Morris College Law Enforcement Training Certificate Program

Morris College proposes to implement a Morris College Law Enforcement Training Certificate Program. The purpose of the program is to develop a training program to provide diversity and inclusion training for participating law enforcement agencies from the surrounding counties, and the South Carolina Highway Patrol, based on cultural understanding of the people in the communities they serve. Project activities will focus on creating a 16-hour program, to be offered quarterly during the grant period, providing innovative diversity, equity, and inclusion training in policing strategies and recruitment and hiring, to build trust between communities and law enforcement. Expected outcomes from the execution of the quarterly 16-hour diversity training program for law enforcement personnel include: (1) a reduction in use of force incidents and enhanced de-escalation skills; (2) more positive relations between police and the community; (3) an additional set of tools to improve SOPs, and (4) program assessments to evaluate the effectiveness of training (at end of training program and one year later), as it relates to creating stronger, safer, more secure communities with diverse populations.