Public forums on law enforcement community interaction: Oct 10,19,25

Vermont Business Magazine “How have Vermonters been affected by implicit bias in interacting with law enforcement?” Attorney General Bill Sorrell has convened a working group including representatives from other governmental and non-governmental organizations to hear Vermonters’ perspectives on this issue and make recommendations regarding training for law enforcement to the Vermont Criminal Justice Training Council. The working group will be hosting three forums across Vermont in October to gather feedback.

Vermont is not immune from the issues that other communities across the nation are facing with regard to how historically marginalized communities—especially communities of color—are impacted by implicit or ‘unconscious’ bias among law enforcement authorities,” said Sorrell. “For example, recent data from one Vermont city shows that black drivers were being stopped and searched by officers at a disproportionately high rate, even though contraband was found on white drivers more often. We would like to hear the human stories behind statistics like these.”

According to Sorrell, the research into the psychology and neuroscience of bias suggests that the most open-minded and well-intentioned people may still hold implicit or unconscious biases, even against a group to which they belong. These biases form as a result of constant exposure in society to messages and stereotypes about different groups of people. Research indicates that even if someone consciously rejects a stereotype, he or she may still be unaware about how the stereotype affects their decision-making on a subconscious level. “We want to convey to the Training Council the importance of implementing training to address implicit bias, and how those training efforts will support fair, impartial, and effective policing throughout our state,” said Sorrell. “I look forward to hearing what I expect will be diverse views and opinions.”

The working group includes Sen. Tim Ashe and Rep. Kiah Morris from the Legislature, Karen Richards from the Vermont Human Rights Commission, Jay Diaz from the Vermont chapter of the ACLU, Curtiss Reed from the Vermont Partnership for Fairness and Diversity, and United States Attorney Eric Miller. The working group will first hear from representatives from law enforcement agencies about existing training standards at a meeting at the State House on October 6. The working group will then join the Attorney General at the following forums to hear from the public: