Feature

IMPD receiving diversity training 10.13.10

The Indianapolis Star

If a police officer encounters a man wearing a long beard and a turban and carrying a sheathed, 5-inch blade on his waist, he shouldn't assume a threat.

To followers of the Sikh religion, such as Indianapolis artist K.P. Singh, a turban, a beard and the knife -- known as a kirpan -- are traditional requirements of their faith.

"People see us and say, 'Oh, there goes the Taliban,' " said Singh, a leader in the local Indian community. "It's an entirely different religion, but there are stereotypes."

It's the type of misconception that the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department is inviting Singh and other minorities to explain to officers. For the first time, the 24 hours of on-the-job training that IMPD officers receive each year now includes face-to-face seminars in cultural diversity.

Public Safety Deputy Director Carolin Requiz-Smith said the classes will help police avoid potentially volatile situations caused by cultural misunderstandings. By Dec. 1, all 1,700 officers will have had at least 90 minutes of diversity training; they will receive about four hours per year.

"Before, they might have watched a PowerPoint presentation," she said. "Now they get to hear directly from people from a wide range of cultures."

A review of IMPD's training program by the Police Executive Research Forum found that cadets received just one hour of cultural training at the police academy, compared with 157 hours of instruction in the use of force, 98 in the law and 50 in driving skills.

Public Safety Director Frank Straub said the training is essential on a police force that is 83 percent white, 13.3 percent black, 1.75 percent Hispanic and 1.5 percent Asian and other minorities.

Singh is part of a core group of about a half-dozen community members who addressed police recruits in August.

"The city is growing more and more diverse, and it's important that police understand some of the cues or gestures that are common in those cultures but might seem unusual to them," Singh said at an on-the-job class Monday.

Police Chief Paul Ciesielski said the training is part of a broader strategy to develop better officers.

"Overall, we have done a good job of teaching the technical aspects of policing: driving, firearms, defensive tactics, arrest procedures, et cetera," he said.

"We need to do a better job of educating our officers on a variety of other topics as well: cultural awareness, leadership, integrity, character-building, persuasion and negotiations techniques, problem-solving and critical thinking."

Jessie Lee Mills, executive director of the Asian American Alliance, said she urged officers to be careful about misreading physical gestures.

"Asians consider it a sign of disrespect to look someone directly in the face when they are being spoken to," Mills said. "Whereas a police officer might see that as a sign of guilt, shiftiness or disrespect."

In August, she also told the cadets to be patient. "Many Asian immigrants have trouble understanding or speaking the language and will have to take some time before they answer a question, because they need to process it," she said. "Police often expect prompt replies."

Sgt. Brandon Mills, who attended Monday's session, said the tradition of carrying the kirpan was an example of a misunderstood tradition that could lead to disaster.

Sikhs are permitted to unsheathe a kirpan only when performing certain religious ceremonies or in emergency cases of self-defense. But they also are allowed to comply with local laws or regulations, such as disarming in airports.

"Before being told that, I would have considered it a weapon or a threat," Mills said. "Now I know what it represents and would have a more polite conversation."

Many immigrants have to overcome deep suspicions about police because they come from cultures in which the police are more authoritarian, even brutal, the advisers said.

Cecilia Acosta, who has talked to officers about Latino issues, said many immigrants are used to corrupt officers.

"They learn that the way to get out of trouble at home is to pay the police off," Acosta said. "They have to be taught that isn't the way here."

Mills said the personal dialogue with leaders from minority communities should serve the police well.

"When I started 13 years ago, I think we had one African-American talk to us for an hour at the academy," he said. "Now, we have a whole panel. As these sessions progress, there will be more give-and-take, and everyone will benefit."

Singh noted, "In my 43 years in Indianapolis, this is the first time that I've seen the department take such an important initiative to learn something about the people they serve."