41H-Racial and Gender Profiling 2019

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Policy & Procedure Page 1 of 4 Lexington Police Department Subject: Bias Based Profiling Policy Number: 41H Accreditation Standards: Reference: 1.2.9 Effective Date: 12/1/10  New  Revised Revision Dates: 1/24/19 By Order of: Mark J. Corr, Chief of Police GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS AND GUIDELINES The Municipal Police Institute, Inc. (MPI) is a private, nonprofit charitable affiliate of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association. MPI provides training and model policies and procedures for police agencies. This policy is an edited version of MPI Policy 4.10, “Biased Based Policing.” The Lexington Police Department is committed to protecting the constitutional and civil rights of all citizens. Allegations of racial and gender profiling or discriminatory practices, real or perceived, are detrimental to the relationship between police officers and the citizens we protect and serve, because it strikes at the foundation of public trust. Trust is essential to effective community policing. Racial, gender and other types of profiling are illegal and ineffective methods of law enforcement. Racial profiling results in increased safety risks to officers and citizens, violates civil rights, is a misuse of valuable public resources, and may lead to an increased exposure to liability. The Lexington Police Department does not endorse, train, teach, support or condone any type of bias, stereotyping or racial and gender profiling by any sworn or civilian employee. While recognizing that most employees perform their duties in a professional, ethical and impartial manner, this Department is committed to identifying and eliminating any instance of unlawful profiling in all areas, including traffic enforcement, field contact, asset forfeiture and other policing efforts. We will retrain if appropriate and discipline when necessary. [1.2.9(a)] The Department is committed to: • Providing fair and impartial police services consistent with constitutional and statutory mandates; • Assuring the highest standard of integrity and ethics among all our members; • Respecting the diversity and the cultural differences of all people; • Taking positive steps to identify, prevent, and eliminate any instances of racial or gender profiling by our members; and