Outward Mindset Training
Outward Mindset Training
The Seattle Police Foundation is proud to join Motorola Solutions Foundation in supporting the Seattle Police Department as it brings Arbinger’s Policing with an Outward Mindset training program to the law enforcement professionals of SPD.
The Outward Mindset is a revolutionary training curriculum that helps transform the way people who work in law enforcement approach public safety. The training helps officers and staff recognize and discard an inward mindset, which views other people as objects that need to be manipulated, and replace it with an outward mindset, in which others are viewed as people who matter. The Outward Mindset model interrupts status quo thinking and paves the way for a more inclusive approach that compliments SPD’s ongoing efforts to improve community relations and boost engagement.
Once mindsets change, behavior follows. This training has a demonstrated ability to help foster humanistic relationships, reinventing the way police officers and community members interact, even in the most challenging of circumstances.
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Outward Mindset is an opportunity to activate SPD’s quest for continuous improvement and we are here for it. We are grateful to Motorola Solutions Foundation for supporting this important initiative and are happy to contribute to this effort.
The Outward Mindset training was made possible by a $50,000 grant from Motorola Solutions Foundation and a $15,000 grant from the Seattle Police Foundation, both awarded in 2021. The training is being implemented in waves, rolling out over a five-year timespan, with the goal of engaging the majority of SPD sworn and civilian employees by the end of 2025. Launched in February of 2022, the first wave of training focused on department leaders and influencers, including command staff, captains, lieutenants, sergeants, community service officers (CSOs), civilian managers, pre-academy recruits, and a group of patrol officers from each precinct to serve as Outward Mindset ambassadors.
The Policing with an Outward Mindset curriculum is captivating, exceptionally responsive to the priorities of the Seattle Police Department, and is earning rave reviews from SPD staff at all levels. Chief Adrian Diaz was so impressed with the training he asked that it be integrated into SPD’s newly developed Before-the-Badge (BTB) program, a 45-day pre-academy program for SPD recruits waiting to attend the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission’s Basic Law Enforcement Academy (BLEA).
Thanks to the grant funding from Motorola Solutions Foundation, the training was woven into the BTB coursework and is having a real impact on our newest generation of police officers. According to the July 2022 Outward Mindset status report, the two-day Outward Mindset workshop was ranked as the most useful part of the 45-day BTB program. Further, 100% of the BTB participants indicated that they used Outward Mindset concepts at least once per day, and 80% indicated that it was multiple times per day.
“I think it’s very important for us as future law enforcement officers to see others, whether coworkers, superiors, staff, or general public, as people in order to live up to our jobs. This workshop definitely puts that front of mind before we’re out in the field,” said one recruit.
Outward Mindset is an excellent example of how public safety grants empower SPD officers and staff to find ways to embrace growth and professional development. This training goes beyond providing officers and staff with tools to help them do their jobs, instead working to inspire permanent, meaningful change. The goal is to positively affect the Seattle community as a whole, with an emphasis on historically marginalized members of our community.
