This lesson provides guidance for law enforcement officers on the following topics:

This is a part 1 of a two-part lesson focused on diverse communities, cultural competence, bias prevention, and a history of the American civil rights movement.

Section one defines cultural competence and explores why the concept is important to the law enforcement community. It explains how cultural competence can be practiced at the individual and organizational level.

Section two examines elements of culture and describes how those elements distinguish one culture from another. It explores concepts of race and ethnicity, including how racial labels can vary over time and from one location to another. The lesson describes the following elements of culture and how those can shape a person’s experiences and perspectives: language and communication; geographic location; values and traditions; family and kinship; gender roles; socioeconomic status and education; immigration and migration; heritage and history; sexuality; perspectives on health, illness, and healing; and religion and spirituality.

This lesson is designed to help satisfy the annual bias prevention and de-escalation training requirement under Iowa Code section 80B.11G and Iowa Administrative Code section 501-8.1(6).

This lesson has been reviewed and approved by the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy.