What The United States Could Learn from Norway: Training Police Officers to Be Social Workers, Not Warriors

Authors

Liana Brown, University of Miami School of Law

Abstract

This note compares the training of police officers and its consequential effects in the United States versus that of Norway. In the United States, the lack of national training standards, in conjunction with an emphasis on technical skills and weaponry, has further perpetuated the “Warrior mindset.” The “Warrior mindset” reflects the rhetoric that officers are akin to combatants in a war, in which they have a duty to safeguard the rest of civilization against criminals that can strike at any moment. Contrastingly, the training programs for police officers in Norway include a consolidated and robust three-year education program that emphasizes a service-oriented philosophy. This has helped garner public engagement and lasting community partnerships. While by no means is the Norwegian police system one without faults, this Note explores why over one thousand people were killed by police shootings in the United States in 2021, and during that same year in Norway, police shootings of civilians did not seem to be an issue. Further, this Note will contemplate what the United States can learn from Norway to successfully foster a better relationship between police officers and civilians and to better support the general welfare of the public. This note was completed in 2022 and the data and figures cited in this article reflect the information available at the time of writing.

Recommended Citation

Liana Brown, What The United States Could Learn from Norway: Training Police Officers to Be Social Workers, Not Warriors, 30 U. MIA Int’l & Comp. L. Rev. 128 (2023)
Available at: https://repository.law.miami.edu/umiclr/vol30/iss2/6