Washington State University study finds anti-bias training can benefit police

A new study by researchers at Washington State University found a “small but significant” effect from training to counter implicit bias in police officers. Implicit bias occurs without conscious awareness and can shape prejudicial attitudes and behaviors. The study recruited 50 police officers in Sacramento, California to participate in video simulations of encounters between police officers and different community members. Two of the study’s authors developed the interactive training program which is being sold to police departments nationwide. The researchers found that officers who completed the training had fewer complaints of discrimination by community members than officers without the training. Police bodycam footage also revealed improvements in trained officers’ behavior, especially in their interactions with people experiencing homelessness. Lois James is the lead author of the study, and assistant dean of research and an associate professor in the College of Nursing at Washington State University. She joins us to talk about the results.