OUR WORKSHOPS ARE DESIGNED TO PROVIDE VALUED INFORMATION THAT IS RELEVANT TO THE ACTIVITIES OF ALL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS, REGARDLESS OF THEIR PROFESSIONAL VENUES (POLICE, SHERIFFS, CORRECTIONS, PROBATION, PAROLE, LOCAL, COUNTY, STATE, FEDERAL, CAMPUS)
(PLEASE NOTE: Speakers, panelists and/or associated workshop may change at our discretion based on need or required changes in schedules)

Race in Police and Community

Presented on Thursday, September 25, 2025 at 01:00P

The relationship between race and policing in the United States is complex and has been shaped by a history of slavery, systemic racism, and discrimination. According to historians and other scholars, the problem is embedded in the story of the nation and its culture. Rooted in slavery, racial disparities in policing and police violence, they say, are sustained by systemic exclusion and discrimination, and fueled by implicit and explicit bias. Any solution clearly will require myriad new approaches to law enforcement, courts, and community involvement, and comprehensive social change driven from the bottom up and the top down.

Racially biased policing takes many different forms, from elevated police presences in the neighborhoods of marginalized communities, to disproportionate street and vehicle stops and searches, to use of force, to outright expressions of racism within some police departments.

The relationships between police and ethnic and racial minorities quite often present some of the more enduring and complex problems in policing throughout the world. Such relationships can be harmonious and often are problematic, but can also be improved through training and community engagement.