Police Uniform Increases Bias
Mar. 20th, 2019 01:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis study indicates that just wearing a police uniform increases bias. I am reminded of the Stanford Prison Experiment which showed just how fast and badly things can go wrong when you assign valued and nonvalued social roles to a bunch of equals. The "guards" became so brutal toward the "prisoners" that the experiment had to be canceled before it was even half done.
It's very interesting that a police uniform can change people's perceptions. I think, however, that the nature of that change relies on people's concept of what the uniform symbolizes. If society thinks of police as glorified slavecatchers, there to beat down the disobedient, you'll get a bias toward markers associated with disobedience. But what if your society views police more like Fix-It Felix than Wreck-It Ralph? Look at "Bring Out the Best" where Lawrence is trying to figure out heroism by following Stan. I suspect that if you put a police uniform on most T-American folks, they would alert to little problems that could be fixed before growing into big problems, because that's how most people see police in that society.
It's very interesting that a police uniform can change people's perceptions. I think, however, that the nature of that change relies on people's concept of what the uniform symbolizes. If society thinks of police as glorified slavecatchers, there to beat down the disobedient, you'll get a bias toward markers associated with disobedience. But what if your society views police more like Fix-It Felix than Wreck-It Ralph? Look at "Bring Out the Best" where Lawrence is trying to figure out heroism by following Stan. I suspect that if you put a police uniform on most T-American folks, they would alert to little problems that could be fixed before growing into big problems, because that's how most people see police in that society.
(no subject)
Date: 2019-03-20 08:22 pm (UTC)The one re-enforces the other, and you end up with it becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. Brutality begats hostility and vice versa.
The problem becomes how to break out of the cycle, and I suspect it's going to start with firing around 80% of the entire police force, and a radical change of policies and recruitment methods.
(no subject)
Date: 2019-03-20 09:18 pm (UTC)Funny thing, it's pretty easy to get a mayor fired (unelected) in Seattle, but we seem to be absolutely _shit_ at choosing decent ones that are worth hanging onto... our cop shop has been under Federal oversight for _years_ because they keep shooting/abusing/raping (yes, I said that) people who aren't cishet WASP males...
Thoughts
Date: 2019-03-20 10:30 pm (UTC)No, what we really need is to make the police actual public servants instead of a private army. Taxpayers fund them but don't control them. We need the Office of External Affairs to deal with disputes between police and citizens. We need the citizens to have the power to fire police officers who don't meet the community's standards of safety and civility. We need local people to decide what the police priorities are, because some people really want no graffiti and others really want no break-ins. As long as the police are not accountable to the citizens then the police will not care what happens to said citizens.
>>our cop shop has been under Federal oversight for _years_ because they keep shooting/abusing/raping (yes, I said that) people who aren't cishet WASP males...<<
Why wouldn't they? The safest place to commit many crimes is from the police department, so you get all kinds of protection. The only thing stopping them is their own morals, and most don't seem to have any.
Thoughts
Date: 2019-03-21 05:49 am (UTC)When police can murder citizens on a whim and not even be asked to justify their actions, this result is inevitable.
>>This makes them antagonistic towards the police, who see civilians as perps or suspects aka unproven-perps, and treat them as such... <<
Well, the cops are learning that when your quarter is no good, people won't surrender to you. They will consistently run or fight. Then you have got to chase them, or dodge weapons. That sucks for everyone.
>>The one re-enforces the other, and you end up with it becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. Brutality begats hostility and vice versa. <<
Sadly so. History indicates that such degeneration tends to end in revolution or invasion from a stronger force. It is rarely possible to repair.
>> The problem becomes how to break out of the cycle, and I suspect it's going to start with firing around 80% of the entire police force, and a radical change of policies and recruitment methods.<<
That's a good start. But what we really need is accountability.
1) Taxpayers fund police departments. Therefore, citizens must have the power to set hiring standards and fire officers who cause trouble.
2) An officer who kills someone should be reviewed. If the public is displeased, they may fire the officer.
3) An officer who kills an unarmed person, the wrong person, someone who has already surrendered, a child, etc. or who uses illegal methods should be fired and most definitely put on trial.
Right now, America just considers it okay for police to do those things. And since police do not have to follow laws, many people no longer consider them to have any right to enforce laws. This is a problem.