How should police handle racially biased 911 calls?

Police departments have recently faced criticism following several incidents involving cross-race complaints in public, private and quasi-public spaces. In April 2018, Philadelphia police were called to a Starbucks when two African-American men did not order anything while waiting for a friend. A month later a white woman dialed 911 to report a black family barbecuing beside a lake in Oakland, California. 

In this month's PoliceOne Leadership Briefing, we address whether officers can avoid contacting the suspected person if they believe the caller was acting out of their own bias toward someone's appearance. Chief Joel Shults details the importance of using consensual language to preserve the non-confrontational context of a contact, while Sergeant Jeremiah Johnson outlines the steps police leaders should take so agencies can avoid profiling by proxy. Click here to access.

These incidents often generate significant media coverage that has led to police leaders "apologizing" for the response of their officers. What would your messaging to the media be if such an event occurred in your jurisdiction? Email [email protected].