Evaluating the Midwest Police Academy‟ S Ability to Prepare Recruits to Police in a Diverse Multicultural Society (original) (raw)

This study evaluated the current training and practices implemented at the Midwest Police Academy to prepare recruits to police in racially and ethnically diverse communities. In this study, I adopted a critical race theory lens, which considered White privilege, dominant White male ideology, and color-blind racial ideology, when examining the training and practices at the academy. This study examined what the training looks like by providing detailed description of the training atmosphere as well as classroom instruction. The recruits" racial attitudes were examined at the beginning and end of the training to explore potential changes. The instructors" and administrators" racial attitudes were also examined. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the Midwest Police Academy"s ability to prepare recruits to police in racially and ethnically diverse communities by: (a) examining what the training at the Midwest Police Academy looks like in terms of the training atmosphere, curriculum, and classroom interaction; (b) investigating the racial beliefs and attitudes of recruits entering the academy and see if there are any changes at the end of training; (c) and investigating the racial beliefs and attitudes of instructors and administrators. This was a summative evaluation with the ultimate goal of this study being to search for ways to improve training and practices at the academy in terms of better preparing recruits to police in a racially and ethnically diverse society. In this study, I adopted a mixed methods approach, collecting data via interviews with instructors and recruits, classroom observations, and written documentation. Participants also completed the Color Blind Racial Attitudes Scale (CoBRAS) (Neville, Lilly, Lee, Duran, & Brown, 2000) to measure racial attitudes. Findings of the study iii indicated that current training and practices show indications of White privilege, White male ideology, and color-blind racial ideology. There were no significant changes in racial attitudes and beliefs of recruits. Recommendations included: (a) make racial and ethnic diversity training part of the mission statement and vision of MPA; (b) provide racial and ethnic diversity training for instructors and administrators; (c) integrate racial and ethnic diversity training throughout the curriculum, including within the scenariobased training; (d) find ways to create more class participation for racial and ethnic diversity related topics; (e) implement a course on the historical context of policing which includes police-minority relations; (f) include critical race theory and color-blind racial ideology in the curriculum which should include counter-storytelling; (g) recruit more racial and ethnic minority instructors and role players; and (h) involve the community in the training.