Pawtucket Employees Receive Diversity Training

Pawtucket – The City of Pawtucket has announced that all employees have undergone trainings to further support them in assisting the residents that they serve. All City Hall, School Department, Police, and Fire personnel have all underwent trainings in this calendar year.

“It is important that all of our employees receive diversity and inclusion training in order to provide the greatest possible customer services to all of the residents of this diverse community,” said Mayor Donald R. Grebien. “The City will continue refreshing and training our employee as we continue to foster a welcoming environment for all of our residents.”

All City Hall and School Department employees underwent a mandatory Diversity & Inclusion in the Workplace Training through Coastline EAP in January. The sessions addressed topics such as disparities regarding race, religion, creed, background, sexual orientation and opinions of others to help employees better understand the individual experiences and viewpoints of co-workers and constituents.

The Pawtucket Police Department trains in accordance with the Rhode Island Police Accreditation Commission (RIPAC) standards, conducting a refresher training on Biased Based Policing every 3 years, most recently this February. New recruits receive 8 hours of academy training in Fair & Impartial Policing. The Planning & Training Division trains new officers on Fair and Impartial Policing during Department Indoctrination and conducts Annual Fire Arms Training Simulator (FATS) training in accordance with The Trust standards, utilizing interactive role play scenarios based on cultural competency.

The Fire Department has also completed cultural, drug, and alcohol awareness training, with the last one on Monday March 18.

The State Legislature is currently considering an amendment, led by Pawtucket Senator Sandra Cano and Warwick Representative Evan Shanley, that will require “all municipalities shall require all municipal employees to annually receive training 19 in cultural competency, as provided in § 42-11-2.7, beginning on July 1, 2020.” The Senate Bill can be found here.