The Crime Report (https://thecrimereport.org/category/policing/training-recruitment/)
A federal consent decree requires Baltimore police to end a pattern of racial profiling and excessive force. But it has also complicated efforts to recruit new officers who could make the reforms achievable.
The Atlanta City Council delayed a vote on building a $90 police and fire training center following nearly 20 hours of public comments protesting the proposal.
Even though he was worried about social upheaval deterring students from enrolling, the opposite occurred, with 27 students applying, says Police Chief Gary Hill about the first police academy at a Historically Black College.
While reform activists push for American police to be more like their European counterparts and drop their guns, experts argue that the comparison ignores certain glaring realities.
In response to an aggressive recruitment campaign, more minorities have signed up for this year’s NYPD entrance exam than in the four years prior.
The 26-year veteran’s career and training continue to be examined for clues explaining her actions during the April 11 deadly traffic stop.
At least 18 officers have made errors in the past two decades, sometimes with deadly outcomes, according to data collected by John Peters, a former police officer who served as an expert witness in a prominent “weapon confusion” case involving a 2009 fatal shooting in California.
Commentators argue that African Americans in law enforcement can play a primary role in tackling the historic legacy of police racism. But first they have to get in the door. In interviews with The Crime Report, senior Black officers say police recruitment practices are riddled with both overt and implicit bias.
Research suggests that college-educated officers use force less often and face fewer public complaints. Most states set minimum ages from 18 to 21 for police eligibility, and four – Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, and North Dakota – require a bachelor’s degree or the equivalent based on education and experience.
A trove of documents reveals what one expert calls “snake oil” claims about methods of interviewing and interrogation that rest on unsteady scientific ground and have been linked to false confessions and wrongful convictions.