FEATURE STORY
A Game Changer
in
Law Enforcement
Education:
in Conflict Resolution and Leadership
to address some of these very needs,
Drew University’s Caspersen School of
Graduate Studies, surveyed nearly 100 law
enforcement professionals in the tri-state
area (along with veterans). The results
indicate a clear trend: professionals in
the field of law enforcement comprehend
that earning the trust and cooperation of
citizens can be as effective a tool in fighting
crime as any other, and they see a need
to understand the lives of people in their
communities.
The survey results also indicate that law
enforcement professionals see great benefit
in adding conflict resolution skills to their
tool kit. In an environment where trust has
eroded, escalation is all too common, and
children arrive at their schools armed with
dangerous weapons, the need for conflict
resolution skills has never been greater.
New Approaches to
Building Community
A
Jonathan Golden Ph.D. & George Beck
cross the country, law
enforcement professionals
are reeling from the
backlash against police
stemming
from
the
high-profile cases in Ferguson, MO and
Staten Island, NY. How can it be that the
very people who dedicate their lives to
serving the public now face such a loss of
confidence? How did we get here?
At the core of what’s happening is a
perceived mistrust between police and
the communities they serve. Whether or
not this mistrust is based on real conflict
or conflict created by news reports and
social media postings intended to focus
on atypical police actions and suggesting
an out-of-control police force is a separate
debate.
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Given the current environment, restoring
the trust essential to an orderly and safe
society is not an easy task, and will take a
lot of work to accomplish. But it is possible.
As the old saying goes, the greater the
challenge, the greater the reward. Here’s
one way we can begin. To bridge the gap,
we need a new approach to community
policing built on three pillars: cultural
awareness, contextual understanding,
and conflict resolution. More than ever,
people on all sides - police and the public
they serve - must acknowledge that behind
every individual there is a unique story and
that every community has its own unique
dynamics. To that end, it is critical that
differing points of view be represented
when promoting outreach and discussion.
In planning a new certificate program
NJBLUENOW | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015
As the law enforcement profession evolves
in the way it is responding to the current
crises, educational institutions must adjust
their curricula to meet changing needs.
Drew University’s program offers a model
that deserves special attention in that
regard.
Set to launch in fall 2015, Drew’s certificate
in Conflict Resolution and Leadership
offers a rare combination of training and
teaching aimed at building contextual
and cultural awareness, while developing
dynamic skills sets. Students stand to
learn from faculty in the humanities and
social sciences along with practitioners
in the field of mediation and Alternative
Dispute Resolution (ADR) and with law
enforcement professionals who have
expertise in areas such as school security
and community policing. The program will
develop skills in mediation and negotiation
techniques while also offering a deeper
understanding of the realities of people
from diverse communities as well as from
different cultural backgrounds and beliefs.
The certificate will combine academic
knowledge with field experience.
As law enforcement seeks to move beyond
the current problematic environment, new
programs that train prospective and current
officers in conflict resolution techniques,
while providing a broad curriculum that
To Advertise Call: 973.653.3446
advances cultural awareness and
contextual understanding, have the
most potential to improve the tenor of
the times. Educational and professional
opportunities such as the certificate in
Conflict Resolution and Leadership
offer the greatest promise that one day
everyone in the community, regardless
of color or class, will again view police
officers not as members of an alien
occupation force but as partners in
the creation of a safe environment in
which to live and thrive.
Drew University is located in Madison,
NJ. To receive more information about
the certificate in Conflict Resolution
and Leadership, please email the
Caspersen School of Graduate Studies
Admission Office at [email protected]
or visit drew.edu/grad.
George Beck is a police
detective, writer and a
Drew Ph.D. candidate.
He’s earned several
degrees including an associate’s,
bachelor’s and two master’s degrees.
He is the author of The Killer Among
Us (Noir Nation Books) and several
other books. His nonfiction and short
stories have been featured in magazines
and anthologies nationally and
internationally.
Jonathan Golden is
Associate Director of
the Center on Religion,
Culture and Conflict at
Drew University, where
he is Assistant Professor
of Comparative Religion, Anthropology,
and Global Studies. Golden has a B.A.
from Brandeis University and a Ph.D.
in Anthropology from the University of
Pennsylvania. Golden teaches courses
on the Middle East, peace and conflict
studies, global history, and is author
of two books. He holds certificates
in conflict resolution, while working
with local and global interfaith/peace
organizations.
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N JBLUENOW | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015
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