Introduction
Working with diverse populations, police officers have to deal with at least three challenges: racism, language barrier, and cultural responsiveness. The United States of America is probably the most diverse country as it is a home for representatives of numerous cultures and ethnicities. While society benefits from diversity, police officers encounter additional challenges trying to maintain security of the neighborhoods.
Challenges and Solutions
Overcoming racism through training
The first and the most important challenges police officers have to deal with is racism. For example, when a police officer approaches an African American teenager for a check purpose, the black young man may consider this approach as a sign of racism. While there are no research studies supporting the assumption that African Americans are more likely to be involved in criminal activities, it is hardly possible to deny that due to social factors police officers consider it necessary to check every person who may be anyhow related to criminal activities. Nevertheless, it cannot be denied that police officers may approach African Americans more frequently than representatives of other races only due to their racist attitude.
One of the solutions to avoid racism among police officers is to ensure proper training on race-blind targeting of population. For example, police officers should be trained to identity and approach only those people who fit the portrait of a criminal based on factors other than race. Adequate training will improve the efficiency of regular checks and decrease the social tensions related to racism among police officers. Training on race-blind targeting should be both theoretical and practical. In other words, training should include field activities to ensure that police officers are able to apply gained skills in practice.
Avoiding language barrier through language courses
Language barrier is the second challenges for police officers working with diverse populations. For example, when a person convicted in criminal activity is arrested, police officer is not able to declare the rights of that person only because an arrestee will not understand them. As a result, violation of human rights protected by constitution occurs. Furthermore, language barrier contributes to the rise in criminal activity. Professor Mark Prosser conducted an investigation in Strom Lake, a city located in rural Iowa. According to his research, the arrival of Sudanese immigrants contributed to the proliferation of street gangs, ethnic groups who developed a philosophy of taking care of business in the rural community and protecting residents from newcomers (Prosser, 2007). Taking into account that the vast majority of Sudanese residents lack any knowledge of English language, police officers do not have a chance to explain the fundamental principles of personal safety.
The solution to the language barrier challenge is two-sided. From one side, police officers should be encouraged to attend language courses. For example, police officers working in the community that consists of Spanish speakers majority should attend Spanish language courses. Thus, the choice of the language study should depend on the representation within each particular community. On the other side, the local authorities should provide local population with free or very cheap courses for improving English proficiency.
Becoming culturally sensitive through proper interpretation of cultural attributes
The third challenge is lack of cultural responsiveness. In particular, police officers are not aware of the cultural attributes of minority groups. For example, tattoos can be read by police officers as the sign of belonging to a criminal gang while in reality tattoos may symbolize something important for a specific cultural group. The same principle applies to the other cultural attributes such as patterns of interpersonal communication, clothes style, etc. Failure to recognize and interpret properly these cultural attributes results in biased attitude towards minorities. The special attention should be paid by culturally formed attitudes of minorities toward the police officers. It is not a secret that most minorities, especially within African American groups, have extremely negative perceptions of the role played by police officers in keeping neighborhoods safe.
Similar to the racism challenge, the solution to the lack of cultural sensitivity is embedded in the inappropriate training police officers get on diversity issues. Daniells (2001) notes that police officers should recognize the cultural diversity as a fundamental feature of society. Moreover, police officers should be committed to providing quality services which are sensitive and equally responsive to all members of community despite of their belonging to a racial or ethnical minority. Proper interpretation of the culturally specific attributes will further enhance the quality of policing service and reduce the cultural insensitivity among police officers.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the primary responsibility of police officers is to ensure safety of American citizens. Diversity of the American society creates several challenges for the police officers. In particular, police officers have to ensure that their service is free of discrimination, language barrier does not become a barrier in provision of proper service, and cultural sensitivity eliminates biased attitudes toward specific minority groups. As the conducted research reveals, these challenges can be addressed through efficient and targeted training, either community- or job-based. Regular training will empower police officers to provide quality service to all members of the community, despite of their race or ethnicity.
References
Daniells, G. (2001). WA police ethnic advisory council. Australian Institute of Criminology. Web.
Prosser, M. (2007). Policing a Diverse Community. Police Chief Magazine. Web.