Fort Worth Legislator Wants Police To Take "Implicit Bias" Course

[#TexasPolitics365] 

Fort Worth Democratic state legislator Nicole Collier is proposing a bill that would require police officers in Texas to take a course in implicit bias within two years of their licensure.

According to the language of House Bill 312, the course, which would be developed by the Department of Education, would include four hours of classroom instruction that would, "critically examine common stereotypes and cultural assumptions often held by communities and officers who serve those communities. 

It would further, "examine a training program participant’s perception of other individuals, other individuals' perception of the participant, and the impact those perceptions have on officer effectiveness and safety."

The Fort Worth lawyer's bill defines "implicit bias" as, "thoughts and feelings about social groups that can influence the individual's perceptions, decisions, and actions."

While committee assignments in the house have not yet been made for this session, in the last session of the legislature Collier chaired the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee.

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