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Police should learn de-escalation skills

I want to thank The Durango Herald for covering the Fort Lewis College Lifelong Learning event at which I spoke about racial bias in the criminal justice system on April 9 (“All of us have racial bias,” Herald, April 10). As I described in the talk, racial bias does not have to be conscious or intentional to be real, and there can be bias in the criminal justice system even if police do not intend it.

I want to clarify that it was not my intention to dismiss the dangers in police work. My point is that greater care in police use of force and a focus on de-escalation skills as well as better understanding of racial bias would make that work safer for everyone from law enforcement to the public. Seth Stoughton, a scholar with experience as a police officer, addresses this topic well in a Dec. 12, 2014, article in The Atlantic, “How Police Training Contributes to Avoidable Deaths.”

For these reasons, the ACLU of Colorado supports House Bill 1287 for Police Officer Training Improvements as part of a package of bills in the current legislature to rebuild trust in law enforcement.

After so many tragic deaths at the hands of police around the nation, passing this legislation is a necessary step for civil liberties as well as for the safety of both law enforcement and our communities.

Nathan Woodliff-Stanley, Executive director, ACLU of Colorado

Denver



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