The multicultural approach is illustrated in the establishment and role of an ethnic relations office in one Ontario police department. The duties of this office range from the followup of racially motivated incidents to the provision of public education and advisory assistance for ethnic organizations. To promote changes within the department, the office instructs recruits and police personnel in multiculturalism and cross-cultural communication. The principles of community and multicultural policing are compared, and the growth of relevant programs under the multicultural policing "umbrella" is reviewed. A discussion of the philosophy and style of the police ethnic relations unit is followed by an analysis of selected racial incidents mediated by the ethnic relations office between 1983 and 1987. The article concludes with a discussion of the usefulness of mediating structures, such as the ethnic relations office, in minimizing the adverse impact of racial incidents. 34 references.