Cultural Awareness and Ethics

Cultural Awareness

• Culture includes shared beliefs, values, ways of thinking, behaviors, customs, and traditions
• Culture is learned and passed down, shaping conscious and unconscious behaviors
• Culture encompasses groups from specific areas (e.g., Californians) or national origins (e.g., Mexicans)
• Cultural groups are affiliations sharing sociocultural characteristics
• In the U.S., cultural groups often relate to national origins
• Cultural groups are based on common history, geography, political agreement, beliefs, customs, artistic basis, morals, laws, linguistic bonds, and racial background
• Subcultural groups have associations within a larger culture, sharing values, beliefs, and experiences
• Subcultural groups examples include law enforcement, criminal groups/gangs, and the LGBTQ community

Ethnics

• Peace officers should avoid belittling ethnic jokes, offensive slurs, and generalizing phrases
• Personal values conflicting with organizational missions undermine public trust
• Ethnic groups share nationality, ancestry, language, history, and race
• Ethnic group members feel connected through national origin or ethnicity
• U.S. ethnic groups are based on nationality (e.g., Mexicans, Koreans) or race
• Identifying with a cultural/ethnic group fosters pride, shared beliefs, and personal identity
• Cultural/ethnic groups offer security, establish expected behaviors, teach survival skills, create relationship patterns, aid adaptation, and enable communication

Example Scenario

• Officers accommodate a DUI suspect's cultural concerns by switching roles to avoid "losing face"
• The male officer became the “contact” officer and the female officer took the “cover” position, so the suspect was taken into custody without incident.

Race

• Race categorizes humans into ancestral groups by heritable characteristics
• Physical features like skin color, cranial or facial features, and hair texture indicate race
• "Race" is a social construct lacking scientific basis
• Racism asserts inherent superiority of one race

Stereotype

• Stereotypes are preconceived generalizations (positive or negative) about a group
• Stereotyped individuals are seen with specific traits and abilities
• Stereotypes are based on nationality, ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, age, and physical ability
• Stereotyping is a natural human tendency
• Stereotypes process information, simplify environments, and fill information gaps

Dangerous Assumptions & Stereotypes

• Stereotyping can cause overreactions and results from differing contact levels with other groups
• Stereotyping ascribes differences and leads to positive/negative judgments
• Key dangerous stereotype assumptions: group characteristics are accurate and shared by all members
• Experiences shape attitudes toward government and law enforcement

Stereotypes of Officers

• Apathetic behavior is reinforced by insensitive actions and a lack of empathy
• Unethical conduct is reinforced by accepting gratuities, abusing authority, adhering to a code of silence, officer brutality, corruption, or abusing publicly owned equipment

Discriminate Stereotype

• Discriminating behaviors include targeting certain groups or applying different enforcement standards
• Projecting a poor public image includes being overweight, wearing sloppy uniforms, or having inappropriate demeanor/body language
• Being unable or unwilling to handle service calls involves inadequately trained officers or unwillingness to apply job skills

How Officers can help counter stereotypes

• Consider their own safety and the safety of others at all times, demonstrating empathy, and being sensitive to the person’s needs and concerns
• Adhering to the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics/Code of Professional Conduct, holding themselves and peers to the highest standards of behavior, and using public vehicles for public business only
• Being aware of their own stereotypes, treating all people in a professional manner, remaining impartial and not allowing a bad experience on one call to affect judgement on another
• Adopting a lifestyle conducive to lifelong fitness, demonstrating pride in their personal appearance, controlling their temper and emotions, and treating others as they would wish to be treated
• Responding promptly and courteously to all calls, and acknowledging their own limitations and calling for assistance when needed.

Bias

• Bias includes race, age, gender, and ethnicity
• Biased individuals believe their biases are correct, regardless of truth
• Prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination differ but share similarities
• Each bias form involves judging without factual knowledge, with distinct focus

Prejudice

• Prejudice is prejudgment about a person or group, formed before knowing the facts
• Prejudice is a process and learned attitude, shaping thinking based on misconceptions, misunderstandings, and inflexible generalizations

Prejudice vs. Stereotype

• Law enforcement is prone to "us" versus "them" prejudices against outsiders
• Prejudicial attitudes in law enforcement can lead to abuse and must not be tolerated
• Overlooking prejudice erodes trust, invites media scrutiny, spurs complaints/lawsuits, and risks disciplinary action

Positive Officer Behaviors

• Treating all individuals with dignity and respect is critical
• Officers aim for complete, accurate information safely
• Conduct impacts interactions, either helping or hindering the process
• Developing communication skills improves information quality, cooperation, confidence, caring attitudes, officer safety, and law enforcement image

Communicating with Individuals who do not speak English

• Officers should be patient, speak slowly and clearly, maintain a normal volume, face the person (even with a translator), use simple sentences, and pause frequently
• Allow time to respond, rephrase as needed, use gestures/writing, encourage, and summarize for comprehension

Guidelines for Cross-Cultural Communication

• Speak with the most appropriate person such as the head of the family or from a respected community leader
• Time should be taken to allow an appropriate level of trust to be built
• Information may be expressed in different ways, not all cultures communicate in a linear manner
• Understanding the meaning of ‘yes’ an answer of yes may mean respect rather than a confirmation

Forms of communication to avoid

• Profanity: negatively affects professional image
• Derogatory/offensive language: detracts from effectiveness, causes non-cooperation, shows insensitivity
• Law enforcement jargon: causes confusion/mistrust, is demeaning

Examples of Effective Communication Scenarios

• An officer helps a lost Korean woman by speaking calmly, using a translator, and providing reassurance
• An officer recognizes a boy's possible autism, avoids touching him, and attempts family contact
• An officer addresses the authority figure in a Hispanic family during a traffic stop for effective communication