As someone who has conducted training for police in the field of diversity, I am well aware of the challenge of doing this effectively. Increasingly, attention is directed at “divides” in the U.S., including those that evolve around race, ethnicity, gender and gender identity, and religion. Likewise, increasing attention and scrutiny will focus on the impact of these divides on law enforcement.
Too often, diversity training in areas such as education, government and the corporate world becomes a public relations piece. For instance, it is something police departments and law enforcement personnel can point to when someone asks, “What have you done to promote diversity and address issues raised by communities of color? And it can become part of an effective marketing strategy.
Police training can only be successful if it is undertaken with these ten things in mind:
- Leadership support. Any training needs the full, strong support of leadership. I remember teaching on the subject of social problems at a local police academy. From the outset, it was clear that I was “operating on my own.” Academy leaders had simply given the OK to offer this course; they did nothing to make these future police officers aware of its critical importance.
- Leadership involvement. Recently, I conducted training for one of the largest police departments in the U.S. While it was generally well-received and well-attended, some of the leaders at the very top chose not to attend. Their absence was noticeable. When the leader of the department did attend for a brief period of time, he made it clear to me in a private conversation that he did not think his department had a “diversity problem.”
- Connection to the department’s bottom line. It is necessary to make the case for training. To simply present diversity training as the right, moral, or timely thing to do is shortsighted. Rather, it needs to be made absolutely clear to participants as well as the entire organization that this diversity training relates to the department’s mission, core values, and strategic priorities. For instance, the training will it make it possible for officers to preserve the peace and protect the rights of all citizens.
- Diverse learning methods. For training to be effective, it needs to consider the diverse leaning modalities of its participants. While scenario-based learning might work for some, others might benefit more from role-playing, gaming, or blended learning in which computer technology is used. To address diversity, and ignore the intellectual diversity of participants communicates the wrong message.
- Importance of diversity and inclusiveness. At one training program that I facilitated, police leaders were given a short survey that asked them about the diversity and inclusiveness of their department. Interestingly, while many agreed that the department as a whole was becoming more diverse, almost 50% felt that inclusiveness lagged behind. For instance, many officers, particularly officers of color, felt excluded from certain decision- and policy-making activities. Furthermore, many of these activities were given considerable weight in determining who gets promoted.
Note: The five remaining success strategies will be addressed in my next blog.
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