Senate approves Cryan-Gopal bill to help identify ‘Implicit Bias’ in police recruits

Trenton – Acting to identify “implicit bias” in law enforcement, the Senate today approved a bill authored by Senator Joe Cryan and Senator Vin Gopal that would require the State Civil Service Commission to include on the exams for entry-level law enforcement officers questions designed to identify implicit bias, including racial bias.

Implicit bias refers to unconscious attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions and may cause attitudes about other people based on characteristics such as race, ethnicity, age, and appearance.

“Implicit bias can distort one’s perception and treatment either in favor of or against an individual or group, even if these attitudes are not conscious,” said Senator Cryan, (D-Union), who served as Union County Sheriff. “These automatic associations can influence behavior, making people respond in biased ways even when they are not explicitly prejudiced. In policing, this can result in practices that focus undeserved suspicion. Reducing the influence of implicit bias is important to strengthening relationships between police and communities.”

“In the context of criminal justice and community safety, implicit bias has been shown to have significant influence in the outcomes of interactions between police and citizens,” said Senator Gopal (D-Monmouth). “While conscious racism has declined significantly in recent decades, research suggests that implicit attitudes can influence behavior. Studies suggest that implicit bias contributes to the use of force as well as the frequency of police stops for members of minority groups.”

The Civil Service Examination is required for applicants for municipal and county police officers, adult and juvenile correctional police officers, sheriff’s officers, and other law enforcement positions.

The Senate vote was 39 – 0.