part 1 How Do I Feel?

Bias is a normal part of our society. Personal biases are inevitable and, we all possess bias on some level. When working in the law enforcement field, it is vitally important to use self-awareness to identify and manage personal bias. Having an understanding of one’s own bias is the first step in overcoming our own biases, stereotypes, judgmental behavior, and negative attitudes towards an individual or specific group of people. It can be humbling and eye-opening to discuss our biases with others.

Initial Post: As we have discussed, bias can be either implicit or explicit. Read the required journal article titled, Implicit Bias and Policing By: Katherine B. Spencer, Amanda K. Charbonneau, and Jack Glaser.

Discuss two ideas/concepts from the article that you found interesting. Identify and discuss some personal implicit and/or explicit biases that you have. Where do you feel these biases came from? Provide a thoughtful explanation as to why these biases (implicit or explicit) exist. How might these biases interfere with your future work as a law enforcement officer?

In your initial post, you will be required to cite a minimum of one professional source of information.

Response Post: When responding to your peers, provide some suggestions as to how they can work through their biases. What are some ways an individual can reduce feelings of intolerance, insensitivity, and bias in an effort to provide quality and effective policing?

Due dates for your initial and response posts can be found by checking the Course Syllabus and Course Calendar.

Part 2 – Be Fair, Be Just

The use of discretion is prevalent in the law enforcement field. Discretion in police work is a commonly discussed topic in the field among law enforcement organizations, in training sessions, and within society. The use and misuse of discretion is closely related to ethical and unethical conduct in policing. A law enforcement officer’s feeling of intolerance, insensitivity, prejudice, stereotypes, and bias all impact thoughts, behaviors, as well as the use of discretion.

Read this week’s text and articles.

In a 2 page paper research and discuss the following:

Explain how the concepts of intolerance, insensitivity, prejudice, stereotyping, and bias all impact ethical officer discretion. Apply and discuss two ideas/concepts you found interesting from each article.

Reflect on the ideas presented in the two articles. Considering the recommendations made by both authors, explain what a law enforcement agency would need to do to create a policy that would address reducing bias. What might this policy look like? What might it include?

How can recognizing and valuing diversity promote the effective use of ethical officer discretion policing and reduction of bias? Can a policy “fix” implicit bias? Why or why not?

Your essay should incorporate a minimum of one scholarly resource from the Rasmussen online library or credible internet source, such as a government website or professional organization.

Submit your completed assignment by following the directions linked below. Please check the Course Calendar for specific due dates.

Save your assignment as a Microsoft Word document. (Mac users, please remember to append the ".docx" extension to the filename.) The name of the file should be your first initial and last name, followed by an underscore and the name of the assignment, and an underscore and the date. An example is shown below:

Jstudent_exampleproblem_101504