| dc.description.abstract | The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) is a full-service, internationally accredited police department operating in a county-wide status, tasked with protecting and serving the citizens of the Metropolitan Nashville, TN area. This capstone project focused on how the MNPD can improve its hiring and training to ensure officers are not motivated by intentionally racially biases with the goal of ensuring police action is not disproportionately utilized based on race. Twenty-four interviews with current and retired MNPD police officers, police officer recruits, department administration, and recruiters from other like-sized police departments were conducted and analyzed, resulting in the following findings: 1) recruiting classes remain predominately White, 2) recruits in the academy can be fired or removed for any reason without cause, 3) MNPD applicants chosen for training are not asked about their views on race at any time during the recruitment process, 4) police officers acknowledge the perception that they are racist which creates barriers for recruitment and hiring of people of color, and 5) there continues to be a need for increased diversity, equity, and inclusivity among those policing Nashville’s communities. Recommendations were provided to the MNPD, informed by both the interview data and relevant scientific research, intending to assist the department in building a more racially accepting force in accordance with the organization’s stated desire to protect and serve the interests of all Nashvillians, regardless of race, and to develop and maintain a state-of-the-art, sustainable policing model. | |
