NCJ Number
81045
Date Published
1980
Length
141 pages
Annotation
This study examines the racial and ethnic implications of police hiring, training, promotion, and career development policies in Ontario, Canada. It is intended to assist the police community as it faces the challenges of an increasingly complex and pluralistic society.
Abstract
Data were obtained from questionnaires sent to 128 Ontario police forces, from interviews with government officials and police officers, from written submissions by ethnic minorities, and from the proceedings of 2 conferences on law enforcement and race relations. The report indicates that police attitudes and behaviors are crucial to better community relations. The Ontario Police Commission, the Boards of Commissioners of Police and Municipal Councils, and political leaders can all play a role in improving multicultural relations. A major problem is the paucity of ethnic minorities in many of Ontario's police forces. Such police agencies should institute positive recruitment programs and should take aggressive steps to correct the negative perception that minority groups have of the police. Changes in police recruitment practices that have taken place so far, such as the relaxation of height and weight criteria, will have salutary effects in promoting equality of opportunity and fairness in the recruitment process. In addition, psychological assessments used in police selection should be seen as supplementary to the information that personnel officers obtain on their applicants and not as a substitute for the other selection tools. Also, there is a need to increase the professionalism of police officers, rather than upgrade their level of education. A multicultural program should be introduced into police officers' training to help close the gap between the police and the community they serve by presenting positive attitudes toward Ontario's multicultural community. Other recommendations in the areas of police promotion, career development, and the role of the media in promoting better policy-community relations are given. A table, footnotes, about 50 references, lists of study participants, and other information are included.