CHARLOTTE, NC — CMPD Chief Kerr Putney says he wants officers to leave behind their unconscious biases while policing. The Chief spoke with students at UNC Charlotte Wednesday as part of a panel discussion on use of force.
Putney says it’s impossible to completely remove natural biases, but he’d like to see more training for officers.
“It’s impossible. You can’t do it. Humans can’t do that. You can’t leave any of your biases anywhere,” said Chief Putney. “But you have to be able to acknowledge, understand them, and mitigate them.”
Putney and other department leaders are participating in a year long course at Johnson C. Smith University on how to reduce natural biases. Eventually, he’d like to see all members of the department take the class.
