NCJ Number
98445
Journal
Police Journal Volume: 58 Issue: 2 Dated: (April-June 1985) Pages: 147-162
Date Published
1985
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This essay is an historical account of progress toward police human relations training in the United States over the past 150 years.
Abstract
While the roots of policing can be traced back to a humane and moral underpinning and the police service role is an historical legacy, traditional recruit training has not reflected this. Up until the 1960's only a small proportion of police training time was devoted to noncriminal topics like psychology and human relations. Factors which contributed to a perceived need for police human relations training include public response to police intervention in protest movements, increasing emphasis on due process issues, and a quest for increased police professionalism. Thus, the 1960's were a watershed centering critical attention on the humaneness of the police role. Today human relations training for police recruits is mandated by most States, and only three States have no specific human relations courses. Among major topics recommended for such training are moral authority, legal professionalism, ethics, changes in police role perceptions and attitudes, understanding of minority culture, community relaitons, and development of service skills. It is suggested that the skills values, and concerns expected to be generated by human relations courses are needed in every aspect of police work. A human relations orientation seems to be needed as an underlying foundation for police training. Tabular data and 37 references are provided.