Theme 1 - Internal reflection
Purpose
To position members of campus security to internally examine their own beliefs, basic assumptions, and practices as they relate to anti-racism and interaction with diverse peoples.
Rationale
A critical reflection and awareness of one’s positionality of racism, regardless of occupation, is crucial in community protection.
Learning outcomes
- Understand core foundational concepts pertaining to race and racism (e.g., systemic barriers, unconscious biases, microaggressions, white privilege, intersectionality).
- Understand how interactions are often shaped by systems of oppression, power, and privilege.
- Identify ways to incorporate inclusive practices in daily work.
Sources/Notes
- Relevant training programs offered through EDI-R include:
- Introduction to Equity
- Understanding islamophobia: root causes, impact and action
- Introduction to understanding racism and racial microaggressions within the university context
- Anti-Blackness at the intersections
Theme 2 - Systemic and institutional influence
Purpose
To expose underlying power constructs that influence policing and society at large.
Rationale
Those who do not identify as members of racialized communities often perceive systemic/institutional racism and its detrimental impact as a problem for “others”. This training allows the University of Waterloo Special Constable Service to critically evaluate the effects of systemic bias within its organization, its effects on the communities it serves and how it relates to its members.
Learning outcomes
- Understand the histories and ongoing realities of Black, Indigenous, and other racialized Persons in Canada.
- Understand the effects and impacts of colonization in Canada.
Sources/Notes
Relevant training programs offered through EDI-R include:
Theme 3 - Community engagement and building
Purpose
To understand how to better serve and protect racialized and other equity deserving communities through relationship building and engagement.
Rationale
Individuals from racialized communities (or other equity deserving groups) may be less trusting of police and may have histories with the police that are not positive. By building trust, the University of Waterloo Special Constable Service may be able to better serve members of these communities.
Learning outcomes
- Understand how to build relationships and communities through trust and active listening.
- Identify new approaches to maintaining safety in the community.
- Identify how racism poses barriers for equity deserving groups to speak up when faced with safety risks.
- Understand how stereotypical notions, misconceptions, or misunderstandings about certain communities may adversely affect the quality of police work.
- Develop tools to engage in intercultural and trauma-informed communication techniques.
Sources/Notes
Relevant training programs offered through the EDI-R include:
Training programs that need to be developed for this purpose:
- How University of Waterloo Special Constable Service can build communities and trust
- Community barriers to speaking up
- Intercultural and trauma-informed communication and investigation techniques
Theme 4 - De-escalation training and crisis prevention
Purpose
To consider a holistic approach to managing complex situations (e.g., aggressive behaviours, life threatening crises).
Rationale
Special Constable Service members need to be trained on how to properly manage and de-escalate complex situations, including those that require a consideration of mental health.
Learning outcomes
- Understand how to assess the potential for violence and respond with a diverse set of interpersonal tools and strategies designed to defuse potentially violent situations.
- Develop skills in verbal and non-verbal de-escalation techniques, critical decision-making, and practical self-defence principles.
Sources/Notes
Relevant training programs are found in the following institutions:
- Ottawa Police Service
- McGill University
- McMaster University
- Queen’s University
- Stony Brook University