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Leadership-backed training is key to better policing, according to research

As communities across the U.S. continue to grapple with public safety and police reform, a study in Management Science offers compelling evidence for a path forward: Procedural justice training for police officers, backed by leadership support, can significantly improve officer behavior and strengthen community trust.

"At a time when communities are calling for both safer streets and meaningful police reform, our findings offer an important starting point," says Rodrigo Canales, lead author of the study and professor at Boston University.

"When backed by leadership, procedural justice training—focused on respect, transparency, impartiality and giving a voice to citizens—can fundamentally reshape how officers engage with the public and rebuild trust where it's been lost."

The study, "Shaping Police Officer Mindsets and Behaviors: Experimental Evidence of Procedural Justice Training," was conducted in partnership with the Mexico City Police Department between 2017 and 2018. Despite its international setting, the research holds powerful implications for U.S. cities striving to improve police-community relations.

Using an innovative "mystery shopper" method—trained actors posed as civilians in real-life police encounters—researchers evaluated the impact of procedural justice training on officer behavior. The results were clear:

• Trained officers demonstrated more respectful, fair and transparent interactions with citizens. Critically, trained officers were much less likely to engage in the types of negative behaviors that leave citizens feeling disrespected or can trigger escalations.
• Leadership matters. When supervisors also received training, behavioral improvements were more pronounced for their subordinates.
• Culture change requires incentives. Lasting impact occurred when organizational incentives reinforced procedural justice principles.

"This study shows that training alone isn't enough. Sustainable change requires leadership buy-in and systems that integrate procedural justice into how a department operates," adds Canales. "Communities won't trust the police until the police demonstrate trustworthy behavior. And police officers have a harder time exercising procedural justice externally when they don't experience it from their superiors and their organization."

As cities, from New York to Los Angeles, debate new models of policing, this study provides timely, evidence-based insight into what actually works—and what's needed to restore public trust.