IACP@Work: Bridging Perspectives and Building Relationships with University Students

To be effective, law enforcement officers need to understand the diverse communities they serve and know how to appropriately converse with those community members during both routine interactions and emotionally charged situations. To help officers, leaders, and agencies improve community-police relations, the IACP created the Bridging Perspectives: Critical Conversations for Students and Police university curriculum. This 15-week course is designed to bring university students and law enforcement into a shared space where they can engage in facilitated dialogue to learn from one another and improve trust. Through this transformative educational session, both groups will enhance their knowledge of the cultural frameworks that influenced—and continue to influence—historical and current relationships between communities and law enforcement.