//Upstate sheriff's office Cultural diversity director shares hope for program, training initiatives

Upstate sheriff's office Cultural diversity director shares hope for program, training initiatives

After two months on the job, Dan Holland is carefully sorting through research and input. He’s been reaching out to other law enforcement agencies and making note of his findings. There isn’t a blueprint for what he does. Nobody has really had a job like his.Holland is believed to be the first director of cultural diversity for a law enforcement agency in the country. He’s been working on new training initiatives and implementation of a program for ways of best practice for the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office. “They’ll be a myriad of various educational training and programming opportunities, which I call ‘edutrainment,’” he said Tuesday. As for the programs, they’re still in development and likely will be for a few months.Meanwhile, Holland said he established an internal leadership diversity team. Perhaps the only certainty about Holland’s initiative, as of now, is that his training programs won’t be 45-60-minute PowerPoint presentations. “We want this to be holistic in nature,” he said. That’s why he’ll be looking for input from the community. He’s no stranger to the area. Holland grew up in Oconee County and said he was raised by his mother. He said experiences along the way have broadened his perspective and have shown him the importance of understanding diversity. He’s working on surveys for people in Oconee County, which will garner feedback on policing and community relations. Essentially, what works? What doesn’t? “Our community citizens are essential in what we do and the direction we go in,” he said. Back in June, Sheriff Mike Crenshaw announced Holland’s hire and talked to WYFF News 4 about why he created the position.”People talk about bad apples in every profession,” he said at the time. “We don’t have any room for bad apples in law enforcement.” “We’re public servants,” he continued. “We’re here to serve our community and we gotta make sure that’s the mindset of our police officers and deputies.” Holland’s office is now next to Crenshaw’s. Holland doesn’t have any law enforcement experience, but he has worked as an administrator and has experience in Title IX. “We want to leverage a diverse workforce so that we’re better prepared to go out engage and interact,” Holland said. There is no official timetable as of yet for the implementation of programs and training initiatives from Holland.

After two months on the job, Dan Holland is carefully sorting through research and input.

He’s been reaching out to other law enforcement agencies and making note of his findings.

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There isn’t a blueprint for what he does. Nobody has really had a job like his.

Holland is believed to be the first director of cultural diversity for a law enforcement agency in the country.

He’s been working on new training initiatives and implementation of a program for ways of best practice for the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office.

“They’ll be a myriad of various educational training and programming opportunities, which I call ‘edutrainment,’” he said Tuesday.

As for the programs, they’re still in development and likely will be for a few months.

Meanwhile, Holland said he established an internal leadership diversity team.

Perhaps the only certainty about Holland’s initiative, as of now, is that his training programs won’t be 45-60-minute PowerPoint presentations.

“We want this to be holistic in nature,” he said.

That’s why he’ll be looking for input from the community.

He’s no stranger to the area.

Holland grew up in Oconee County and said he was raised by his mother.

He said experiences along the way have broadened his perspective and have shown him the importance of understanding diversity.

He’s working on surveys for people in Oconee County, which will garner feedback on policing and community relations. Essentially, what works? What doesn’t?

“Our community citizens are essential in what we do and the direction we go in,” he said.

Back in June, Sheriff Mike Crenshaw announced Holland’s hire and talked to WYFF News 4 about why he created the position.

“People talk about bad apples in every profession,” he said at the time. “We don’t have any room for bad apples in law enforcement.”

“We’re public servants,” he continued. “We’re here to serve our community and we gotta make sure that’s the mindset of our police officers and deputies.”

Holland’s office is now next to Crenshaw’s.

Holland doesn’t have any law enforcement experience, but he has worked as an administrator and has experience in Title IX.

“We want to leverage a diverse workforce so that we’re better prepared to go out engage and interact,” Holland said.

There is no official timetable as of yet for the implementation of programs and training initiatives from Holland.