1. Awareness

This first module focuses on “awareness” of the contemporary issues in the U.S. regarding police trust and confidence. In the Modules guide, we provide step-by-step instructions, ideas and questions to navigate the content below.

OPEN FIRST: Step-By-Step Modules Guide


1. FBI Director: Hard Truths About Policing & Race

Step 1: Watch FBI Director James Comey's video, where he confronts the relationship between law enforcement and communities of color. Then work through the questions in the guide.

2. NY Times: A Conversation Wth My Black Son

Step 2: Watch "A Conversation with My Black Son" where parents reveal their challenges with telling their sons that they may be targets of racial profiling and prejudice. Then work through the questions in the guide.

3. Research Findings: The Perception Gap

Pew - Confidence in Equal TreatmentStep 3: Examine the research findings in the resources below. Then work through the questions in the guide.

Pew Research Center: Citizen perceptions about whether police do well in treating races equally.

Bureau of Justice Statistics: Perceptions of police behavior during traffic and street stops.

Gallup Report: Blacks in the U.S. have a significantly lower level of confidence in the police as an institution than do whites.

4. Police Officer Perspectives & Why Words Matter

Step 4: Listen to the following podcast and watch the following video.

This podcast is from This American Life where police leaders reflect on trust and confidence in the police. This broadcast features Ed Flynn, Chief of Milwaukee Police Department, and the attempt to bridge this divide.  Click here to listen to the podcast.

This video, "Why Words Matter", was created by a Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Training Academy recruit class.

Now work through the questions in the guide.