Cultural Diversity and Sensitivity Training

Cultural Diversity and Community Relations

• Interactions between peace officers and various religious, racial, ethnic, and cultural groups are crucial in cultural diversity.
• Officer's sensitivity to issues of gender and preferences is essential.
• Practical exercises and role plays are used to develop effective communication skills.

Objectives

• Identify how citizen's pre-set attitudes or stereotypes can influence an encounter with the police.
• Identify at least four common perceptions or stereotypes citizens have of police.
• Identify at least four major cultural or ethnic groups in their community.
• Identify each group with its approximate population and ratio in their community.
• Identify at least two common myths or stereotypes about the groups cited.
• Identify the importance of good community relations in successful police work.
• Utilize proper verbal and non-verbal behavior in an interaction with a member of a cultural or ethnic group.

Unique Needs of Each Culture

• Different religions have unique worship days (e.g., Saturday or Sunday).
• Different cultures have specific food preferences or restrictions.
• Other cultural differences may exist.

Obligation to Work with All Persons

• Ethical obligation to work with all persons.
• Legal obligation to treat all persons fairly.
• Obligation to treat all persons with respect and dignity.

Managing Cultural Diversity

• Enjoy the differences through training and education.
• Create an environment that encourages positive behavior.
• Be aware of your own values and attitudes.
• Develop interpersonal skills through active listening and feedback.

Developing Values and Attitudes

• Values and attitudes are learned through socialization.
• Prejudice can be learned from institutions of socialization (e.g., family, church, school, government, media, jobs, military).
• Ethnocentricity is being oriented to one's own group and judging outsiders by their standards and values.
• Xenophobia is being afraid of or rejecting all others except those from your own group.

Mission of Criminal Justice System

• Social control is the mission of the criminal justice system.
• To protect and serve is the mission of law enforcement.

Sources of Minority Conflicts

• Historical factors (e.g., racism, immigration).
• Cultural barriers (e.g., language, beliefs, religion).
• Economic circumstances (e.g., loss of job, declining living standards).
• Class consciousness and exclusionist attitudes can contribute to minority conflicts.

Perceptions of Police

• Perceptions of police dictate how an encounter will be handled.
• Uncooperativeness can result from misunderstanding, past experience, or bad-day stress.
• Cooperativeness can result from respect for authority or fear.

Perceptions or Stereotypes of Police Officers

• Citizens may have stereotypes or myths about police officers (e.g., "eat donuts," "like to beat people up," "badge heavy," "cynical," "on the take," "ticket quotas").

Community Makeup

• Communities are diverse and composed of various groups (e.g., Hispanic, Afro-American, Asian, Jewish, college students).

Stereotypes or Myths about Cultural Groups

• Hispanic stereotypes: speak no English or speak with an accent, men have slicked back greasy hair.
• Afro-American stereotypes: do not like to work, live together but do not marry, hate police.
• Native American stereotypes: drunks, cannot hold their liquor, stupid.
• Asian stereotypes: sneaky, own "quick shops."
• Jewish stereotypes: control all the money, tight.

Role Playing

• Various role-playing scenarios can help officers develop effective communication skills (e.g., "macho" male police officer making a traffic stop on a "sweet young thing," stopping a group of Afro-Americans suspected of gang affiliation).

Community Relations

• Police must work with citizens, businesses, schools, and other government institutions.
• Police officers are held to a higher standard by public expectations, legal standards, department policies, and professional ethics.