RealClearPolicy links to an article at The Conversation which reports research looking at the existence of racial bias in the shooting of civilians by police. The researchers found none.
So what determined whether the civilian shot was white, black, or Hispanic? It was which of the three groups was most responsible for crime in the jurisdiction in question.
What they only indirectly infer is that public dismay is likely to be less if the race of both police shooter and civilian ‘shootee’ is the same. It is certainly an argument for cities with large black or Hispanic populations to hire, when possible, police from those groups.
This, of course, is much easier said than done. Physically fit young black and Hispanic men and women with no criminal convictions are in demand by a variety of societal employers, including the military. And persons from communities where “the police” are neither popular nor trusted, will likely look elsewhere for careers.
