Perspective on how to prepare culturally competent police officers

Abstract The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System educates approximately 86 % of police officer candidates for Minnesota through their law enforcement and criminal justice programs certified by the Peace Officer Standards and Training Board. In the wake of the killings of George Floyd and Philando Castile at the hands of Minnesota police officers, the system undertook a comprehensive review of law enforcement training procedures, approaches, concepts and values with an eye toward improving the outcomes of interactions between law enforcement personnel and the citizens of Minnesota. To ensure these training programs address issues of racism, social justice and produce culturally competent graduates, Minnesota State created a Taskforce on Law Enforcement Education Reform. The purpose of this study was to examine the progress and outcomes of the Minnesota State Taskforce on Law Enforcement Education Reform’s role in: (1) providing recommendations that demonstrate diversity and inclusion in curriculum design in law enforcement and criminal justice programming and, (2) reinforcing culturally relevant approaches to produce culturally competent peace officer candidates. The outcome of this study provided several key areas to consider in preparing culturally competent police officers. Recommendations were categorized into several themes: (1) curriculum enhancements, (2) recruitment and retention of BIPOC faculty, staff, and students in law enforcement programming and (3) continuing education for in-service officers.