How to increase cultural understanding

Abstract

This three-part series seeks to fill the knowledge and practice gap in effectively policing diverse communities by highlighting practical, field-informed approaches for building trust with various segments of our multiracial, multiethnic population. The majority of the contributions in this series are from law enforcement officers of color who, because of their personal and professional experiences, often have an especially nuanced and intimate understanding of the nature of community mistrust among communities of color, as well as what is needed to overcome it. Although the practices and 2 How to Increase Cultural Understanding strategies featured in this series may focus on building relationships between police agencies and specific communities, the majority of these insights are dynamic enough to be applied with multiple racial and ethnic groups. The descriptions of programs and practices, together with multiple tips detailed in this guidebook series, are intended to be a resource for officers of all levels—from the patrol officer interacting with a specific racial or ethnic community to the police chief seeking to transform his or her agency into one that embodies community policing and facilitates community trust building at all levels. This first guide in the series, How to Increase Cultural Understanding, recognizes that police officers may be unfamiliar with some of the communities they are responsible for keeping safe. Residents of these communities may have public safety needs and challenges that are difficult for police to understand. In order for officers to acquire the knowledge necessary to effectively perform their duties and build trust among community members, it is essential that they make an effort to understand the community’s history, diversity, and concerns. This guide provides a brief historical perspective of policing, tips on community-informed policing and maximizing collaboration with communities of color, strategies for how best to build trust during contentious incidents, and information on trauma and community-informed policing strategies.