RIZAL TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

IMPLICIT BIAS IN
POLICING AND
Presented by:

ACCOUNTABILIT
Jeramay N. Servino
October 14, 2023

Y
01:30 PM - 04:30 PM
LEARNING
OBJECTIVES
• Understand what bias is

• Recognize what implicit bias is

• Know the factors affecting implicit bias

• Discover different examples of implicit bias

• Identify implicit bias during policing

• Recognize how implicit bias impact the police and the community

• Importance in overcoming implicit bias

• Discuss ways to reduce bias during policing

Video from BBC
 Com
h o ug men
ts
T t s? t i ons?
h s e rva
Ob
l i ngs?
R ef
le c t Fe e
ions
?
 Ms. Kim Kelly - Wife

Image from BBC World News

Image from BBC
What
BIAS?is
 t r a l • Is
a ne u a ten
L a c kin g
o n a certa dency to
• o in t in dir l ea n
w p i c. favor e ction in
vie r t op o ,
parti
c u l a partic f or again either in
ular t s
hing. t a

• I
BIAS
sat
cert endenc
ai n
f av o di r e y t o l e a
r o ct i o n in
part f n
icul or agai , either
ar th nst in
ing. a
 CONCEPT
IMPLICIT UNWRAPPED
Video from McComb School of
IMPLICIT
BIAS
• Is the unconscious, unknowing differential treatment of
another person based on a number of discriminatory factors.

• Describe as an automatic association people make between

groups of people and stereotypes about those groups.

• Thought to be shaped by experience and based on learned

associations between particular qualities and social categories,
including race and/or gender.

• Can manifest outside of conscious awareness, even in

individuals who reject biases, prejudice, and stereotypes.

• Can distort one’s perception and subsequent treatment either

in favor of or against a given person or group.

• Can occur automatically and outside conscious awareness

Implicit Bias is influenced by so many

aspects of our society

Share an experience/sample
situation of implicit bias from
the given factors.
Implicit Bias is influenced by so many

aspects of our society

 Where does Implicit Bias
come from?
• External Influences , such as personal experiences, media,
friends and family

• Cognitive biases: “a systematic error in thinking that affects the

decisions and judgements that people make.”
Muslim
Man
Terroris
m
EXAMPLES OF
IMPLICIT BIAS
1.
2.
3.
Affinity Bias – also known as “similarity bias”
Ageism
Anchor Bias
4. Attribution Bias
5. Authority Bias
6. Beauty Bias
7. Confirmation Bias
8. Conformity Bias – more commonly known as “peer pressure”
9. Contrast Effect
10. Gender Bias
11. Halo Effect
12. Height Effect – also known as “Heightism”
13. Horn Effect
14. Name Bias
15. Nonverbal Bias
16. Overconfidence Bias
17. Affect Heuristic – occurs when a person makes a judgment
based on their current emotional state
Let’s look at our regulation
enforcement!
IMPLICIT
BIAS IN
POLICING
• In policing, this has resulted in widespread practices that
focus undeserved suspicion on some groups and presume
other groups innocent.
• Can occur automatically and outside conscious awareness
Implicit The data reported on 2021 at the FBI recorded on the U.S. Department of Justice
website implies that implicit bias impacts both individual judgment and
institutionalized policies and practices.

Bias
Around Us
Identified Bias Categories
Incidents reported for 2021 hate Recorded offenses

crimes
7,262 8,673 9
Out of 11, 834 law enforcement Out of 7,262 incidents Which comprised the overall
agencies who submitted reported 2021 Hate Crimes reported
OTHER
FACTORS
• Gender
• Age
• Religion
• Sexual Orientation
• Nationality
• Disability
• Color
• Gender Identity
• Ethnicity
HOW
IMPLICIT
BIAS
• Resulted in widespread practices that focus

AFFECTS
undeserved suspicion on some groups and
presume other groups innocent.

POLICING?
• It contributes on “shooter bias” - the tendency for
police to shoot unarmed black suspects more
often than white ones—as well as the frequency
of police stops for members of minority groups.

• “Black Crime Implicit Bias” can lead individuals

to be more likely to perceive ambiguous actions
on the part of African Americans, versus
Caucasians, as threatening.
STRATEGIES TO
REDUCE
REDUCE IMPLICIT
STRATEGIES TO
BIAS
1. Raise awareness of implicit bias among police leaders and officers

2. Transform the conversation between police and the community

• Community policing

3. Put policies in place to limit the impact of bias

STRATEGIES TO
REDUCE
 RELEVANT
RESEARCHES
AND ARTICLES
IMPLICIT BIAS AND POLICING
highlights that a major cause of biased policing is likely the implicit biases that operate outside
of conscious awareness and control but nevertheless influence our behaviors.

THREE WAYS TO REDUCE IMPLICIT BIAS IN POLICING

suggests three ways to correct for unconscious prejudice in law enforcement: raising awareness
of implicit bias among police leaders and officers, using the Implicit Association Test (IAT) to
help raise awareness of implicit bias, and implementing policies that can stop the influence of
implicit bias during decisions that occur at multiple points in the justice system.

THE SCIENCE OF IMPLICIT BIAS AND IMPLICATIONS IN POLICING

discusses how implicit biases can lead to over-vigilance with racial/ethnic minorities on the part
of police. It also identifies ways that individuals can reduce and manage their biases.

IMPLICIT BIAS
explains how implicit bias can distort one’s perception and subsequent treatment either in favor
of or against a given person or group. In policing, this has resulted in widespread practices that
focus undeserved suspicion on some groups and presume other groups innocent.
 BBC Article: Why People Assume Asian Woman was Nanny?

ENCES
REFER Fridell, L.A., 2016. The Science of Implicit Bias and Implications for Policing.
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-33175-1_2

Keesee, T.L., 2015. Three Ways to Reduce Implicit Bias in Policing.

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/three_ways_to_reduce_implicit_bias_in_policing

Reiners, B., 2023. Unconscious Bias: 16 Examples and How To Avoid Them in the Workplace. Builtin.
https://builtin.com/diversity-inclusion/unconscious-bias-examples

Stark, J., 2021. Addressing Implicit Bias in Policing. Police Chief Online.
https://www.policechiefmagazine.org/addressing-implicit-bias-in-policing/

US Department of Justice Article: Hate Crimes Facts and Statistics

Video: Children Interrupts BBC Interview