HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-10-15; Cultural Awareness Application on Smart Phone; Gallucci, NeilTo the members of the:
CITY COUNCIL
Date 1 /1 S/;x,CA -✓ CC .JL
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Oct. 15, 2020
To:
From:
Via:
Re:
Council Memorandum
Honorable Mayor Hall a
Neil Gallucci, Chief of Poli
Scott Chadwick, City Man
CULTURAL AWARENESS APPLICATION ON SMART PHONE
{cityof
Carlsbad
Memo ID# 2020227
This memo provides the City Council with an update on the Police Department's use of a new
cultural awareness application that officers can now use to better serve the myriad of cultures
within the community.
About five years ago, the Interfaith Advisory Board from the San Diego District Attorney's Office
wanted to create a smart phone application that would help law enforcement professionals do
their jobs in a respectful and equitable way when responding to non-emergency calls. The
board found that as San Diego County's population constantly changes and grows in diversity,
law enforcement personnel needed to increase their understanding of all cultures to
successfully engage with everyone they serve. All law enforcement agencies within San Diego
County have access to utilize this app when dealing with the community.
Faith leaders and focus groups created this application to provide the county's peace officers
with important cultural knowledge on the various groups in our diverse region. It's intended to
help prepare law enforcement officers before they encounter members ofthe public from
other cultures in non-emergency situations. An officer can enter in a particular national origin
or faith into the app on his or her phone and immediately receive information on related
cultural norms and practices.
Better understanding a person's culture enables officers to more quickly develop a rapport that
leads to productive communication. To function most effectively, officers must be able to
understand and recognize the different cultural beliefs, behaviors and needs of everyone they
encounter. This app helps them do so.
The free app, which has been installed on all department-issued mobile phones, is a quick and
easy to navigate tool that can prepare officers before such interactions in the field and
especially when conducting home visits. In addition, the application can be used as a debriefing
resource when an encounter has not gone well.
The department provided a training bulletin to all department employees on the history and
use of the application so that they can use it to appropriately tailor their interactions with the
city's diverse population groups.
Police Department
2560 Orion Way I Carlsbad, CA 92010 I 760-931-2170 t
Council Memo -Cultural Awareness Application on Smart Phone
Oct. 15, 2020
Page 2
The goal is to create greater cultural awareness across the department, which allows for more
equitable and effective interactions and helps the department continue to build bonds of trust
with the community it serves.
A presentation of the application to the council will occur at a future council workshop so that
the council will be familiar with this technology.
CC: Celia Brewer, City Attorney
Geoff Patnoe, Assistant City Manager