Leaders at your agency for victim support services have asked the victim advocates to give presentations at an upcoming meeting of the city council or state legislature to advocate for improvements to community policing. Your agency wants to show the city or state leaders the current, accurate data that supports their claim that a particular demographic group has been disproportionately targeted or treated unethically by community policing practices and is in need of change.
Preparation
Refer to the gender, racial, or ethnic group you selected in your Wk 2: State Demographic Data assignment. This group should be represented in the prison demographics for your state and will be your focus as you examine the influence of gender, racial, or ethnic aspects of diversity in community policing.
Research statistical demographic information on the imprisoned populations in your state or local area. (You may use the same resources from last week’s assignment.) Examine data for the racial, ethnic, or gender group that you choose to study. Access the Detailed Data Tool from The Sentencing Project for data on these groups.
Research at least 2 scholarly sources about issues in policing the selected gender, racial, or ethnic group.
Assessment Deliverable
Using data from your state or local area, create a 10- to 12-slide Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation to city or state officials as if you were a victim advocate working on behalf of a community to recommend a plan for reducing disparity in the policing of minority groups.
Your presentation should include the following information with supportive examples from your research:
Cite relevant demographic information from state or local statistics on the race, ethnicity, or gender of the group you selected. Note any relevant disparities between groups.
Explain the roles of the various criminal justice agencies and representatives engaged in building rapport with the group you chose. Summarize the ethical responsibilities of criminal justice professionals to serve multicultural populations. Give an example of a risk to effective community policing that could occur based on an officer’s biases or lack of cultural competence with the selected population.
Identify aspects of multiculturalism and societal diversity to consider when policing this group. Describe how cultural, spiritual, or other factors may cause challenges for a minority defendant from this group during their interactions with law enforcement. Describe challenges to developing community policing practices impartial to gender, race, or ethnicity.
Propose at least 1 recommendation based on your findings for how to address the gender, racial, or ethnic disparity identified. Make a call to action for the city council or state legislature to implement changes based on your recommendation. (If no improvements are needed, recommend a strategy for maintaining the results that you identified.)
lide 1: Title Slide
Slide 2: Introduction – The Need for Equitable Policing
(Speaker Notes: Briefly explain the agency’s role in advocating for justice and the well-being of all victims, including those who may be disproportionately affected by policing practices.)
Slide 3: Demographic Data: State Context
(Speaker Notes: Explicitly state the numerical difference and the disparity index to highlight the extent of the issue. Reference the data source.)
Slide 4: Scholarly Research: Disproportionate Policing
(Speaker Notes: Provide brief summaries of the key findings and methodologies of the cited research. Emphasize the link between policing practices and the observed demographic disparities.)
Slide 5: Roles in Building Community Rapport
(Speaker Notes: Provide specific examples of how each agency can actively engage with the African American/Black community to build trust and understanding.)
Slide 6: Ethical Responsibilities to Multicultural Populations
(Speaker Notes: Emphasize the importance of these ethical principles in building trust and legitimacy within the African American/Black community.)
Slide 7: Risks of Bias and Lack of Cultural Competence
(Speaker Notes: Elaborate on the potential consequences of biased policing, including increased arrests, strained community relations, and a lack of cooperation in crime prevention.)
Slide 8: Aspects of Multiculturalism and Societal Diversity
(Speaker Notes: Explain how understanding these aspects can help officers approach interactions with greater sensitivity and effectiveness.)
Slide 9: Challenges for Minority Defendants
(Speaker Notes: Provide specific examples to illustrate these challenges and their potential impact on fair treatment.)
Slide 10: Challenges to Impartial Community Policing
(Speaker Notes: Discuss the systemic and individual-level challenges that need to be addressed to achieve truly impartial community policing.)
Slide 11: Recommendation and Call to Action
(Speaker Notes: Clearly articulate the desired action and the positive outcomes that are expected from its implementation. Emphasize the urgency and importance of addressing the identified disparities.)
Slide 12: Q&A and Contact Information
By following this outline and using concrete (even if hypothetical for this exercise) data and research, you can create a compelling presentation to advocate for meaningful changes in community policing practices to address racial disparities. Remember to replace the hypothetical information with your actual state or local data and findings from your scholarly research.