NCJ Number
192750
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 68 Issue: 11 Dated: November 2001 Pages: 20-23
Editor(s)
Charles E. Higginbotham
Date Published
November 2001
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article describes the use of experiential learning techniques by the force investigation team under the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department to foster human rights awareness and quality improvement concepts among law enforcement.
Abstract
Police administrators have an obligation to stress human rights and to improve quality within their departments. Cultural and diversity training have been the traditional avenues undertaken by law enforcement to meet this obligation. However, the force investigation team created under the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department believes that through a series of innovative experiential exercises police officers become immersed in environments that reach the core of their social values and influence behavior more so than the traditional diversity training. Through this training program, police recruits are forced to confront highly personal feelings in a very compelling and supportive way. Force investigation team experiential exercises have included attending civil rights rallies, visiting the National Zoo and an aircraft carrier, participation in board-of-trade meetings, and sailing with the Coast Guard. Each experiential exercise is followed by a debriefing session to discuss what was learned and to identify possible quality improvement initiatives that might apply to team operations. Experiential learning exercises offer police administrators one way of fostering creative thinking within their departments. However, for these exercises to be effective, administrators must create an environment that encourages experiential learning and allows risk-taking.