User:Shayladoyle/sandbox

= Implicit Bias and prejudice in Policing =

Introduction
Implicit bias is stereotyping someone based on their first glance at them and then basing the interaction on the stereotypes formed. Society is a main factor in building what stereotypes are attributed to certain people and more often than not stereotyping can be harmful. The human mind is made to categorize things, which tends to include people, so it is important to start acknowledging what prejudices come from stereotypes and how to prevent them from happening to the best of a person's capability. It is important to note that just because people make assumptions does not inherently make them racist or homophobic or sexist, it is more so the systemic issue within society that builds these stereotypes around people that are prejudiced.

Implicit Bias Resulting in Police Brutality
A major example of implicit bias within society is police brutality. The Newark police department faced major backlash for excessive misconduct within the community. Frontline PBS made a documentary titled "Policing the Police" based on Newark, New Jersey's issue with crime and police. The main reporter for the documentary, Jelani Cobb, accompanied several police officers on a normal night out, documenting their interactions within the community. He states often how astonished and horrified he is by the way the police are handling crime within the community. The officers defend their behavior with the claim that they have to treat every situation as if it is a dangerous one for the safety of themselves and those around them. Thinking like this tends to lead to excessive use of force as fear and prejudice lead their motives. Not only does this build fear and mistrust of police, but it was also shown to be ineffective as crime rates were increasing not decreasing. The continuous misconduct caused disorganization within the community as people did not want to cooperate with the police and often had complaints about them as well. The issue had gotten to the point where even when the occasional police officer attempted to be a part of the community and build trust, they too were met with resistance. This is where the importance of of legitimacy comes in.

Importance of Legitimacy
Legitimacy is the idea that authorities are fair, thus ensuring their right to enforce rules are accepted, and that people are comfortable deferring and cooperating with them. Police departments who exhibit misconduct tend to lack legitimacy as communities do not feel safe with the police, therefore they are less likely to cooperate and collaborate with them. Legitimacy is incredibly important as community collaboration can help save lives. For example, in Newark if the police had a better relationship with the community, they would be able to have better insight as to who is and isn't dangerous to the community. This way, instead of assuming everyone is a suspect, they can talk to the people and figure out who is actually a suspect thus giving them reasonable suspicion to stop someone. Reasonable suspicion is something the Newark department struggled with, as they stopped everyone on the street who they automatically assumed was a threat, even if there was no evidence to support it. This is where implicit bias correlates with prejudice. Officers' implicit bias toward people, those of color specifically, leads them to decide who does and doesn't look suspicious. A question was brought up about the idea of racism within the Newark police department, asking how the department's actions are racist if it is made up primarily of black and Hispanic officers? Jelani Cobb answered this expertly, saying that it doesn't matter the color of the offender's skin, only the assumptions made about others based on the color of their skin. These behaviors can undermine the police department's standing within the community, as people look down on police instead of to them.

Harmful Stereotypes
While the lack of legitimacy is detrimental to police departments, stereotypes are arguably worse, as they tend to lead to the actions that cause a decrease in legitimacy. Stereotyping is when someone makes an assumption about another person based on their outward appearance, generally upon first meeting or seeing this person. When police stereotype people, they're putting potentially innocent people through an unnecessary encounter with the police that can build their fear of police. Stereotypes can also be dangerous as police may decide if someone is guilty or innocent without any facts based on stereotypes. The Newark Police may have said they were treating everyone like a suspect, but the truth is they're treating everyone of color like a suspect. These police target young men, especially young black men, who look like the general stereotype of a criminal, which is generally reinforced when it is a group of people who fit the stereotype. The police are being influenced by stereotypes that make them more likely to stop black men without probable cause than just about anyone else. They also tend to be more aggressive with black men, perceiving every small movement a potential threat. In the Documentary on the Newark police department, one young black man is stopped and when the cops approach him, he says not to touch him and backs away a bit. This prompts the police to wrestle him into the ground, only letting him up after they are sure he doesn't have any weapons or illegal substances. The police blame the violent encounter on the young man, saying he shouldn't have pulled away from them because it makes them think he's hiding a gun. Jelani Cobb talked to the two policemen after the interaction and says it would've been his instinct to back away too. They respond by saying that shouldn't be someone's instinct because they are police and there to keep people safe and only criminals should have a reason to fear police. This response seemed a touch ironic given the aggressive behavior from police throughout the documentary. In the entire documentary the only victims of the unconstitutional stop and frisks were people of color and also almost solely men, even with kids as young as 13. This shows how dangerous of an influence stereotyping is, especially when it is influencing people of power and people with deadly weapons.

Conclusion and Solutions
So, what can be done to help implicit bias and prejudice within police departments? In PBS' short video, "Implicit Bias: Make Friends to Tackle Bias," it is suggested that increasing tolerance is the first step to reducing bias. This can happen by having more intermingling of different groups of people and start working to notice the disadvantages those who are different from oneself might have. For example, what advantages do white people have over people of color, or what advantages do men have over women and non-binary people? Those who are born with privilege should start acknowledging their privilege and use it to help those without it, rather than use it to further push others down. As far as how to solve the Newark police department's problem with implicit bias, it is frequently mentioned in the documentary that a little intelligence could go a long way. This intelligence could help police better target their stop and frisks toward those who actually give reasonable cause to do so. Decreasing the violent nature in which they deal with the community would also drastically help. Maybe if the department started treating everyone equally and fairly, the community would start to trust them more and would be more cooperative in the future. This can all happen with new training for officers, and by encouraging them to interact with the community as a member and not an officer. Overall, if everyone started exhibiting more equity rather than the lie of equality, perhaps then people could start living with less prejudices. Of course, prejudice will exist in some form forever, but that doesn't mean those who experience prejudice should have to sit silently and deal with it. The first step to recovery is admitting there is a problem in the first place.