Multiculturalism in Policing - ADJ 233 at Virginia Peninsula Community College
https://courses.vccs.edu/colleges/vpcc/courses/ADJ233-MulticulturalisminPolicing
Effective: 2022-01-01
Course Description
Examines the impacts of historical events and social changes on law enforcement. Evaluates the complexity of providing police services to multicultural communities. Develops sensitivity and understanding of diverse populations and communities of color.
Lecture 3 hours. Total 3 hours per week.
3 credits
The course outline below was developed as part of a statewide standardization process.
General Course Purpose
ADJ 233 provides a foundation for increasing cultural understanding when serving diverse communities.
Course Objectives
- Multicultural Communities
- Define and recognize/provide examples of vocabulary terms pertaining to multiculturalism.
- Describe the impact of multicultural communities on law enforcement.
- Identify barriers in fostering positive police-community relations with persons from diverse backgrounds.
- Summarize key historical events, practices, and perspectives that impact law enforcement relationships with multicultural communities.
- Evaluate efforts law enforcement leaders and managers have attempted to promote bias-free policing in a multicultural society.
- Explain what it means to provide police services fairly to all community members.
- Recognize unique public safety challenges associated with people's cultural identification, lifestyle, or characteristics.
- Diversity in Law Enforcement Agencies
- Describe how the racial, ethnic, gender, and lifestyle composition of law enforcement agencies is changing in the United States.
- Explain the rationales for hiring, retaining, and promoting a diverse workforce in law enforcement agencies.
- Explain the impacts of prejudice and racism on employees in law enforcement agencies.
- Identify methods for identifying and diffusing prejudicial conduct by employees.
- Evaluate strategies for recruiting, retaining, and promoting women and minorities for law enforcement employment.
- Cross-Cultural Communication for Law Enforcement
- Recognize verbal and nonverbal communication style differences across cultures.
- Describe common communication barriers and the potential for cross-cultural misunderstanding based on communication styles used by different cultural groups.
- Describe how communication can prevent and de-escalate confrontation across cultures.
- Describe appropriate communication for law enforcement employees.
- Law Enforcement Relations with Multicultural Communities
- Describe the backgrounds of different cultural communities, especially as they relate to the dynamics between citizens and police.
- Recognize relevant aspects of demographic features and diversity within cultural groups, including those of class, culture, and religion.
- Identify the myths and stereotypes associated with different cultural groups.
- Explain the impact of key historical events involving different cultural groups and law enforcement.
- Discuss key issues associated with law enforcement contact in different cultural communities.
- Discuss inequities that arise or have arisen in the application of specific law enforcement tactics.
- Law Enforcement Engagement with Special Populations
- Identify special groups with which law enforcement engages, such as victims of specific crimes, criminal organizations, and/or persons with unique needs or interests.
- Recognize major characteristics of special populations, such as victims of specific crimes, criminal organizations, and/or persons with unique needs or interests.
- Examine law enforcement strategies to address needs associated with special populations.
- Describe the potential for misunderstanding based on characteristics or behaviors associated with persons who are homeless or mentally ill.
- Identify ways that police agencies can protect vulnerable community members, particularly those who are mentally ill.
- Hate/Bias Crimes
- Describe the hate crime problem, including historical perspectives, and the nationwide reporting system for hate crime data collection.
- Identify hate crimes related to cultural identification, religion, sexual orientation and gender identity, race ethnicity, and national origin.
- Identify extremist hate groups, and the organizations that monitor them.
- Explain hate crime laws, investigative procedures, and offender prosecution.
- Define implicit bias and describe its impacts on community-law enforcement relations.
- Define racial profiling and explain problems associated with using inconsistent definitions.
- Explain the historical use of racial profiling in law enforcement and problems caused by racial profiling.
- Evaluate approaches used by police departments to prevent racial profiling.
- Identify long term solutions to building and sustaining community trust.
Major Topics to be Included
- Multicultural Communities
- Diversity in Law Enforcement Agencies
- Cross-Cultural Communication for Law Enforcement
- Law Enforcement Relations with Multicultural Communities
- Law Enforcement Engagement with Special Populations
- Hate/Bias Crimes
- Racial Profiling and Implicit Bias