Overview
The purpose of this report is to provide an update on POST efforts to advance the “Principled Policing: Procedural Justice and Implicit Bias” course and infuse the tenets of Principled Policing within POST courses and programs. Principled Policing, specifically procedural justice and implicit bias, teaches policing approaches that emphasis respect, listening, neutrality, and trust (Procedural Justice). It simultaneously addresses the common implicit biases that can be barriers to these approaches (Implicit Bias). Law enforcement can improve trust and relationships between law enforcement agencies and their communities by using these principles to evaluate their policies, procedures and training within their departments.
Expenditures
The 2017 budget, signed by Governor Jerry Brown, allocates five million dollars for POST, to be used to continue the development and presentation of POST certified, Principled Policing training programs. A total of $151,000 from these funds was spent in FY 2016-17. The $151,000 includes $120,000 for training presentation costs and $31,000 for training reimbursements. The remaining balance of $4.849 million is available for encumbrance or expenditure until June 30, 2021. (Please note FY 2017-18 expenditure data is not yet available due to the State’s transition to the new “FI$Cal” system.)
POST anticipates expenditures will increase exponentially with the expansion of the program as the cadre of trained instructors multiplies, additional agencies certify their Principled Policing courses and progress is achieved in support components such as additional videos and the on-line “tool kit.”
Principled Policing (8 Hours)
The one-day (8-hour) course is designed to help law enforcement officers overcome barriers to neutral policing, and rebuilding the relationship of trust between law enforcement and the community. This course fosters a learning environment where attendees can engage in honest dialogue which includes addressing the way implicit bias in policing undermines public trust, and the devastating effects it can have on the safety and well-being of our communities. The course is free to participating POST agencies, and satisfies Continuing Professional Training (CPT):
The course contains 5 key modules.
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Module 1- Interactive Nature of Legitimacy, Procedural Justice, Implicit Bias and Goals
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Module 2- Expectations and Legitimacy
- Module 3- Procedural Justice
- Module 4- Historical and Generational Effects of Policing
- Module 5- Implicit Bias
Course participants learn by reviewing research findings, watching video clips and PowerPoint presentations illustrating key points, hearing from officers who share personal experiences with community members, participating in group exercises, and engaging in frank and honest dialogue. The training also includes discussions about the goals and motivations of police officers, the sources of stress and cynicism in policing, the historical and generational effects of policing, and finally, strategies for simultaneously enhancing police-community trust and improving the health and safety of police officers. All participants must complete a pre-course and post-course survey, which Stanford University compiles and analyzes in order to assess the effectiveness of the course.
There are currently 13 presenters certified to offer this 8 hour course. They are the CA Department of Justice, South Bay Regional Training Consortium, CSU Long Beach, Stockton Police Department, San Bernardino Police Department, Richmond Police Department, Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, Elk Grove Police Department, San Francisco Police Department, Sacramento Sheriff’s Department, San Jose Police Department, Contra Costa Sheriff’s Department, and San Diego Regional Training Center.
An additional five agencies are in the certification process. They are the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department, Chino Police Department, San Francisco Sheriff’s Department, Martinez Police Department, and Berkeley Police Department. POST anticipates approximately 48 course offerings for FY 2017-18 for an approximate cost of $518,400. A total of 1,249 students have completed this course to date.
Principled Policing Train the Trainer (16 Hours)
The two-day (16-hour) course provides a “how-to” on teaching those policing approaches which emphasize respect, listening, neutrality, and trust while also addressing the common implicit biases which can be barriers to these approaches. The “Train-the- Trainer” curriculum was designed to enable officers from law enforcement agencies to gain knowledge and skills to effectively teach the concepts of procedural justice and implicit bias to others within their departments, as well as to tailor the training to their specific needs and community history.
There are currently four presenters certified to offer this 16 hour course. They are the Stockton Police Department, CA Department of Justice, CSU Long Beach, and South Bay Regional Training Consortium. POST anticipates approximately 16 course offerings for FY 2017-18 for an approximate cost of $288,000. A total of 203 students have completed this course to date.
