A Necessity for a Multicultural Society

摘要

Today there is a legitimate need for not only diverse police departments, but also cultural competency for all police officers. "Cultural competency is an effective way to ensure law enforcement officers treat all people fairly." Police departments should reflect the communities that they are sworn to serve and protect, but they should also know whom they are policing. Cultural competency is not an option but a necessity.Cultural competency concentrates on the comprehension of different cultures, thus making police officers more effective and efficient in the performance of their official police duties. Police department have begun to acknowledge the importance of cultural competency and the need to provide enough training for all police officers in this area. Examples of police departments incorporating cultural competency training include the Los Angeles, California, Police Department, which offers extensive training to its officers in cultural diversity and has required all officers to participate in Spanish language training; the Roanoke, Virginia, Police Department, which has established a multifaceted cultural awareness program that is specifically geared toward Vietnamese history as a result to a quickly growing Vietnamese population in the jurisdiction; the Chicago, Illinois, Police Department, which has produced a series of training videos that provides information on different religious and cultural organizations; and the Freemont, California, Police Department, which created a 40-hour training program titled Common Ground that focuses on the belief systems of immigrants and other ethnic and religious groups through panels and presentations conducted by various members of the department.