so as to establish credibility and promote participation. Goals for
the dialogue need to be formed in advance, participants need to
be identified, and political support must be built over time, with
the assurance that no hidden agendas exist. Dialogue leaders
should consider meeting separately with police and community
members before convening an event, to explain the process,
answer questions, and address concerns. During these one-on-one meetings, organizers can gather information useful in the
dialogue process, such as perceptions participants have of themselves and each other.
Organizers need to explain clearly that dialogue fosters mutual
understanding between people who have different beliefs – the
process does not declare winners and losers, and will not allow
outsiders to impose their views on the community. Communication agreements and assurances of confidentiality need to
be forged in advance to prevent negative, counter-productive
communication. If resources permit, participants appreciate the
availability of refreshment.
Participant Safety
Safety is particularly important for everyone involved in police-community dialogue. Many residents have reason to be afraid
of police or even being seen meeting with police. Safe, neutral
spaces need to be secured, perhaps with separate entrances so
that participants are not seen “snitching” to the police. Conveners
need to understand all the safety concerns of potential participants and implement as many responsive solutions as possible.
Important safety components also include process options that
allow citizens to raise concerns and ask questions anonymously,
and the presences of impartial facilitators who set a respectful
tone and intervene to uphold clear behavioral norms.
Program organizers should help the participants identify attainable outcome goals in advance. Each side should think about the
topics they want to address and agree to address issues that are
important to the other side. Everyone should acknowledge that
disagreements will occur and are normal. All participants should
be assured that the same behavior expectations will exist for
everyone – police will be expected to adhere to the same standards as community members, and vice versa. Everyone should
make a pledge of confidentiality (unless the group agrees that
some “takeaways” will be shared with the larger community or
others outside of the process). Some programs establish a dress
code such that officers wear uniforms, or not, and that youth
wear something “appropriate” to the occasion.
Program Design
The dialogue should help participants break free from old pat-
terns of talking, thinking, and relating. After introductions and
orientations, introduce an “ice-breaker” or two that can help
participants get to know each other and consider issues from
different points of view. For example, ask police to introduce
themselves to a group of young people as their teenaged selves,
Facilitators should pose questions that invite participants to
share their personal values and assumptions and uncover deeper,
more complex understandings of their opinions and feelings — not
those of others or the media. Eventually, participants confront
assumptions they may have carried inside themselves — some-
times at unconscious levels. Effective dialogue will help participants
express their hopes and concerns and admit what they do not
know about others. When officers and citizens see commonality
among themselves, the tenor of interaction and degree of under-
standing between them often changes for the better.
Conveners might consider a co-facilitation model as an easy
way to demonstrate how members of different identity groups
can effectively cooperate. This can give the process more credibility, improve participation, improve time management, and
better respond to the unexpected.
The Importance of Empathy
Facilitators need to provide opportunities that help participants
identify with each other, since prejudice and intolerance may lie
at deeper, unconscious levels. Empathy can positively influence
how people react to law enforcement representatives. Community members are more likely to trust officers when they feel
understood and respected. People who develop a connection
with others can develop the capacity to feel empathetic toward
them. Thus, police-community dialogue program designers might
consider including small-group activities that facilitate mixed
social contact between participants.
Participants who attend citizen police academies (CPAs) are
exposed through simulations to the life-and-death stressors
faced by officers. Police departments operate CPAs in an effort
to foster understanding of police work and improve relationships
with community members. CPA activities allow citizens to assist
with patrol operations, crime investigations, and experience realistic situations that put officers in danger. Although conveners
may not have the time or resources to have dialogue participants
attend a full-fledged CPA addressing the use of force, facilitators
should consider a reverse role-play where citizens experience
the intensity of police work and officers experience the fear and
indignation of being stopped and questioned by an armed officer
on the street. These role-reversals can make strong impressions
on participants, thereby fostering empathy between officers and
citizens for the worlds they inhabit.
