APA has been active on multiple fronts to improve police-community relations. Last year, the association held a congressional briefing, Improving Police-Community Relations: Psychological Perspectives, to share research and insights on community-oriented policing and the psychological effects of violence and racial trauma. The briefing followed up on previous APA efforts around policing, which included 2015 testimony to the President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing.
In addition, APA's Committee on Division/APA Relations awarded funding to APA Div. 51 (Society for the Psychological Study of Men and Masculinity) and Div. 18 (Psychologists in Public Service) through its Interdivisional Grant Program for a project that aims to better understand the complexities of police violence. In its reportopens in new window, the group calls for more research around racial bias in policing, effective police training methods, adjustments in systemic policies and procedures for policing in the United States, and evidence-based ways to improve police and community engagement.
