The presumption of innocence is not part of many other judicial systems. Some foreigners may be too timid to interact widely with persons outside their immediate community and linguistic group. They may fear the police. Police as professionals should earn and develop the confidence of the migrant or non-English speaking person. Regardless of perception of guilt, differing cultural values and national origin, officers should acknowledge the humanity of those they encounter.
Ongoing training is crucial to learn about differing cultural perspectives.
Understanding these perspectives can enhance the officer's personal safety during escalation of tensions. Communities of immigrants are highly cohesive and rumors of problems with any police officer are often perceived to affect the entire community. An investigation approached with professionalism will withstand the scrutiny of open court and enhance the reputation of the officer and his profession within the community. Each day officers who are not properly trained lose court cases because they have failed to correctly advise a person of their rights or ask for consent to search as mandated by law or departmental policies. Officers, through no fault of their own, often cannot communicate with victims to obtain timely information, therefore criminal suspects frequently go free.