NCJ Number
171795
Date Published
1997
Length
28 pages
Annotation
This manual contains the material that is taught in the cultural awareness training course for California law enforcement officers.
Abstract
A background section outlines five principles for training police officers in cultural awareness. This is followed by material that constitutes an introduction to cultural awareness, whose objective is to have the student understand the definition of key terms and the legal basis for cultural awareness training. This section explains Federal and State laws that require police to perform their duties uniformly and consistently without bias based on citizen characteristics. The second major section of the manual focuses on the elements of cultures. The intent of this section is to give students an understanding of the elements common to all cultures and the complexity of those elements, as well as the components of culture. The latter include customs (art, music, food, ceremonies and rituals, and family and kinship); religion; values; language; and law enforcement. The manual's third section addresses immigrant and racial groups in California. This section instructs the student about the various immigrant and racial groups in California and their immigration patterns. The fourth section addresses cultural perception, which pertains to the student's understanding of the factors involved in developing one's perceptions, feelings, biases, and thoughts as they relate to immigrant and racial differences. The remaining sections of the manual focus on hate crimes as they relate to immigrant and racial groups as well as lifestyle, communication skills, and factors that could impact agency cultural awareness training and the potential for litigation. The manual concludes with a set of exercises.