deliver it in person to their police department.

The Cop Watch Program, as well www.wewatchcops.org

Support these programs...the first for police, the second for citizens, especially with cell phones...streaming phones...note surveillance cameras nearby, etc.

with political backing. Past time...but there's no time like the present.

That sounds like excellent thinking.

If put into practice, it would change policing for the better.

Last edited Sat May 2, 2015, 06:02 PM - Edit history (1)

The agencies who came together for this were attending voluntarily. They were already receptive to a degree, but the social PSYC research was a really different approach for them and they liked it.

I suspect it will be implemented in most of the agencies who attended.

For what it worth they all came from coastal Georgia communities.

They better hurry up with that.

a) Everybody has biases and they are reflected in important decisions we make every day. Some of our biases are so repulsive that we are embarrassed that they exist, but they exist --IN EVERYONE.

b) Most of the bias-driven decisions made by most us have almost trivial outcomes because we neither carry a badge nor the license to use extraordinary force associated with a badge.

Glad to hear about the training. It is a very important first step.

bear with me and resist the anti military kneejerk I get so often on DU:

The army recently changed their whole sexual assault and harrassment doctrine: there are no bystanders. If you see something inappropriate, you have a duty (as briefed by countless members of your chain of command) to intervene or report. Period. If someone else reports something later and your name comes up as someone who observed it, you're in trouble too. Yeah you can point out a whole bunch of hypotheticals where an innocent joe might get caught up in bullshit, but this is how far the pendulum needs to go to fix this plague in our culture. I was glad to see Big Army leadership taking this stance.

Also rules of engagement need to be hipped up. "In fear for my life" is bullshit. I was in fear for my life often just driving around iraq. When any civilian approached me I wondered is this the one guy in a million looking to be a martyr? Did I shoot these people, hell no. Hostile Act, Hostile Intent. POSITIVE IDENTIFICATION. "he reached for his waistband" should be an automatic suspension and full on DOJ investigation at this point.

I just went through 3 weeks of NCO academy and 3 full days of online training. We are ordered to always think of the 2nd and 3rd effect impacts. We are also trained that the truth helps build trust. Yes, american soldiers sometimes shoot the wrong people. Have units been 'real' with the locals? they might be angry and upset, but all these years in afghanistan (in particular) have proven that locals wont take up arms if they know you to be an honest and forthright person (as a leadership figure).

Having Leadership school you on doctrine can have a good effect. Ive seen even very change resistant soldiers change their tune, if only slightly, after watching a brief by the Army Chief of Staff. The real test is having the courage to leave that culture of that thin blue line. To be that focus of change. I wish we could follow up on those leaders you mention.

Thank you for this.

I salute you...

We need more "liberal" cops and in the military too...

When I was in grad school one of my friends was an ex military officer. One normally associates the military with conservatives so it was interesting to meet one who leaned left. We would talk about the military culture.

One is a former USAF Intelligence officer. One is a currently serving USAF Combat Controller (USAF Spec Ops). One is a Navy officer in a very important and high profile staff position.

responsibility for in order to change it is a huge step. Hopefully it included the fact that the present methods are what is losing the trust in them as our protectors. Is this class just in your state or is this something that can be accessed nationwide?

I used to teach state, county, and municipal police on dealing with the mentally ill in public. Most of the men and women "got it." Not all of them,but most.

I had to do that when I worked in the administration of a homeless project.

How to deal with what I perceived as a threat, how to stay calm and look the person who was claiming to want to harm me without either flinching or giving in -- finding that inner calm -- is the key.

The person I perceived as aggressive was sometimes just trying to protect himself, was actually on the defense.

That is harder for law enforcement because they really are a threat -- of imprisonment, etc. It was easier for me because I was very short and clearly to any rational person not much of a threat.

Still, because I had some authority in the view of the people I dealt with, I could be a threat and they reacted in some cases in that way.

But there are ways that we humans signal to each other that we mean no harm and that we are no threat. This is where it gets confused for police officers who want to signal nearly always that they are a threat.

So the basic function of a police officer may make it difficult for them to signal that they are not a danger.

I'm white. If a police officer approaches me, he/she first signals that he/she is dangerous. When he/she realizes I am white, when it registers (say I come out of my house and they assumed I might be a person of color and in my neighborhood that is quite likely) and not a person of color, then his/her demeanor changes. I have seen that. And more than once.

In this area -- rural, upstate NY -- most homeless people tend to be teenagers. That clearly qualifies as a crisis. The services for teens are lacking around here.

Working for mental health, a person wants to get inside the home of someone who is currently experiencing the symptoms of their illness. Our job was to assess the person. Police take the opposite approach; they prefer not to be inside of a confined area, as they are generally called to transport a person who does not want to go to the hospital.

The state made some changes in the 1990s, after some tragic incidents. After that, there were lots more calls that included the police and us. Also, prospective officers had to complete some valuable course work at the state university, which was where I did some teaching.

At risk of sounding obnoxious, I was widely recognized as the best community crisis worker in a four-county area. I also taught that part of the job to graduate social work students.

of work that I really do miss, since retiring. I'm not suggesting it's any more important than any other related work, but it was what I did best. And it's about the only thing that my old co-workers tend to call me about these days!

My ex-wife taught it for new corrections officers. But it needs to be presented to the "old" guards.

it's from a teen perspective. Teens talk to the police about how their treatment affects them. I saw a snippet about it on the news the other night.

But there were hiring supervisors in the group and they saw this program.as helpful.

If nothing else they see the importance of preventing problems even if social justice is not their main motive

of many reports we eat for breakfast now starting from person actually doing it beyond npr report on lapd. At a much larger picture level this is best practices from doj and cops in 21st century policing

And I must say, sensitivity to racial bias is HALF of the issue. Police brutality, in general, toward US citizens of ALL races, genders, ages, mental states, is out of hand.

It's my understanding that there is a movement toward "de-escalation" training. I'd like to hear more about that.