Encore | Equitable Policing During the Coronavirus Pandemic, Part 2

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the role of police has expanded to include the enforcement of public-health safety regulations in congruence with local, state, and federal law. With citizens of their jurisdictions eager to escape quarantine and return to normal life, this has been a challenge.

The tragedy and scope of COVID-19 has shown its face in astronomical death tolls and extreme personal sacrifice, with the weight of the pandemic falling hardest on minority communities – specifically on those of Black and Latino Americans. While members of these communities are becoming infected and dying of COVID-19 at higher rates than others, they are also finding themselves in more contact with local law enforcement because of social distancing and additional pandemic-related regulations.

This panel will discuss the challenges of enforcing coronavirus regulations, the impact it has had across different communities, and how that has affected initiatives focused on more equitable policing.

Part 2 of this series begins with a question posed from the program moderator, Ganesha Martin, about community policing, the importance of engaging with the public and building relationships, and how should law enforcement attempt to improve already strained relationships within certain communities.

Listen in to this three-part series as we revisit Equitable Policing During the Coronavirus Pandemic program from September 2020.