In order to help local peace officers better understand the
diverse demographics of San Benito County, both sheriff’s deputies
and police officers will participate in diversity training this
summer, according to the sheriff.
Hollister – In order to help local peace officers better understand the diverse demographics of San Benito County, both sheriff’s deputies and police officers will participate in diversity training this summer, according to the sheriff.
Over the past several years, the once primarily agricultural-based community has morphed into a melting pot of different races, cultures and backgrounds, according to Sheriff Curtis Hill.
To help keep the lines of communication open between law enforcement and community members, and cut down on any confrontation due to a simple difference in culture or miscommunication, officers will participate in a one-day training in June, Hill said.
“It will give us a better foundation of the people who we’re trying to gain the trust of,” Hill said. “People are moving here from states in the south or Midwest, south of the border and Asia. Now they live in San Benito County and those perceptions of law enforcement come with them … and some of those perceptions are negative. What do I need to do to educate my staff to be more responsive?”
Hill is paying for the $20,000 training with funding he received through the California Rural County Crime Prevention Act. He invited Hollister police to join in the training free of charge to broaden the perspective and cultural scope of all law enforcement in San Benito County , he said.
Hollister Police Chief Jeff Miller was happy to participate, and said the more the two departments can train together – cutting down on time and money spent in the classroom instead of on the street – the better.
“The old days of cops and robbers and shoot-em-up’s are long gone. Officers face a lot of cultural challenges,” Miller said. “A lot of times officers are called on to give advice on how to deal with neighbor problems, child problems or marital problems. If we can give them as many resources and ways to resolve those problems, it strengthens us and increases our professionalism.”
Miller said he hasn’t heard many complaints about his officers, however there are instances when a comment or action by an officer has been misconstrued or deemed inappropriate or offensive by a community member, he said. Becoming versed in cultural differences can cut down on those instances and often reduce tension in an edgy situation, he said. While Miller said Hollister is 57 percent Hispanic and the police department is at 37 percent, there’s still much to learn about different cultures, races and genders.
Hollister City Councilwoman Monica Johnson was pleased to hear both city and county cops will take part in the training, and said in the nine years she’s lived in Hollister, the face of the entire county has noticeably changed. There’s now pockets of Asian, black and Filipino races residing within the county’s sphere, she said.
“For anybody working with the public, especially the public at large, it makes a difference to know the differences as far as cultures,” Johnson said. “It could avoid some potential problems, miscommunication and misunderstandings.”
The training, which will service approximately 100 sworn officers and office personnel between the two departments, will include games, films, group discussion, lectures and an action plan, according to the training outline designed by Custom Training facilitator Jean Comer, who has a doctorate in education. But one of the most important aspects of the training will be officers talking about their own experiences on the job, how they handled a certain situation and how they could have handled it better or differently, she said.
“It opens up avenues of conversation and allows people to create individual action plans so they can take what they learned in training and put it into practice on the job,” Comer said.
Comer said many times she is called in to facilitate diversity training when a department has had a major problem, but the upcoming training should prevent any issues, according to Supervisor Anthony Botelho.
“Sometimes increasing awareness reminds us we have to be respectful at all times,” Botelho said. “Sometimes we take those things for granted.”
Erin Musgrave covers public safety for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or em*******@fr***********.com
