In partnership with the USDOJ, COPS Office, NCPI is developing and delivering a comprehensive national public safety training initiative designed to support trust-building, effective relationships, and engagement in communities throughout the U.S.
The Effectiveness Edge: Closing the Bias Gap through Community Policing (or The Edge) is a multifaceted, blended-learning training program that equips law enforcement and other public safety practitioners with insights on how to recognize information gaps caused by bias and actionable strategies to mitigate the effects of bias.
Through this program, NCPI will build The Edge curriculum including all multi-media components, train a cadre of instructors, deliver dozens of interactive, in-person workshops throughout the nation, and provide web-based access to all program resources through an online resource center.
Program Overview
By equipping public safety personnel with actionable strategies to recognize and mitigate bias, The Effectiveness Edge: Closing the Bias Gap through Community Policing (or The Edge)training program supports law enforcement practitioners in their goal of effectively policing our nation’s communities.
Effective police work requires objective decision-making based on accurate information. One problem: Human beings are hard-wired to make quick decisions based on incomplete information. We have biases—subjective filters that help us process our observations. These biases can create a gap between what we perceive and what is really happening, with important consequences for situational awareness and accuracy in law enforcement.
Fortunately, current research shows that biases can be mitigated when they are identified and properly accounted for. This training program takes a pragmatic view of bias, equipping practitioners with proactive strategies to recognize and close knowledge gaps that may be caused or exacerbated by bias.
The Edge explains and demonstrates how the philosophy of community policing can provide a framework for bias mitigation. It features a series of interviews with law enforcement practitioners and other subject-matter experts on the critical importance of identifying bias gaps and taking active steps to neutralize them. To apply new concepts, learners analyze relevant case studies illustrating how public safety personnel can work to overcome bias-related obstacles, with emphasis on the use of objective decision-making strategies to gain an edge on effectiveness.
This training program leverages technology to provide an innovative, media-rich learning experience. In addition to interview videos, the program includes a series of enhanced digital media assets featuring dynamic visual storytelling and interactive elements. These enhanced media assets can be used as instructional resources by a classroom facilitator; additionally, they can be accessed by individuals or small groups for self-directed learning delivered as web-based, microlearning content.
Scope
The Effectiveness Edge: Closing the Bias Gap through Community Policing provides an introductory overview of biases that may affect public safety outcomes. This course design document provides information about two distinct curriculum programs: the core curriculum program (CCP) and the instructor development program (IDP). Sections of the course design document will be subdivided as needed to describe these two versions of the curriculum.
Core Curriculum Program
The CCP offers insights to law enforcement and other public safety practitioners on how to recognize information gaps caused by bias, and it equips them with actionable strategies to mitigate the effects of bias. With emphasis on practitioner interviews and application activities, the course is geared toward a practical, outcome-oriented approach to bias mitigation.
Instructor Development Program
As a comprehensive curriculum for trainers who plan to deliver The Effectiveness Edge: Closing the Bias Gap through Community Policing, the IDP consists of the core curriculum and additional instructor development components designed to prepare instructors to disseminate the core curriculum in an efficient, consistent, and measurable manner.
Target Audience
Core Curriculum Program
The CCP is designed for law enforcement practitioners, criminal justice professionals, and other appropriate stakeholders in public safety. There are no prerequisites for this course.
Instructor Development Program
The IDP is designed specifically for law enforcement trainers, criminal justice professionals, and other appropriate public safety stakeholders who have experience delivering instruction and implementing community policing initiatives. These instructors will receive comprehensive instructional materials and resources in order to provide core curriculum program training to law enforcement practitioners and other appropriate stakeholders.