E48: Indigenous Policing Microcredentials at Lethbridge College – Seeking to give back to Indigenous communities by nurturing deeper cultural empathy

Trudi Mason, dean of Justice and Human Services; Lowell Yellowhorn, manager of Indigenous services, and Mark Smallbones, instructor and placement advisor with the School of Justice Studies, discuss the massive community effort in developing Lethbridge College’s Indigenous Policing Microdcredentials. 

This six-course suite was created by several key stakeholders with unique lenses, including members of the Siksikaitsitapi (Blackfoot Confederacy), Métis Nation, and Blood Tribe Police Service. These microcredentials are helping public safety officers (and anyone who takes them) better understand, empathize with, and serve Indigenous communities in southern Alberta. 

During the episode, Trudi, Lowell, Mark, and Donna (host) mention:

• Indigenous Policing Microcredentials Suite: 
  • History, Culture, and Reconciliation 
  • Trust, Respect, and Communication 
  • Human Trafficking 
  • Intimate Partner Violence & Abuse of Elderly Persons 
  • Sexual Abuse and Missing Persons 
  • Drugs and Addictions in Indigenous Communities 
• Blackfoot Confederacy 
• Métis Nation
• Blood Tribe 
• Blood Tribe Police Service 
• Rolf Inquiry
• Inikiikawaiks – the people who go and catch people; catching people. This is a Blackfoot term some people use to describe the police
• RCMP – Royal Canadian Mounted Police 
• Piikani Nation 
  • Lone Fighter challenges (Lone Fighters divert Oldman)  
  • LNID – Lethbridge Northern Irrigation District 
• The Cardston Blockade of 1980 (2-minute news report) 
• Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump World Heritage Site 
• Sundance: Blackfoot spirituality from a member of the Horn Society on Face to Face 
• Red Crow College 
• Kainai Peacemaking Center Sod Turning Ceremony (3-minute video) 
• Stand Off, Alberta 
• Chief Mountain (located in Montana, US, and visible from southern Alberta) 
• TRC - Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada 
• Generational trauma refers to the emotional, psychological, or social wounds and adverse effects passed down through successive generations, often resulting from significant and traumatic events experienced by a community, family, or cultural group. 
• Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement: A Guide for Officers and Their Families by Kevin M. Gilmartin 
• FTO – Field Training Officer 
• Dene 
• Cree

Trudi, Lowell, Mark, and Donna thank everyone involved with the creation of the Indigenous Policing Microcredentials, including elders and Indigenous community members, Blood Tribe Police Service and leadership, Lethbridge College Indigenous Services and faculty, and finally, the Government of Alberta.