Police and Cultural Diversity - Essay Example

One of the first challenging issues that police professionals could encounter with regard to working with diverse populations has to do with a lack of cultural appreciation that can be exhibited by the police. For instance, something that is perfectly acceptable with regard to one culture and demographic background might be completely unacceptable with another (Guajardo, 2014). Policeman in racially or ethnically diverse communities have come to understand that different approaches must be made as a means of effectively engaging different stakeholders (Bowler, 2005).

Another challenge that might be represented is with regard to linguistic challenges that are coming to be represented in more and more communities throughout the United States. As a multiethnic, multiracial, and multilingual United States is becoming more and more common, the police professional cannot expect that each and every stakeholder within society will speak English as a first and/or primary language (Rowler, 2001). By keeping this in mind, the utility of such police officers can be maximized by recognizing that not all stakeholders will understand and/or respond to clear commands/instructions.

Lastly, forensic psychology professionals can drastically impact the efficiency with regard to the way in which police professionals engage with the community around them (Block, 2004). The underlying reason for this has to do with the fact that these professionals are able to highlight the differential that exists within the community and seek to promote police engagement with them based upon best practices and efficient approaches that will maximize the utility for all individuals involved (Cashmore, 2002).

Although this stands as a brief overview of to troublesome approaches and one potential solution, it must be understood that there are in fact a litany of different approaches and solutions that could be discussed as a means of improving police professionalism and utility. References Block, S. (2004). Policing an increasingly diverse America. FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, 63(6), 24. Bowler, K. (2005). JOB SATISFACTION, BURNOUT, AND PERCEPTION OF UNFAIR TREATMENT: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RACE AND POLICE WORK.

 Police Quarterly, 8(4), 476-489. doi:10.1177/1098611104269787 Cashmore, E. (2002). Behind the window dressing: ethnic minority police perspectives on cultural diversity. Journal Of Ethnic & Migration Studies, 28(2), 327-341. doi:10.1080/13691830220124369 Guajardo, S. (2014). Workforce Diversity: Ethnicity and Gender Diversity and Disparity in the New York City Police Department.Journal Of Ethnicity In Criminal Justice, 12(2), 93-115. doi:10.1080/15377938.2013.837851 Rowler, A. (2001). Race, Diversity and Law Enforcement: Examples of Programs for Cities from the Municipal Reference.

Nations Cities Weekly, 24(9), 7.