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Articles on Police reform

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The fatal beating of Tyre Nichols started after he was pulled over by cops. City of Memphis via AP

Police traffic stops can alienate communities and lead to violent deaths like Tyre Nichols’ – is it time to rethink them?

The case of Tyre Nichols highlights how traffic stops can turn deadly. Traffic stops are also prone to racial bias, can break down community trust in police and yield few results, research shows.
A photo from a demonstration calling for police accountability and an end to police brutality in Vancouver, in May 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Public police are a greedy institution

The greedy tendencies of police departments help illustrate why public police funding is a major problem today in Canada and the United States.
Counter-protestors gather in support of vaccines and mandates to oppose the anti-vaccination protests that have grown into a broader anti-government movement tin Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Patrick Doyle

Solutions exist for Canada’s alt-right radicalization

To turn back the tides of radicalization and hate, Canada needs investments in our democratic culture, improvements in policing and support for grassroots efforts.
Rethinking what we mean by police sustainability, how we measure it and how we hold the police accountable for outcomes, may create the opening for a more viable path to reform. (Shutterstock)

Rethinking police reform: From defunding to promoting sustainability

The continued reliance on outdated indicators of police performance reinforce conventional ideas of police sustainability rather than align with the concerns of “defund the police” advocates.
Another door closes on federal police reform. Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Federal police reform talks have failed – but local efforts stand a better chance of success

Months of bipartisan talks in Congress aimed at reaching consensus over policing reforms have ended with no agreement. Two policing scholars argue that federal efforts are better placed focusing on supporting local measures.
Police remove encampment supporters as they clear Lamport Stadium Park encampment in Toronto on July 21, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Homeless encampment violence in Toronto betrays any real hope for police reform

A year after historic protests for police reform, it’s clear that the Toronto Police aren’t sincere about changing how they treat historically over-policed and criminalized communities.
A group of policemen in Marseille, France, pass in front of a bus shelter featuring a poster from the television series ‘Paris Police 1900’. (Shutterstock)

Cop shows: Should they be cancelled or rebooted?

The classic cop show is now a problematic genre, but if it can change, then perhaps real world policing can too.
Protesters attend an anti-government march at Plaza Bolivar in Bogota, Colombia, where citizens have taken to the streets for weeks after proposed tax increases and to decry police brutality. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Why Colombians are taking to the streets to protest state violence

The Colombian government responded violently to a general strike over tax reforms that primarily affected working-class citizens. It has fueled calls for police reform.
A sign held at a protest against police brutality on Jan. 28, 2023, in New York City. Leonardo Munoz/VIEWpress

Tyre Nichols’ death prompts calls for federal legislation to promote police reform – but Congress can’t do much about fixing local police

Since Tyre Nichols’ death there are renewed calls for Congress to pass police reform legislation. But the federal government has almost no control over state and local police departments.
Seattle police officers deploy pepper spray as they clash with protesters in Seattle, Washington, on July 25, 2020. Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images

Racial groups suffer disparate consequences after unfair police treatment – but not the groups you might think

New research confirms that unfair police treatment is psychologically damaging and that the consequences are decidedly worse for certain racial and ethnic groups.

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