Tweet
Cops Walk A Mile In Our Shoes
Posted: January 2, 2004 8:03 p.m. ET
(Edmonton, Alberta) Edmonton police are taking to heart the old adage "to know what it's like to be me walk a mile in my shoes". In a step believed to be the first of its kind anywhere in the world new police recruits are now required to spend a day in a non-gay area "pretending to be gay".
Last week the first "exercise" was held for two new cops. The officers, wearing civvies walked hand in hand down a typical commercial street.
"I'm trying to get them to understand what it's like to be in that kind of a situation in this city," says Const. Steve Camp, who came up with the idea.
Camp is one of two officers who run the city police hate-and-bias crimes initiative.
"It was a really successful exercise," he said. "As far as I know, in my four or five years doing research on hate crime and victimization, I haven't come across a law-enforcement agency that has done this. If there is one out there, I don't know about it."
Afterwards, each of the participants was debriefed at police headquarters downtown. The experience had made them feel uncomfortable, awkward, uneasy and less safe.
"One guy said the avenue seemed to close in on him," Camp says. "He felt a heightened awareness of security -- very aware of the people around him. He felt intimidated. A group of construction workers was working on a wall, and they shut down their work to see this, when these guys walked by. I think that's when the intimidation hit," Camp said.
"[The other guy] said he felt angry because one man gave him a dirty look and then said something to his wife," said Camp
"They can intellectualize the process, but the emotional intellect is something totally different, and that's what we tried to accomplish here -- to give them the emotional response that a lot of people they're going to be dealing with as police officers are going to have."
The pilot project has won praise from the civilian co-chairman of a liaison committee between city police and Edmonton's LGBT community.
"I could talk to them about walking down Whyte Avenue," Fred Dicker said. "But when they come back and talk to their fellow recruits in class, it's so much more relevant than if I went in and talked about the experience. It's there and alive for them."
Posted: January 2, 2004 8:03 p.m. ET
(Edmonton, Alberta) Edmonton police are taking to heart the old adage "to know what it's like to be me walk a mile in my shoes". In a step believed to be the first of its kind anywhere in the world new police recruits are now required to spend a day in a non-gay area "pretending to be gay".
Last week the first "exercise" was held for two new cops. The officers, wearing civvies walked hand in hand down a typical commercial street.
"I'm trying to get them to understand what it's like to be in that kind of a situation in this city," says Const. Steve Camp, who came up with the idea.
Camp is one of two officers who run the city police hate-and-bias crimes initiative.
"It was a really successful exercise," he said. "As far as I know, in my four or five years doing research on hate crime and victimization, I haven't come across a law-enforcement agency that has done this. If there is one out there, I don't know about it."
Afterwards, each of the participants was debriefed at police headquarters downtown. The experience had made them feel uncomfortable, awkward, uneasy and less safe.
"One guy said the avenue seemed to close in on him," Camp says. "He felt a heightened awareness of security -- very aware of the people around him. He felt intimidated. A group of construction workers was working on a wall, and they shut down their work to see this, when these guys walked by. I think that's when the intimidation hit," Camp said.
"[The other guy] said he felt angry because one man gave him a dirty look and then said something to his wife," said Camp
"They can intellectualize the process, but the emotional intellect is something totally different, and that's what we tried to accomplish here -- to give them the emotional response that a lot of people they're going to be dealing with as police officers are going to have."
The pilot project has won praise from the civilian co-chairman of a liaison committee between city police and Edmonton's LGBT community.
"I could talk to them about walking down Whyte Avenue," Fred Dicker said. "But when they come back and talk to their fellow recruits in class, it's so much more relevant than if I went in and talked about the experience. It's there and alive for them."
And "Steve Camp" is a brilliant name for the guy who came up with this.
to the initiative. It is an excellent idea, I'm surprised it comes from Alberta 
Comment