NCJ Number
152152
Journal
Gazette Volume: 56 Issue: 8 Dated: (August 1994) Pages: 19-22
Date Published
1994
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Cultural awareness, cultural sensitivity, and cultural diversity are just some of the terms used to refer to training that provides police officers with cultural knowledge and skills.
Abstract
More and more police agencies are incorporating cultural awareness in their training programs, at least partially in response to new immigrant groups throughout the United States. The term used to describe cultural awareness training should be based on police agency needs and the city and population served. The primary emphasis of cultural awareness training should be on communication. Training administrators should ensure that their programs do not promote more cultural stereotypes than they eliminate. In addition, trainers should recognize that diversity exists within ethnic, racial, and religious groups. Police officers should focus on groups they have encountered and mediation skills they have employed. Considerable debate exists over whether cultural awareness training should focus on changing behavior or on changing attitudes. The need to devise criteria for selecting cultural awareness instructors and instructional methods is emphasized.