From early studies of police departments and law enforcement agencies, their culture is described as authoritarian, cynical, distrustful, elitist, homogeneous, macho, misogynist, monolithic, pessimistic, suspicious, insular, socially isolated and highly resistant to change. Relationships between police officers and the communities they are sworn to protect and serve is often times tense and difficult to maneuver. Police departments can implement an effective mechanism for change as "fish rot from the head first." Evidence of racial disparities exists at many levels of law enforcement from traffic stops, drug related arrests, and the use of force; but, the root cause is not always clear. Psychologist point to systemic problems and implicit biases. In matters of criminal justice, both can have life-altering implications. Racial bias is rooted in the human psychology by internal and external factors that are manifested through explicit and implicit discriminatory behavior. Consequently, people explicitly allow their preconceived thoughts to influence their racist behaviors or implicitly allow their racially preconceived notions to negatively influence their behavior. Community policing, teaching of de-escalation skills and techniques; increase in diversity hiring; improving data collection …show more content…
Academies train and certify recruits to serve as local, state and collegiate police officers, sheriff deputies, highway patrolmen/state troopers, constables, tribal, natural resources and transit police officers. Law enforcement academies also provide training for corrections, probation and parole officers, fire marshals, firefighters, emergency medical technicians and animal control officers and two in five law enforcement academies provide pre-service training for individuals not sponsored by an employing