Police officers at Brown University are no longer including the race of criminal suspects when announcing crimes, after an outcry from Brown students who said the practice stigmatized certain groups.
The policy was first implemented a year ago, but was only publicized Wednesday by The Brown Daily Herald. Including a suspect’s race is often harmful because “vague descriptions can reinforce stereotypes,” causing hostility towards some community members, according to police chief Mark Porter.
To solve the problem, Brown police are making the descriptions even vaguer, including only the suspect’s age, sex, build, and general appearance (sans skin color). – READ MORE
