he Darien Police Department recently concluded training in “The Fair and Impartial Policing Perspective” through a program developed by the US Department of Justice. The class was presented on May 20th, 27th and June 3rd. The class was instructed by Sergeant Alison Hudyma and Detective Andrew Mastroianni of the Darien Police Department. Every Darien police officer of every rank received the training.
Sergeant Hudyma and Detective Mastroianni attended a 3 day instructor level training course administered by the Department of Justice and hosted by the Norwalk Police Department in March of this year.
“The fair and impartial policing perspective reflects a new way of thinking about the issue of biased policing. It is based on the science of bias, which tells us that biased policing is not, as some contend, due to widespread racism in policing. In fact, the science tells that even well-intentioned humans (and thus, officers) manifest biases that can impact on their perceptions and behavior. These biases can manifest below consciousness.” According to Training Sergeant Bob Shreders, “It is important to acknowledge that these biases exist to ensure police services are delivered in a manner free of irrelevant bias.”