class: center, middle, inverse background-image: url(https://www.unomaha.edu/university-communications/downloadables/campus-icon-the-o/uno-icon-color.png) background-position: 95% 90% background-size: 10% # Policing in the Modern Era <br> <br> <br> [Justin Nix](https://jnix.netlify.app) *School of Criminology and Criminal Justice* *University of Nebraska Omaha* <br> <br> <br> <br> .white[November 4, 2025] --- class: top, center # Policing in the Modern Era <img src="obama.jpg" width="30%" style="display: block; margin: auto;" /> *When any part of the American family does not feel like* *it is being treated fairly, that’s a problem for all of us.* <div style="text-align: right"> - President Barack Obama </div> ??? If you were advising the Omaha Police Chief today, what are 2-3 things the department could do to make the public feel treated fairly? --- class: top # Policing in the Modern Era -- The [Task Force on 21st Century Policing](https://cops.usdoj.gov/RIC/Publications/cops-p341-pub.pdf) identified six pillars of reform: -- 1. Building trust and legitimacy -- 2. Policy and oversight -- 3. Technology and social media -- 4. Community policing and crime reduction -- 5. Training and education -- 6. Officer wellness and safety --- class: top ## 1. Building trust and legitimacy ??? What does **legitimacy** mean to you? If someone told you "you should take Dr. Nix's class, he's legit," what does that mean to you? -- Legitimacy ➡️ compliance, cooperation, empowerment -- Decades of research suggest [procedural justice](https://jnix.netlify.app/files/pdfs/critical_issues_PJ.pdf) is 🔑 -- - Treating people with dignity and respect -- - Giving people a "voice" during encounters -- - Being neutral and transparent in decision making -- - Conveying trustworthy motives -- Representative bureaucracy - [Diversify](https://doi.org/10.1111/1745-9125.12360) departments to reflect the [demographics of their communities](https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.2213986119) ??? Why? Rep bureaucracy theory suggests people will view institutions as more legitimate if they more closely resemble the populations over which they have authority or influence. - This harkens back to LBJ's Commission, which suggested that in many cities, Black communities were being policed by predominantly white police departments, and there was very little trust that police had their best interests in mind. --- class: top ## 1. Building trust and legitimacy -- <img src="racial_comp.png" width="85%" style="display: block; margin: auto;" /> .small[Source: [Local Police Departments, 2016: Personnel](https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/lpd16p.pdf)] --- class: top ## 1. Building trust and legitimacy -- Women make up 51% of the US population but only 12% of police officers -- The [30x30 Initiative](https://30x30initiative.org/) <img src="nij_summit.png" width="90%" style="display: block; margin: auto;" /> --- class: top ## 2. Policy and oversight -- Emphasize [de-escalation](https://doi.org/10.1111/1745-9133.12574) and alternatives to arrest or summons where appropriate ??? Can someone tell us what it means to "de-escalate" a situation? -- More data transparency: -- - Collect and report data on [all police shootings](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0259024) and in-custody deaths -- - Publish agency [demographic data](https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abd8694) -- - Collect and analyze demographic data on [all detentions](https://doi.org/10.1080/10511253.2016.1186993) -- [Civilian oversight](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1745-9133.12674) --- class: top ## 3. Technology and social media -- Equip officers with [body-worn cameras](https://jnix.netlify.app/files/pdfs/TC_cops_cameras_crisis.pdf) <img src="bwc.png" width="40%" style="display: block; margin: auto;" /> <p style="text-align: center;">.small[Image by [North Charleston](https://www.flickr.com/photos/northcharleston/) on [Flickr](https://flic.kr/p/FfC8aQ), [CC BY-SA 2.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/)]</p> -- <br> - ***Do you think BWCs improve policing?*** ??? **How** do BWCs improve policing? Or if they don't...why not? --- class: top ## 3. Technology and social media -- Development of [less than lethal technology](https://pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1257/pandp.20191029) <img src="taser.jpg" width="50%" style="display: block; margin: auto;" /> <p style="text-align: center;">.small[Image by Junglecat, [CC BY-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0), via Wikimedia Commons]</p> -- - ***What do you think?