FACTUALITY for Law Enforcement: A Cultural Awareness Workshop

• In Event: Applied Police Research

Abstract

The death of Freddie Gray and the subsequent unrest in the City of Baltimore in April 2015 served as a wakeup call that more needs to be done to improve police-community relationships (Kazanjian, 2015). One way to assist police officers in developing cultural competency is to provide awareness training. Campus safety officers at colleges and universities are among those who can benefit from diversity training. Natalie Gillard, former Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Notre Dame of Maryland University, has created a comprehensive and innovative tool called Factuality, which serves as a crash course on structural inequality in America. In under 90 minutes, this tool engages participants in a conversation that includes such topics as race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gentrification, pay gaps, and health disparities. The Criminology Department at NDMU provided a training session to members of the Office of Public Safety during the Spring 2017 semester.

Authors

• Ashley L Fundack, Notre Dame of Maryland University

• Mischelle Van Brakle, Notre Dame of Maryland University