The Way Ahead

Abstract

An agency leader committed to fair and impartial policing needs an action plan for moving forward. The leader starts by identifying the gaps between what the agency is currently doing and what needs to be done pursuant to the Comprehensive Program to Promote Fair and Impartial Policing. The gaps become the action items for the agency. In acting on those items, the leader might decide to utilize an internal “Fair and Impartial Policing Committee” as was done in Prince William County. Or the chief or sheriff might take advantage of the wisdom, visibility, credibility, and accountability that comes with a police-community advisory board linked to the agency’s efforts. Such advisory boards are supported in the Kansas statutes and the training of those advisory boards is provided by the Kansas Attorney General’s Office. More research is needed to further guide police professionals in their quest to promote bias-free policing. Research exploring threat/aggression stereotypes should be expanded beyond race/ethnicity to explore other groups that are (or are not) linked to crime/aggression and additional research might expand to examine what groups are stereotypically linked to specific types of crime. Research could examine the effectiveness of various bias-reduction techniques on individuals within police departments and explore the suggestion that certain types of police assignments might exacerbate or reduce biases. The community frustration and anger that has characterized the post-Ferguson era has been particularly focused on police use of force, especially deadly force. There is much potential for research to enhance our understanding of the bias-related factors that might impact on officers’ decisions to use force and what interventions can reduce errors, especially errors linked to stereotypes.