Rashawn Ray comments on police reform on Texas Public Radio
Dr. Ray was one of three expert guests in a 48 minute discussion with interviewer David Martin Davies of "The Source" on Texas Public Radio. Recent protests have renewed the discussion of police reform. There has been much discussion on "defunding the police", but not much agreement on what that means. Dr. Ray offered extensive comments reflecting on the discussion involving policy proposals that include increasing accountability for officers and taking power back from unions; demilitarizing police departments and prioritizing deescalation over use-of-force tactics; making public safety budgeting a transparent and public process; community policing and more. In the area of police training, Dr. Ray zooms in on the disparity of time spent on weapons training vs. de-escalation training and how that is reflected in how fast an officer may move to the use of force instead of de-escalation.