A Pedagogical Framework for Race Conscious Policing Education

Given the historical and contemporary relationship between American policing and communities of color, this article argues for integrating critical race theory (CRT) into university-level policing courses. The article elucidates how specific tenets of CRT, such as the ordinariness and institutional nature of racism, the social construction of race, critiques of liberalism and colorblindness, interest convergence, counter-storytelling, and intersectionality, can facilitate students’ examination of the interplay between race, law, power, and policing. The article proposes a structured semester-long assignment designed to foster historical understanding, positional reflection, counternarrative engagement, and equity-oriented professional practice. Accordingly, the article also provides instructor-ready materials and outlines a mixed-method agenda for assessing student learning and professional transfer across multiple course offerings. CRT is presented as a pedagogical framework for preparing future criminal justice practitioners to recognize, analyze, and respond to systemic bias in policing.