Summit to promote unbiased policing
‘Bias-free’ policing: County chiefs, NAACP come together for workshop Expert: Implicit bias is widespread, but most cops want to do the right thing
PLYMOUTH >> In the past few years, there has been perhaps no domestic issue as polarizing as the strained relationship between some of the nation’s law enforcement agencies and the communities they are sworn to protect and serve.
From a slew of high-profile police shootings to a rash of retaliatory violence directed toward officers — and the punditry and countless protests that accompany each incident — America has been grappling with issues concerning the efficacy of police department reform and the implementation of best practices that would reinforce a more inclusive perception of fairness.
The recent announcement by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions of a probable rollback of consent decrees that allowed for federal oversight of police agencies that have been investigated for systemic problems is the latest salvo in the ongoing dispute between those who support the status quo and groups like Black Lives Matter that are demanding change.
Last August, branches of the Montgomery County NAACP stood with leaders of local law enforcement agencies on the steps of the county courthouse to announce the formation of a coalition designed to address some of the entrenched issues between cops and residents, particularly those of color, and implement a plan to find solutions, based, in part, on the recommendations of President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing released in May 2015.
Recently, that initiative took shape at a twoday symposium held by the Montgomery County Chiefs of Police Association in partnership with county chapters of the NAACP, which focussed on a science-based approach to fair and impartial policing at the Montgomery County Public Safety Training Center in Plymouth Township.
The training was conducted by Dr. Lorie Fridell, a leading authority on racially biased policing, who has authored several books on the subject and formerly served as director of research at the Police Executive Research Forum.
Fridell first became interested in the implications of bias in law enforcement while working for a policing think tank in 1989.
She came to the conclusion that biased policing was more than a case of “just a few bad apples” but also found that most police are well-intentioned and wanted to do the right thing.
“I couldn’t figure out how both of those things could be true,” she said. “Until the science explained it to me.”
In a classroom filled with community stakeholders, law enforcement officials and NAACP leaders from across the county, Fridell provided an analysis of the overarching factor at the root of the problem: implicit bias, the prejudices and predilections all people carry, no matter how subcon-
sciously, that affect their interactions with members of certain groups.
Biased policing, she explained, “occurs when law enforcement inappropriately considers race, ethnicity or other factors in deciding with whom, and/ or how, to intervene.”
“In our society, we recognized explicit bias, which is like racism, where a person has overt animus and hostility and that’s what we’ve been dealing with in society for so long. And we still have work to do.” Fridell said. “But what we haven’t dealt with is an additional manifestation of bias, which is implicit bias, which is that even well-intentioned people, law enforcement included, can have biases that can impact their perceptions and behavior.
“It’s easy to measure disparity (in the outcomes of police interactions), but it’s harder to discern what part of that disparity is due to police bias and what part of it might be due to legitimate alternative factors,” said Fridell, who provided examples of how biased policing is ineffective, unjust and ultimately, unsafe.
“We are going to be focusing on what agencies can do in concert with their community members to strengthen their efforts to promote bias-free policing.”
The workshop sessions began with examples drawn from numerous scientific studies supporting the widespread existence of implicit bias, and demonstrating how it can affect the decision-making process of officers.
The second phase of the training tackled plans of action for police leadership in terms of policies, supervision, accountability, measurable outcomes, outreach to diverse communities and operational procedures.
Members of the Norristown, Upper Merion, Lower Merion, Whitpain, Cheltenham, Lower Providence, Pottstown, Lower Pottsgrove, Jenkintown, Hatfield and Royersford police departments participated in the training along with members of the Pottstown, Cheltenham, Willow Grove and Greater Norristown Area chapters of the NAACP.
Fridell credited the police chiefs association for being proactive in “recognizing that this is a national problem” and addressing it head-on despite the absence of a specific incident or ongoing complaint.
“It’s really impressive to me that the county chiefs said, ‘We want to have this training. We want to have this personal discussion and we want community members in the room,’” she said.
“I think it’s really important and it’s very relevant,” added Greater Norristown NAACP President John Milligan. “I think it’s been very effective, and the real benefit coming out of this for the leaders of the police departments is the discussion of real issues as it relates to bias and getting input from community leaders.
“That interaction is helping to keep it real so that it’s happening in such a way that if someone doesn’t agree with a position, others can speak up, and it’s being done in a positive way.
“It’s going to really establish a base, that hopefully the leaders will go out and start to implement some of the things they’ve learned and make policy changes,” Milligan added. “This is also going to start a relationship with the NAACP and these police departments. We started this dialogue and we’re hoping it continues from here.”