Programs
To Protect and Serve:
Understanding Community and Diversity
In a unique collaboration, RICH has been working with the Providence Police Department to enhance their Police Academy's diversity curriculum. This collaboration is a part of an ongoing effort by the Providence Police Department to find new ways to improve communication between police officers and community members and a priority for RICH, as it looks to apply humanities knowledge and methods where they can best serve our community. This year, with the incorporation of some other relevant Academy training segments including mental health, youth and elderly issues, and domestic violence, and new or expanded segments on language, gender, Hispanic cultures, immigrant populations and community service site visits, the diversity curriculum ran for 45 hours and was implemented between October and December.
In preparation for the start of the 63rd Providence Police Academy, RICH Project Director Pam Steager assessed the needs for support at the Academy, researched and developed curriculum components and worked with an advisory group that has been contributing their expertise to the development of the curriculum for several months. These members include leadership from local community organizations, scholars with expertise in Education, English and Literary Arts, Anthropology and Psychology, former police officers, and Police Academy Staff. Guided by this group of advisors, RICH has reorganized curriculum components to maximize opportunities for building upon the diversity learning experiences, introduced new learning goals for the Academy, and added new program components designed to add layers of interaction, engagement, and, hopefully, meaning (including the addition of short stories and essays focused on diversity issues, new media and workshop pieces, and speakers for the classroom). The program's aim was to strengthen interaction and communication between the Providence Police and the diverse communities they serve and to create professionally relevant and personally resonant learning about cultural values across the boundaries of race, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, gender, age, and ability. The program's goal is to use the humanities to both broaden and deepen police officers understanding of our diverse cultural communities in the capital city.
RICH is currently conducting an evaluation of this pilot in an effort to examine the effectiveness of the program and its resonance with recruits. When the evaluation phase of the project is complete, the Providence Police Department will be provided with an enhanced diversity curriculum, a full evaluation of the project, and a series of recommendations regarding the educational needs in this area for both recruits and in-service officers, with some possible directions and methods to follow.