Bias/Implicit Bias Training [2024]

Often, the focus of police or jailer/correctional training emphasizes a warrior mentality among officers. This predetermined mindset sets up an approach that can work to the detriment of the principles taught in this training, for critically important reasons.

This course on bias and implicit bias is for police/jail and correctional officer training and seeks, in part, to cultivate a guardian mentality. As stated in the Final Report of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, referred to in the opening course section of this training, “Law enforcement culture should embrace a guardian—rather than a warrior—mindset to build trust and legitimacy both within agencies and with the public.”

The guardian mindset prioritizes service over crime fighting, and it values or places emphasis on the dynamics established during short-term encounters between officers and the public to create better and more trusting long-term relationships.

Fundamentally, positive interaction within the community goes to the heart of bias-free policing.

Increasingly, law enforcement interactions with the public must be more than legally justified; they must also be empowering, fair, respectful, and considerate. This e-training course offers insightful tools to help you successfully achieve these priorities.

For officers concerned with the state of their community relations, this training offers the opportunity to improve your service by maintaining a higher level of ethics and the mission of protecting the community, which lies at the heart of what it means to be a member of your department.

Course Objectives

1. Discuss and evaluate aspects of culture, cultural groups, cultural competence, and effective strategies for cross-cultural communication.

2. Understand bias, explicit bias, implicit bias, the manifestation of bias in discriminatory policing, and the consequences of discriminatory practices.

3. Understand the concept and importance of bias-free professionalism.