Warren B. Ryder, Chief of Police
520 Massachusetts Ave.
Boxborough, MA 01719
For Immediate Release
Thursday, June 1, 2017
Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net
Boxborough Police Complete Cultural Competence and Racial Equity Training
BOXBOROUGH — Chief Warren B. Ryder is pleased to announce that officers from the Boxborough Police Department, along with officers from Carlisle and Acton, completed training that will help them more effectively overcome cultural and racial barriers when interacting with the public.
Using a grant from the Fostering Racial Justice Group, officers had an opportunity to learn about cultural differences and the importance of racially equitable treatment in order to understand the impact that both have on their work on a daily basis.
“I believe this was a valuable experience for our officers that will ultimately help them become better police officers and be more engaged with the community,” Chief Ryder said. “It gave them a chance to self-reflect and participate in an open dialogue, which will help them better recognize and overcome any personal biases they may possess.”
The program explored a variety of key concepts that will help officers do their jobs in a way that empowers them to be more respectful and understanding of everyone they come into contact with.
One of those concepts was cultural humility, which is the ability for officers of one cultural background to remain open and receptive to aspects of another person’s cultural identity. Officers also explored cultural competency—their ability to work across cultural lines—and discussed systemic barriers to equitable and bias-free law enforcement.
“I expect that all of the officers who attended will use what they learned to further enhance their efforts to engage in a culturally-sensitive way with everyone they encounter,” Chief Ryder added. “By developing an understanding of how and why situations end up needlessly escalating, we will hopefully be able to avoid those types of interactions in the future.”
The training, which was attended by 12 Boxborough officers, has also helped lay the foundation for revised policies that will incorporate these concepts and better position the Boxborough Police Department to serve everyone in the community.
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