Principled Policing Facilitators Assessment Workshops
This workshop is designed to support the Principled Policing Train the Trainer course and is intended for instructors that will be delivering this course to other agencies. The course emphasizes delivery of the material and builds on the content learned from the Principled Policing Train the Trainer Course. The workshop enables attendees to further refine their ability, skill, and expertise in facilitating the nuances of the curriculum’s five modules. The Principled Policing Train the Trainer course is a prerequisite for attending. There have been two presentations of the Facilitators Assessment Workshop to date.
Principled Policing Mentor Program
As it is imperative to ensure the tenets of the Procedural Justice process are consistently and effectively taught by all law enforcement trainers, POST will provide training mentors who will be available for all agencies upon request to provide one-on-one coaching and mentoring to their department and community instructors. The mentors will consist of the trainers from Stockton and Oakland Police Department and other instructors who have been involved in the development of the courses and currently facilitate the train the trainer courses.
Stanford Principled Policing and Implicit Bias Toolkit
POST is finalizing a contract in the amount of $98,994 with Stanford University’s Social Psychological Answers to Real World Problems (SPARQ) to support the expansion and dissemination of their on-line Policing Racial Bias Toolkit. This “toolkit” provides Principled Policing course presenters with the necessary curriculum resources to improve the instructor’s ability to recognize, understand, and achieve the course goals and learning outcomes.
Principled Policing Videos
The “Did You Know? – Procedural Justice” video emphasizes the four tenets of Procedural Justice: Voice, Neutrality, Respect, and Trustworthiness. These tenets are modeled by the officer during a traffic stop and conversation with the driver of the stopped vehicle. This video is the recipient of two Emmy awards and, to date, has been viewed 5,562 times with 567 downloads for independent agency viewing. POST is working on the development of another “Did You Know?” video that will emphasize how principled policing builds trust and increases law enforcement ability to serve in refugee communities. Totals costs for a “Did You Know?” video, including production and related administrative expenditures (subject matter experts, travel, etc.), average approximately $125,000.
Enhancing Principled Policing with Strategic Verbal Communication Skills
POST staff has begun work on the development of a Strategic Communication’s Guide for CA Peace Officers consistent with the tenets of procedural justice. These communication principles and techniques will support promoting voluntary compliance and professional interactions with others. POST will be reviewing how these strategic communication skills can be more effectively interwoven in other training curriculum from Basic Course academies and Field Training programs to Perishable Skills training and Supervisory/Management Courses.
Principled Policing in the Basic Course Academy
In May 2017 POST held a workshop on how to best infuse principled policing concepts into the Basic Course academies. Participants included various academy presenters and agencies as well as representatives from organizations that represent vital community stakeholders such as the Museum of Tolerance, NAACP, ACLU, and League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). A follow-up workshop is planned for November 2017. Travel reimbursements for these workshops average $6,000.
Principled Policing in the Supervisory Course
POST is planning to hold a workshop sometime in the spring of 2018 to identify and develop necessary course changes and curriculum updates to fully integrate Principled Policing within the course. This workshop will model previous workshops held for the Basic Course academies and include participants from organizations that represent vital community stakeholders.
Principled Policing in the Executive Development Course (EDC)
The core tenets of procedural justices and principled policing are woven throughout the course and specifically detailed in two class sessions. One session, Contemporary Organizational Issues, is taught by Jackie Gomez-Whitely who is the former Chief of Police for the Cities of Cypress and Alhambra. She has been certified through the Principled Policing Train the Trainer course. The other session, Ethics and Values, explores the subtopic “Fragility of Trust.” It is taught by Art Cribbs, a former television journalist, pastor and long-time EDC instructor.
Principled Policing as an Evaluative Component of Management Studies
POST consultants assigned to the Management Counseling, Leadership Development Bureau have begun using Principled Policing as an evaluative component for organizational management studies. External legitimacy between an agency and the community begins internally, with a commitment by leadership to adhere to the tenets of procedural justice within the organization. Agencies that model procedural justice in their interactions with their own employees; for example, during decisions about hiring, assignments to special divisions, and in promotions and discipline; reinforce the value of procedural justice in their employee’s engagement with the community. Internal legitimacy translates into external legitimacy. |