*** --- class: top ## 3. Technology and social media -- Use of [social media](https://doi.org/10.1111/1745-9125.12277) |Social Media | % Currently Using | |:---------------|:-----------------:| | Agency website | 100 | | Facebook | 82 | | Twitter | 69 | | YouTube | 48 | | LinkedIn | 34 | <p style="text-align: center;">.small[Source: PERF & COPS Office (2014), [*Future Trends in Policing*](https://www.policeforum.org/assets/docs/Free_Online_Documents/Leadership/future%20trends%20in%20policing%202014.pdf)]</p> -- Counterpoint: [Social media, socialization, and pursuing legitimation of police violence](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1745-9125.12277) --- class: top ## 4. Community policing and crime reduction -- Reinforce the importance of community engagement and problem-solving -- COP should be infused throughout the culture and organizational structure of agencies -- Adopt policies that address needs of most at-risk youth / Reduce aggressive enforcement tactics -- School resource officers ... but "limit involvement in student discipline" --- class: top ## 5. Training and education -- Adult-based learning and [scenario-based training](https://www.virtra.com/) -- - Engage community members in the process -- Development of a "national postgraduate institute" for senior executives with a standardized curriculum -- Crisis Intervention Training -- Training to improve [social interaction skills](https://doi.org/10.1111/1745-9133.12506) -- [Implicit bias awareness](https://fipolicing.com/) --- class: top ## 6. Officer wellness and safety -- [Blue Alert](https://cops.usdoj.gov/bluealert) warning system -- Regular mental health checks -- Implement scientifically supported shift lengths -- Equip all officers with tactical first aid kits and anti-ballistic vests -- Collect better data on officer [deaths](https://www.odmp.org/), [injuries](https://jnix.netlify.app/post/post10-gvaanalysis/), and "near misses" -- Policies that require officers to wear seat belts, vests --- class: middle, center, inverse # And then 2020 happened --- class: top background-image: url(floyd.png) background-position: 95% 5% background-size: 30% # A Legitimacy Crisis Renewed COVID-19 [changes everything](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1745-9133.12535) -- George Floyd killed by Officer Derek Chauvin on May 25, 2020 -- "Defund the Police" gains traction -- [Elevated turnover](https://jnix.netlify.app/files/pdfs/cpp_turnover.pdf) in some agencies <br> <p style="text-align: right;">.small[Photo by [Gayatri Malhotra](https://unsplash.com/@gmalhotra) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/photos/oPzSBTqbKFU)]</p> --- class: top # A Legitimacy Crisis Renewed -- By the end of 2020, homicides had spiked by nearly 30% <img src="homicide_rates.png" width="95%" style="display: block; margin: auto;" /> <p style="text-align: right;">.small[Source: [FBI Crime Data Explorer](https://crime-data-explorer.fr.cloud.gov/pages/explorer/crime/crime-trend)]</p> --- class: top # A Legitimacy Crisis Renewed -- Popular theories: -- - [De-policing, decreased trust, and emboldened offenders](https://theconversation.com/more-guns-pandemic-stress-and-a-police-legitimacy-crisis-created-perfect-conditions-for-homicide-spike-in-2020-168823) -- - [Increase in gun carrying](https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/01/gun-sales-murder-spike/621196/) -- - [The COVID-19 pandemic](https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/policing/2021/10/04/violent-crime-covid-isolation-pushed-spike/5903199001/?gnt-cfr=1) -- Thomas Abt argues police are [necessary but not sufficient](https://www.policechiefmagazine.org/necessary-but-not-sufficient/?ref=e6b395be13bf27a03cf9a63a7c18aced) to address the ongoing wave of violence -- And as Aaron Chalfin et al. show 👉 [when cities add cops, Black residents could have the most to gain — and the most to lose](https://www.niskanencenter.org/when-cities-add-cops-black-residents-could-have-the-most-to-gain-and-the-most-to-lose/) - ***What do you think?*** --- class: top, center # Have a great day! 😄 <img src="carrey.png" width="30%" style="display: block; margin: auto;" /> <p style="text-align: center;">.small[Image by [Jean-François Gornet](https://www.flickr.com/photos/jfgornet/) on [Flickr](https://flic.kr/p/7QCV6i), [CC BY-SA 2.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/)]</p> ### *You can fail at what you* ***don’t want***, *so you might as well take a chance on doing what you* ***love.*** <div style="text-align: right"> - Jim Carrey </div> <!-- ```{css, echo=FALSE} --> <!-- @media print { --> <!-- .has-continuation { --> <!-- display: block; --> <!-- } --> <!-- } --> <!-- ``` --> <style> p.caption { font-size: 0.5em; color: gray; } </style>