Why is it important to have a diverse police service Why is diversity so important in policing? This is a good question, because when officers are "sworn in" as police officers, they promise to perform their duties "without fear or favour." In other words, they are bound by an oath to treat everyone equally. The answer lies in 1829, when Sir Robert Peel, the founder of modern policing, said, "The police are the public and the public is the police." Simply put, this means that it is everyone`s duty to comply with the laws of the land. It turns out that the police are the public who are paid for it. It`s a simple but important concept. Crimes are not solved in a vacuum. They are resolved when the public provides information and members of the public only come forward if they trust the police. If that trust is not there, people do not get involved in the police and trust can only be established if the public believes they are the police, which means that the officers they deal with might as well be members of their community. But communities are not geographical. They can be defined by a variety of common traits, including age, gender, and culture, and much, much more. However, when the public appears markedly different from their police service, it creates a distance between the two and the feeling that the police service is no longer serving their community.
If this distance is too great or, worse, distorted, the relationship between the police and the public breaks to the detriment of all. Ensuring that the composition of the police service reflects all segments of society, including, and perhaps particularly under-represented groups, because they are disproportionately affected by crime, helps build that trust. If the police can show that they have a truly diverse workforce, the message they are sending to the public is clear: the police are there to serve everyone. He tells the public; We are like you and just like you, we want to keep all our communities safe. Allpolicejobs` mission is to create the most diverse police service possible by promoting a policing career among these underrepresented groups. This is a bold goal, but it is crucial, because unless police services truly become diverse in all their forms, they will not be sufficient in the services they provide to their communities. In short, Sir Robert Peel was right two hundred years ago, and he is right today. The police are the public and the public is the police. As part of her efforts, Tina Orr Munro`s Policing Insight editor worked with six law enforcement agencies to further examine their efforts related to recruiting, hiring and retaining ethnic minorities, women and other underrepresented populations. This section highlights each of these organizations and provides a description of the promising practices they are adopting that are likely responsible for their success in attracting and maintaining a diverse and representative police service. Each organization was invited to discuss recruitment, hiring and retention practices. This report highlights their most compelling efforts in one or more of these areas.
The case studies and examples mentioned below highlight successful practices, but each organization surveyed also recognized the need for further progress to better reflect the diversity of the communities they serve. As agencies seek to increase their diversity, some agencies have worked to hire non-U.S. citizens, based on relevant state laws. Citizens, provided they have lawful permanent residents or a legal work permit. We would like to acknowledge the work of the Center for Policing Equity (CPE), which has partnered on this initiative. CPE`s research, analysis and expertise were crucial throughout the process. We would also like to thank the hundreds of people from across the country who agreed to participate in this effort. Over the past year, we have had extensive contact with law enforcement leaders, officers and executives. national police organizations; federal law enforcement agencies; community stakeholders; and others to learn directly from you about the challenges you face, the changes you`re working to implement, and the resources and tools you need to accelerate the pace of progress.
California Senator Anthony Portantino agrees. He created a law, SB-387, also called the LEARN Act. The original purpose of the law was to improve and expand curriculum requirements for police officers and establish recruitment programs to increase diversity in state departments. Build a career pipeline with youth. One strategy to create a pool of skilled and diverse recruits is to connect with local middle and high school youth, as well as post-secondary institutions. As a result, the Richmond RFP has relied on the Police Exploration Program since the 1970s. The goal of the Police Explorer program is to educate youth about local law enforcement as a potential career option. This introduction to local law enforcement is a first step in preparing future recruits. The program operates in the same way as a preparatory training institute, and accepted candidates are assigned to the Richmond Patrol Unit at the internship level. Program recruits must commit to serving at least 20 hours per month. The program is open to anyone between the ages of 14 and 20 in the region and has attracted a diverse group of people. Richmond believes the Police Exploration Program will be a useful tool to ensure that the organization`s demographics continue to reflect the makeup of the community as a whole.
Many police services require diversity training at some level. It is not prudent for officers or civilians to leave room for serious misunderstandings based on assumptions. But simply trying to avoid danger or criticism is a different motivation than truly celebrating the benefits diversity can bring. While the spotlight on these issues is more important than in the past, for many, including law enforcement officials, government officials, and community leaders, this is only one part of a decades-long conversation about how law enforcement and the communities they serve can better work together. Efforts to promote diversity within the law enforcement profession have been particularly challenging. He continued: "The perception of law enforcement today is not the best. But that`s one of the things we`re working on to try to rebuild that trust and build that relationship, which I think will help break down that barrier for young people of color in law enforcement. The study also notes that the impact of diversity in policing is more complex than is often thought. Although this study focused on race, ethnicity and gender, police officers are multidimensional people. This means that implementing effective workforce reforms will likely require thinking beyond these categories. Nevertheless, the study provides a framework for other researchers to assess and reassess the impact of diversity in policing in America. During this initiative, the Department`s Department of Civil Liberties and the EEOC worked with law enforcement, civil rights activists, academic experts, city officials, and other stakeholders to leverage the many existing research and success models used by organizations across the country to remove barriers to diversity.
The CIP led much of these outreach and engagement efforts. Overall, it is hoped that this initiative to promote diversity in law enforcement will fuel ongoing conversations on this difficult and important issue and serve as a resource for law enforcement and other stakeholders across the country. The Commanding Officer admits that their mentoring program is nowhere documented as a formal policy, but the Commanding Officer, who has human resources training, takes seriously the responsibility of promoting the professional development of his staff.