NCJ Number
82544
Date Published
1966
Length
7 pages
Annotation
A demonstration program in which 1,800 Detroit police officers took part in a 20-hour training course covering all aspects of police-community relations is described in order to provide information which will help other cities establish police-community relations programs.
Abstract
The program, which was funded almost entirely with Federal funds, emphasized role playing and discussions of hypothetical cases, including a house search, a neighborhood argument, a street loitering case, and the handling of a drunken person. The course also included lectures by a local judge, a lawyer, a psychologist, the ex-director of the Michigan Civil Rights Commission, the executive of the Citizens' Committee for Equal Opportunity, and a police sergeant. Citizens were invited to attend the lectures to give them more understanding of the difficulties and problems of police work. The participating citizens were proposed by precinct commanders or by inner-city organizations, block leaders, and neighborhood councils. The program was voluntary and was conducted on the officer's off-duty time wth compensation. The material was made as relevant to the working patrolman's experience as possible. Officers were allowed maximum freedom of opinion rather than being given specific answers. A variety of ethnic and religious intergroup situations were discussed to convey various dimensions of situations facing policemen. Conversations in police squadrons following the training course indicated that the course's positive effects spread beyond those who took the course in that new ideas were stimulated and received attention. The program cost $118 per officer. The program was coordinated by both the police department and the Commission on Community Relations and used consultants from both academic and civic sources. The program is expected to continue. No references are cited.