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Newport News Police Department
ADMINISTRATIVE MANUAL
ADM - 214 – IMPLICIT BIAS POLICY
Amends/Supersedes: NEW Date of Issue: 08/11/2025
I. GENERAL
A. The Newport News Police Department is committed to providing public safety and law enforcement
services impartially and without prejudice or discrimination.
B. The department recognizes that when employees engage in unlawful (§ 52-30.1, § 15.2-1722.1) and
improper bias in their official duties, it undermines the legitimacy of the entire department. For that
reason, the Newport News Police Department does not condone the illegal and unethical practice of
profiling individuals based specified characteristics when conducting law enforcement and other
department activities. [1.2.9(a)]
II. DEFINITIONS
A. Bias-based Profiling – actions based solely on the real or perceived race, ethnicity age, gender, or any
combination thereof, or other noncriminal characteristics of an individual, except when such
characteristics are used in combination with other identifying factors in seek to apprehend a suspect who
matches a specific description (§ 52-30.1).
B. Specified Characteristics – real or perceived personal characteristics to include, but is not limited to, race,
ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, economic status or gender.
III. PROCEDURES
A. Officers are prohibited from engaging in bias-based profiling in the performance of their duties in
accordance with § 15.2-1722.1 of the Code of Virginia, which prohibits law enforcement officer from
engaging in bias-based profiling (as defined in § 52-30.1) in the performance of their official duties.
[1.2.9(a)]
B. Agency personnel are prohibited from using specified characteristics as the sole basis of enforcement
action or service related decisions. [1.2.9(a)]
C. Specified characteristics may be considered when credible, timely information, related to suspect
descriptions and identifying factors, is available. When determining whether to stop an individual with
specified characteristics matching a suspect, the current location of the individual in comparison to the
location and time of the offense must be considered.
D. This policy does not prevent use of specified characteristics to help develop and/or focus programs
intended to strengthen the department’s relationships with various communities and populations.
E. Complaints, whether generated by the community (citizen complaint) or the department, will be
reported to the Internal Affairs Division and investigated following procedures found in ADM-270
Administrative/Internal Investigations. Employees who violate this policy are subject to disciplinary
action and, when appropriate remedial training on this policy and bias issues. [1.2.9(d)]
F. All employees whose position involves in-person contact with the public will:
1. Review this policy annually, acknowledging this review in Power Policy. [1.2.9(b)]
2. Receive training in biased issues, including legal aspects within 30 days of their hiring date or
academy graduation, or before they are released from their training program. [1.2.9(c)]
3. Complete refresher and/or in-service training, as directed by the Chief of Police and mandated by the
Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services. [1.2.9(d)]
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