In the last decade, high-profile police killings â including George Floyd in 2020 â have shaken the nation and led to widespread protests and calls for reform, including hiring more nonwhite and female officers.
But there was little research to back that up. Now, a new study published last week in the journal Science, suggests that diversity in law enforcement can indeed lead to improvements in how police treat people of color.
âItâs a system that very clearly needs reforming,â said study co-author Dean Knox, an assistant professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. âWe just havenât had good data on what reforms work.â
Registries of disabled people debated in police reform talks
Jessica Hill/AP
In this Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021 photo, Victoria Mitchell, right, holds her son Michael Gregory s ashes as his daughter Mikaiya Gregory Mitchell, left, sits with her at home in Bridgeport, Conn. Connecticut officials are debating a statewide program of voluntary registries of people with mental health problems and disabilities to inform responding officers. Mitchell s son Michael had psychiatric problems and was shot and killed by police in 2020. Mitchell adopted Mikaiya as her daughter after her son s death. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
By: DAVE COLLINS, Associated Press
Posted at 8:43 AM, Feb 14, 2021