SAN DIEGO. According to the study, it showed a biased hierarchy against Hispanics and other minorities, whenever a police officer decides to shoot a suspect who is considered arm and dangerous.
According to an analysis done by the University of Colorado at Boulder and the San Diego State University, they concluded that Hispanics were the 2nd most likely ethnic group to be shot after African Americans, in which they are considered as hostile targets.
In this study that was published in the scientific magazine Journal of Social Issues, both Whites and Asians out of all the ethnic groups had more positive perceptions by officers in these types of situations.
The study revealed that those who participated in a simulation exercise were more likely to identify and shoot African Americans and Hispanics first than Whites and Asians.
"Due to the fact that the country is continuously becoming more diverse, attempts to address the overt and subtle forms of prejudice and discrimination based on race and or ethnicity have become more important", wrote the authors of the study, who also are looking to make recommendations for police training.
Study claims to be the first to investigate the bias shooting against Hispanics in two simulation scenarios regarding just shooting situations.
The first study was focused on the response of college students to determine whether a likely target of each racial group was armed, and their response time was associated with stereotypical combinations, like that of a Hispanic equal to a man carrying a gun.
The second study examined any implicit bias in reaction times and errors on the part of police officers, and whether they were related to the characteristics of communities and personal or cultural beliefs of the officers.
Editorial@sandiegored.com
Original Text : EFE Agency
Translation : Omar.Martinez@sandiegored.com
