2024

Police officers play an integral part in enforcing community laws and maintaining order; however, recent surveys show a trending decline in the public’s trust and confidence in Canadian police every year (Government of Canada, 2023). More specifically, Canadians rank police low on areas of sensitivity and fair treatment of minorities, including Indigenous people, racialized groups, people with a disability and 2SLGBTQ+ individuals (Government of Canada, 2023). These results emphasize the need for policing organizations to re-evaluate the effectiveness of their diversity and community policing strategies to ensure they are appropriately meeting the needs of all communities.  

Most Canadian policing organizations have statements or strategies regarding their commitment to equity, diversity and inclusivity (EDI) to meet the needs of Canada’s increasingly diverse populations. Many police forces have initiated bias and diversity training programs to reduce the impact of negative biases on marginalized groups. However, the long-term effectiveness of these programs is not substantiated (Lai & Lisnek, 2023).   

A common solution in combatting concerns of bias and sensitivity toward marginalized groups is increasing representation of those groups in recruitment efforts (Olzmann, 2020). Diversification of police forces has been promoted as a way to improve police-community relations, reduce systematic biases and promote equitable policing (Peyton, et al., 2022). The representation of marginalized groups in policing has been demonstrated to be effective in increasing community trust and co-operation, and improving treatment of minority communities (Riccucci, et al., 2018; Bradbury & Kellough, 2011).  

Although diversification of police forces may mend many of the concerns regarding public trust, there are recruitment barriers amongst marginalized populations (Jordan et al., 2009). Generations of systemic and discriminatory polices within policing have contributed to a lack of trust among marginalized groups, which has a negative impact on interest in pursuing policing as a career (Vermeer et al., 2020). Vermeer and colleagues also found that recruitment efforts by police organizations use mainstream outlets that marginalized communities may not access, including word of mouth of current employees or conventional advertisements. However, successful recruitment of diverse individuals is shown to increase trust within the community and decrease perceptions of bias with law enforcement agencies (Hodges, 2015; Szeto, 2014).  

Therefore, as Canadian policing organizations grapple with statistically decreasing levels of trust, this will inevitably continue to affect recruitment efforts and the public’s perception of fair treatment by police (Government of Canada, 2023; Vermeer et al., 2020). Research demonstrates that the inclusion of diverse populations has increased community policing efforts, while diversity programming is shown to have marginal effects on changing officers’ beliefs or behaviour; this supports the need to implement changes at the recruitment process level (Hodges, 2015; Szeto, 2014; Lai & Lisnek, 2023).  

In this context, I propose that additional research is needed to identify qualitative information about how recruiters expect and anticipate police officers to demonstrate the values of their EDI statements. This information could be used to improve recruitment screening process by operationalizing and identifying qualities that are important for police services to embody. In turn, these efforts ameliorate the relationship between police organizations and marginalized communities, by providing recognition and space for their experiences in policing and by demonstrating concern of sensitivity and fair treatment at the employment intake level.  

Amanda Assi is a graduate student pursuing an MSc in Counselling Psychology at the University of Calgary. She aspires to contribute to research pertaining to diversity and social justice efforts in the recruitment of law enforcement personnel. Amanda’s expertise derives from her experience as a member of a police recruitment team in a large policing organization.  

References 

Bradbury, M., & Kellough, J. E. (2011). Representative bureaucracy: Assessing the evidence on active representation. The American Review of Public Administration, 41(2), 157–167. https://doi.org/10.1177/0275074010367823  

Government of Canada, R. C. M. P. (2023, January 5). Client and partner survey results 2021-22. Client and partner survey results 2021-22 | Royal Canadian Mounted Police. https://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/en/reports-research-and-publications/client-and-partner-survey-results/client-and-partner-survey-results-2021-2022  

Hodges, B. (2015, October 8). 7 tips for building a diverse police workforce. Police1. https://www.police1.com/police-products/training-products/articles/7-tips-for-building-a-diverse-police-workforce-r5aNKKwatMZqCrsM/  

Jordan, W. T., Fridell, L., Faggiani, D., & Kubu, B. (2009). Attracting females and racial/ethnic minorities to law enforcement. Journal of Criminal Justice, 37(4), 333–341. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2009.06.001  

Lai, C. K., & Lisnek, J. A. (2023). The impact of implicit-bias-oriented diversity training on police officers’ beliefs, motivations, and actions. Psychological Science, 34(4), 424–434. https://doi.org/10.1177/09567976221150617  

Olzmann, J. A. (2020). Diversity through equity and inclusion: The responsibility belongs to all of Us. Molecular Biology of the Cell, 31(25), 2757–2760. https://doi.org/10.1091/mbc.e20-09-0575 

Peyton, K., Weiss, C. M., & Vaughn, P. E. (2022). Beliefs about minority representation in policing and support for diversification. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119(52). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2213986119  

Riccucci, N. M., Van Ryzin, G. G., & Jackson, K. (2018). Representative bureaucracy, race, and policing: A survey experiment. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 28(4), 506–518. https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/muy023  

Szeto, J.K. (2014), Policing Diversity with Diversity: Exploring Organizational Rhetoric, Myth,  and Minority Police Officers’ Perceptions and Experiences, Unpublished Master’s thesis, Wilfrid Laurier University, Ontario, Canada.  

Vermeer, S.-J., Stickle, B., Frame, M., & Hein, M. (2020). Reasons and barriers for choosing police careers. Policing: An International Journal, 43(5), 817–830. https://doi.org/10.1108/pijpsm-05-2020-0074  

Past research suggests that mentorship has a positive impact on both the employer and mentees (Ivey & Dupré, 2020). However, there are a lack of strategies, evidence, literature and models for how labour force attachment programs with a mentorship component can encourage organic and meaningful mentorship relationships within a formal program structure. The action of matching mentor and mentee represents a challenge and an area of needed research for organizations interested in supporting meaningful mentorship opportunities. Goosen (2009) bluntly advocates that the use of “forced pairing” leads to incompatibility. 

