Police–disabled citizen interactions: testing the role of disability awareness training and experience on officer confidence

Abstract

The frequent contacts between police and people with disabilities has only recently led to research on developing law enforcement knowledge and skills in improving those interactions. While past studies have focused primarily on knowledge retention by disability-awareness training participants, we examine how training as well as personal and on-duty experiences contribute to police officer self-confidence in approaching a disabled person when dispatched to distinct scenarios. The findings not only support the positive role of disability-awareness training on officer confidence, but also suggest that on-duty experiences with disabled persons also has a critical role in forming those attitudes. The study’s finding of a joint role for training and experience suggests police education should integrate experiential approaches to pre-service training to prepare officers through in-person or simulated interactions with different disabled communities.

Points of Interest

• Past research has demonstrated that many in disabled communities do not trust the police and are critical of their past experiences with the police officers.

• Police are increasingly receiving training specifically on disability awareness and improved communication with disabled persons.

• Police that completed disability sensitivity training are more likely to be confident in their interactions with disabled people.

• The more on-duty experience with the disabled community, the more likely police officers will demonstrate confidence in their interactions with disabled people.

• The study recommends police management look to integrate in-person or simulated disabled participants into pre-service training programs.

Keywords:

• disability awareness
• experiential education
• police training
• officer confidence

Conclusion

The pursuit of more socially just treatment of disabled communities requires police and their colleagues across the field of criminal justice to serve as a source of trained understanding and positive support versus misunderstanding and potentially detrimental mistaken judgments. The 2021 study by Gulati and colleagues of the impact of disability awareness training on Irish officer attitudes was a pioneering step in measuring disability sensitivity training impact on the officers whose performance will directly impact the disabled community. By adding the critical addition of past officer experience to the study of officer interactions with the entire disabled population, this study hopes to support the nascent effort to inform future disability-related training of police in the United States and internationally.