To help meet the critical need of increasing diversity, cross-cultural competency, and minimizing biased-based policing, the Law Enforcement Innovation Center (LEIC) has developed an Effective Policing: Foundations of Trust certificate in partnership with the Museum of Tolerance.
This course is designed to explore the evolving role of law enforcement in a rapidly changing, and increasingly diverse society. The modules will include interactive activities and critical reflection exercises. LEIC’s research-based curriculum will include content in the following areas: harmonizing with your community, de-escalation, critical decision-making, ethics, and bias mitigation in policing.
We are looking for host agencies for this course. Tuition is waived thanks to partnership funding sources.
Course Objectives:
1. Understand Implicit Bias: Recognize and comprehend the concept of implicit bias and its impact on decision-making, including how it can influence interactions with individuals from different cultures.
2. Harmonizing with your community: Explore the ways that we can look for common ground both in our community and the workplace.
3. Promote Procedural Justice: Understand the principles of procedural justice and their application in law enforcement interactions, emphasizing fair and unbiased treatment of all individuals, regardless of their cultural background.
4. Study Acculturation and Assimilation: Explore the concepts of acculturation and assimilation and their relevance to policing diverse communities, including understanding the challenges faced by individuals adapting to new cultural environments.
5. Challenge Biased Policing: Critically examine the issue of bias-based policing and its impact on marginalized communities, with a focus on developing skills and knowledge to reduce bias and ensure equitable treatment of all individuals.
6. Enhance Self-Awareness: Utilize a toolkit provided to increase self-awareness and develop a deeper understanding of personal biases and cultural assumptions, fostering a more inclusive and culturally sensitive approach to law enforcement.
7. Foster a Global Cultural Perspective: Encourage participants to broaden their view of other cultures, promoting a global cultural perspective that recognizes and appreciates the diversity within communities and enhances effective communication and collaboration.
8. Develop Interpersonal Skills: Enhance participants’ interpersonal skills in cross-cultural interactions, emphasizing active listening, effective communication, empathy, and cultural sensitivity.
9. Implement Best Practices: Apply best practices and evidence-based strategies to reduce bias-based policing and promote cultural competency within law enforcement organizations, fostering a more inclusive and equitable approach to community policing.
By the end of this course, participants will have acquired the knowledge, skills, and tools necessary to challenge their own biases, promote cultural sensitivity, and contribute to the reduction of bias-based policing within their law enforcement agencies.
To host this course or attend please contact Jeff Hundley at jeff.hundley@tennessee.edu or 865-946-3234
