Black Americans have been fatally shot by police at a rate more than twice that of their white counterparts. Additionally, 20% of fatal police shootings occur when the suspect is exhibiting symptoms of mental illness (Pontzer, 2021). This represents a huge issue with how minority groups are stigmatized and mistreated by police officers.
This particular study will address the question of how police training influences higher rates of brutality within minority groups. The literature surrounding everything from specific curriculum to general atmosphere and mentality supports the idea that police officers are trained in such a way that encourages discrimination and bigotry across multiple axes, including not only race, but gender, neurodivergence, and LGBTQ+ affiliation. Therefore, this training affects the physical and mental health of already marginalized groups through both the direct violence committed against them and the threat of impending violence based on factors outside of any individual’s own control.
There is also something to be said for current discussions of reform, which, while well-intentioned, have had little impact in practice. This is because the underlying issues causing police brutality, and especially racialized police brutality, have been largely misidentified. Police officers are also often unconsciously resistant to reeducation attempts due to previous implicit biases, even when they do not exhibit outright hostility to these programs.
Does police training directly affect brutality or use of force rates? How so?
Does police training have indirect impacts on society-wide discrimination?
What have we tried already? What can we try now that may be more likely to resolve the problem?