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[BONUS Episode] - Understanding The Roots Of Police Aggression with First Female Chief of Police Penny Harrington

2020 has been a year defined by the covid pandemic and heightened attention to long-standing racial inequality and excessive force in law enforcement. 

This episode is a follow-up interview with Penny Harrington, our guest in episode two. She was the first female to become chief of a police bureau in the United States.

And although the 6% podcast focuses mainly on women in male-dominated fields, at the heart of all of these issues are the same - systemic bias and inequity. This is why I felt that this added episode was important and timely. 

Penny and I talk about the recent horrifying cases of people of color being subjected to excessive police force, training programs that contributed to the law enforcement culture, how technology has impacted policing, and how hiring more women in the police force can help de-escalate potentially deadly encounters. 

We also discuss Penny’s intervention with a problematic police officer, why she banned the use of the chokehold in 1985, and why a massive cultural change in the police force and a societal shift in the country are the lasting solutions to this long-standing issue.

Episode highlights:

  • Why we need to raise our children to value racial equality
  • Penny’s insightful research on police brutality
  • Why female police officers are greatly needed today
  • Why de-escalation of conflict should be valued in the police training
  • The lack of accountability of police officers and encouragement of shootings 
  • Absence of gun control and its effect on policing
  • The role of counseling in the police force
  • Political inaction and its effects

Get in Touch with Penny:

  • www.pennyharrington.com
  • Email: chiefpenny@aol.com

Please consider supporting organizations that challenge racial injustice:

  • Equal Justice Initiative
  • Black Lives Matter 
  • NAACP

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