Are police officers racists?

He had recently co-founded the Center for Policing Equity at UCLA, with a goal to improve relations between police departments and communities, and he needed statistics. His initial questions were extremely basic: How many police officers were involved in shootings every year? read more

Three recent killings by police officers have riveted public attention: one in New York City, another in Ferguson, Mo., and the third in North Charleston, S.C. In all three cases, white officers shot black men. read more

But I knew police weren’t all bad. One of my father’s closest friends was a cop. He became a mentor to me and encouraged me to join the force. He told me that I could use the police’s power and resources to help my community. So in 1994, I joined the St. Louis Police Department. I quickly realized how naive I’d been. read more

Many police officers do not exhibit racist behavior. Certain kinds of people are drawn to public service. Some want to be of service and truly help to protect everyone in their community, no matter what races live there. read more