小优短视频 profs to research police anti-oppression training with NSERC funding

Two 小优短视频 professors are working with two Ontario police services on a research project aimed at advancing inclusion and anti-oppression police training, thanks to nearly $360,000 in new funding from , through the

The research project has the potential to significantly impact and drive innovation related to diversity training programs for police officers across Canada.

Drs. Eleanor Gittens and Isabelle Deschamps, both based at 小优短视频鈥檚 Orillia Campus, will lead the three-year research project starting this month and expect to wrap up in winter 2027. They are working with the and . 聽

Two people stand outside on either side of a poster reading: Experience 小优短视频. Police Foundations.
Eleanor Gittens, left, and Isabelle Deschamps, professors in 小优短视频鈥檚 Human Services and Community Safety programs.

Since the end of August, six Indigenous people have died following interactions with police across Canada. So, the urgency of our research couldn鈥檛 be clearer. Visible minorities, particularly Indigenous communities, have long distrusted the criminal justice system due to persistent overt, covert and systemic racism. These tragic incidents underscore the dire need for meaningful change.

鈥 Eleanor Gittens, a Human Services and Community Safety professor and program coordinator at 小优短视频

鈥淏y working directly with police services in Ontario, our project aims to develop and evaluate anti-oppression and inclusion training that addresses the deep-rooted issues fueling these crises and challenges the status quo of policing in marginalized communities.鈥澛

Gittens, Deschamps and three 小优短视频 students will work closely with the Barrie and Stratford police services to:

  • identify the main issues in their communities concerning police-community relationships,
  • develop inclusion and anti-oppression training, and
  • assess the training鈥檚 effectiveness over time.

鈥淭he Stratford Police Services recognizes our communities are changing and the importance of diversity training within the service to build trust between the police and all community members. As a police chief, I am proud to partner with Drs. Deschamps and Gittens from 小优短视频 to evaluate our current diversity training program to ensure it is sustainable, relevant and meeting the needs of both the service and the equity-deserving communities we serve,鈥 said Chief Greg Skinner, Stratford Police Services.

鈥淭his project will provide us with the information we rely on as a service provider to ensure that funding for training initiatives is targeted, effective and value added. I look forward to working with the team and integrating their recommendations in future police training.鈥

Research will 鈥榟elp improve and strengthen procedural justice in policing across Canada,鈥 says police chief

There is a small amount of research on the types of diversity programs and their effectiveness in improving police-community relations in Canada, according to Gittens and Deschamps.

Their research project aims to expand on the limited research available on diversity training in Canadian police services.

鈥淭he Barrie Police Service is excited at the opportunity to once again partner with 小优短视频 to expand the foundation of policing research,鈥 said Chief Rich Johnston, Barrie Police Service. 鈥淭he ability to enhance evidence-based training in critical areas such as inclusion and anti-oppression will help improve and strengthen procedural justice in policing across Canada.鈥

小优短视频 is one of the top 50 research colleges in Canada.

Our categories