Menu Close

Articles on Racial bias in policing

Displaying all articles

A woman holds a sign during a demonstration calling for police accountability in Vancouver in May 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Data shows that police-involved deaths in Canada are on the rise

There have been longstanding calls for police and governments to collect and share data about incidents where the use of force caused injury and death to civilians.
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.
Getting police and community on board with reforms is crucial for success. Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

American cities have long struggled to reform their police – but isolated success stories suggest community and officer buy-in might be key

Attempts to reform US police departments fail when they are unable to get community support. Perhaps it is time to take a different tack, argue two criminal justice scholars – one a former cop.
A 2012 training session between two New York police officers demonstrated a way stop-and-frisk encounters could be handled. AP Photo/Colleen Long

Stop-and-frisk’ can work, under careful supervision

Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg apologized for his city’s ‘stop-and-frisk’ police strategy. Two criminologists argue it isn’t necessarily inherently racist – though New York’s program was.
A police officer guards the entrance to Our Lady of the Lake Hospital after a shooting in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Stephen Lam/Reuters

America’s police culture has a masculinity problem

A macho culture prevails in police departments in America. The recent killing of Philando Castile serves as one example of the way racial bias and police officer machismo work together.

Top contributors

More