Keene State College and Keene Police Department Collaborate on Ethics Training
For many years, the City of Keene and Keene State College have been close partners through a College-City Commission and various shared committees dedicated to improving diversity, equity and inclusion throughout Keene, as well as other topics of shared importance between the College and the City. Recently, a new collaborative training was held by request from Keene Police Department and Keene State Campus Safety Department. The training was led by Keene State’s Holocaust and genocide studies Cohen Professor Dr. Jim Waller and Cohen Center Director Peter McBride. Officers from both KPD and Campus Safety dedicated time to the training to learn about and reflect on the topics of implicit bias and ethics.
Dr. Waller has provided this type of training to hundreds of personnel from police departments across the United States as well as for agents at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. “We have found, in our training with police officers around the country, there is a very real desire to take every step possible to better serve their communities,” said Dr. Waller. “This is true in Keene as well. Supporting our community as effectively as possible, and discovering what might need to change or improve, is important to the officers. We are very pleased to work with Keene Police and Campus Safety.”
The outcome of the training for the officers is a greater understanding of their own strengths, limitations, emotions and biases, which impact ethical decision-making at the heart of fair and impartial policing. A greater understanding of trauma that exists in the community they serve, as well as understanding their own trauma, was part of the training. All sworn officers in the Keene Police Department and all personnel in Keene State Campus Safety participated in the training.
“We are dedicated to serving the Keene community to the highest standards. This training is important for each of us as individuals, and in our roles as we serve the public. We are grateful for the opportunity to take this training, and look forward to using what we learn in our work every day,” said Keene Police Department Chief Steven Russo.
Participants will complete an evaluation of the training and receive a certificate of completion. This four-hour training session was held on May 11, and will be evaluated for possible modifications before future additional offerings.
“Our Campus Safety officers are here to support and help our college community, especially our students. All of the staff members in our department are committed to doing the very best we can. We are fortunate to have this expertise at Keene State to help make our community stronger,” said Keene State College Campus Safety Director Chris Buckley.
