Madison Police Chief Mike Koval appeared on The Tonight Show with Trevor Noah Wednesday night to discuss the question: “Are police biased?”
MPD is one of the few police departments in the nation that conducts extensive bias training. This training has been in place for MPD officers for the past six years.
MPD employs unconscious bias training to combat racism in force
When The Daily Show reporters asked Koval if police have bias, he responded plainly and succinctly.
“Yes, the police have biases,” Koval stated.
After taking the reporters through MPD’s bias training, Koval stressed the importance of talking about the problem.
This statement comes six months after the officer-involved shooting of 19-year-old Tony Robinson, who The Daily Show reporters mentioned multiple times.
“If no one’s talking because we’re all hunkered and bunkered down, there’s no possible way we can move the needle forward,” Koval said. “So I think if nothing else, show affirmative steps that you’re doing something, damn it, that’s going to make the training less likely to end in those outcomes.”
All-in-all, Koval was a good sport throughout the interview.
Watch the full clip below.