The Youth-Centred Mentorship Approach (Y-CMA) represents an innovative concept developed to address this challenge. 

Youth-Centred Mentorship Approach 

The Y-CMA is a strength-based developmental approach and is informed by three key theories: Self-determination theory, empowerment theory, and intersectionality and social location literature. The hypothesis of this approach is that to support the longevity and ongoing success of participants’ engagement with mentorship throughout their careers, labour force attachment programs must support participants to develop internal motivation and personal capacity to value and pursue mentorship relationships during and beyond the duration of the program. The Y-CMA is a framework that creates spaces where participants are empowered to develop their own understanding of mentorship (autonomy & relatedness), reflect and identify what they want from mentoring relationships (autonomy) and understand what actions to take to accomplish their identified mentorship goals (competence).  

The following is a quick breakdown of the eight steps within the Y-CMA. 

Step 1: Relationship building 

Foundational to the Y-CMA is the relatedness between participants and facilitators. This stage aims to create spaces where individuals can share about who they are, family of origin, cultural background, and any other topic which can help people get to know each other as unique individuals.  

Step 2: Module 1 – What is mentorship and why is it beneficial? 

This module is intended to help build understanding (capacity) around the potential impacts of mentorship and to emphasize the current desires and needs of participants (autonomy). 

Step 3: Module 2 – What do you look for in a mentor? 

Participants think critically about what type of mentor would help them accomplish the benefits they perceive (competency) as resulting from a mentorship relationship at this point in their life. 

Step 4: Mentor recruitment 

Career development professionals would then recruit mentors based on the insights from Step 3, while also encouraging participants to do the same. 

Step 5: Module 3 – How do you find a mentor and ask? 

This module focuses on finding a mentor, how to ask someone to be mentor and gives a snapshot of what mentorship “meetings” could be like (autonomy & competency). 

Step 6: Mentor meet and greet 

This activity is meant to act as an informal opportunity for participants and potential mentors to meet and interact with each other. Participants should be prepared to think critically and reflexively about the potential mentors they meet and consider which mentor they believe would be a good fit. 

Step 7: Mentor matching  

Following Step 6, participants will identify their top 3 mentors. They are then connected via online software (example: Mentor City) or email to further support their ability to affirm if it is a good match, based on their module training.  

Step 8: In-person mentor training 

This training is intended for both participants and confirmed mentors outlining organizational expectations, answering questions, and focusing on co-creating the expectations and intentions participants and mentors are setting for each other. During this time, facilitate some “get to know you” activities, discuss meeting rhythms and officially launch the mentorship relationship. 

Joel Murphy is a PhD Candidate in Educational Studies at Mount Saint Vincent University, Nova Scotia. His areas of research are youth career development, futures research, program design, all done within an engaged scholar approach. Joel also works as an Impact and Innovation officer at the Centre for Employment Innovation, located at St. Francis Xavier University. 

References 

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Blake-Beard, Stacy, Bayne, Melissa L, Crosby, Faye J, & Muller, Carol B. (2011). Matching by Race and Gender in Mentoring Relationships: Keeping our Eyes on the Prize. Journal of Social Issues, 67(3), 622-643. 

Dawson, Phillip. (2014). Beyond a Definition: Toward a Framework for Designing and Specifying Mentoring Models. Educational Researcher, 43(3), 137-145. 

Deci, E., Connell, J., & Ryan, R. (1989). Self-Determination in a Work Organization. Journal of Applied Psychology, 74(4), 580-590. 

Deci, E., Koestner, R., & Ryan, R. (2001). Extrinsic Rewards and Intrinsic Motivation in Education: Reconsidered Once Again. Review of Educational Research, 71(1), 1-27. 

Goosen, X. (2009). The nature of mentorship in an industrial goods and services company. Acta Commercii, 9(1), 41–59. https://doi.org/10.4102/ac.v9i1.93 

Ivey, G. W., & Dupré, K. E. (2022). Workplace Mentorship: A Critical Review. Journal of Career Development, 49(3), 714-729. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894845320957737 

Lerner, R. M., Napolitano, C. M., Boyd, M. J., Mueller. M. K., Callina K. S. (2013) Mentoring and Positive Youth Development. In DuBois, D. L., & Karcher, M. (Eds.). Handbook of youth mentoring. SAGE Publications. 

Njeze, C., Bird-Naytowhow, K., Pearl, T., & Hatala, A. (2020). Intersectionality of Resilience: A Strengths-Based Case Study Approach With Indigenous Youth in an Urban Canadian Context. Qualitative Health Research, 30(13), 2001-2018. 

Messineo, L., Allegra, M., & Seta, L. (2019). Self-reported motivation for choosing nursing studies: A self-determination theory perspective. BMC Medical Education, 19(1), 192. 

Tafvelin, Susanne, & Stenling, Andreas. (2021). A Self-Determination Theory Perspective on Transfer of Leadership Training: The Role of Leader Motivation. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 28(1), 60-75. 

To, S., & Liu, X. (2021). Outcomes of Community-Based Youth Empowerment Programs Adopting Design Thinking: A Quasi-Experimental Study. Research on Social Work Practice, 31(7), 728-741. 

Zimmerman, M. (1995). Psychological empowerment: Issues and illustrations. American Journal of Community Psychology, 23(5), 581-599.