Police and Society Chapter 5
Police Training Officers
Core competencies continued: Report writing Communication skills Leadership Ethics Problem-solving skills Lifestyle stressors/self-awareness/self-regulation Community-specific problems
Police Training Officers
Core competencies: Police vehicle operations Cultural diversity/Special needs groups Conflict resolution Legal authority Use of force Individual rights Local procedures, policies, laws, organizational philosophy Officer safety
Purposes of Training
A basic purpose of training is to keep police personnel current with respect to important changes in the profession. Police training should identify, instill, and help develop the key competencies that enable officers to do their jobs. The purposes of training also depends on the way in which the role of the police is defined.
Around the World: The Royal Canadian Mounted Police
A national police service Has approximately 26,000 employees including regular, civilian and Public Service employees.
College Education and Police Performance
A review of the evidence concerning the relationship between higher education and police performance was initiated in the 1960s. Hayeslip (1989, p. 49) highlighted the assumed benefits of college education for police officers: Greater motivation More ability to utilize innovative techniques Clearer thinking Better understanding of the occupation or profession
Police Training
A shortcoming with in-service training is geographic availability and cost. In response to this dilemma, some states have developed mobile training units responsible for planning and providing training within specified geographic areas on a regular basis. Budgetary cutbacks and union contracts have made it increasingly difficult for departments to release personnel to attend such training.
Police Training
About two thirds of all the police training facilities have an educational requirement for trainers. The most frequent requirement is a high school diploma or GED and the least frequent requirement was a baccalaureate degree
College Education and Police Performance
According to Swanson, Territo, and Taylor (1998, pp. 211-212), it has been argued by some that police work, especially at the local level, does not require a formal education beyond high school because such tasks as directing traffic, writing parking tickets, conducting permit inspections, and performing clerical tasks do not require higher education.
College Education and Police Performance
According to the Police Association for College Education (PACE), a professional organization dedicated to the professionalization of law enforcement, higher education is beneficial for a number of reasons (Stevens, 1999): It develops a broader base of information for decision making. It provides additional years and experiences for increasing maturity. It inculcates responsibility in the individual through course requirements and achievements. It permits an individual to learn more about the history of the United States and the democratic process.
In-Service Training
Also referred to as continuing professional education (CPE) Most law enforcement agencies require their officers to complete in-service training in order to maintain competency. Inadequate training could be a basis for liability Continuing professional education is crucial to keeping officers' skills sharp.
Types of Training
Basic Recruit Training Field Training In-service Training Specialized Training
Higher Education and the Police: A Continuing Controversy
Commitment to education, like commitment to training, should be career-long for police personnel. Departmental incentives for becoming involved in continuing education indicate to officers that their efforts are appreciated. The debate over the proper extent and nature of police training and education continues.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics (Continued)
Community policing instruction increased slightly, while sizable increases were observed in terrorism-related training.
In-Service Training
Does participation in CPE activities keep a police officer current in the field? Do police personnel participate in these activities? If they do, are they forced into participating? Would they participate if they were not forced to? Should it be mandatory?
Mandatory Continuing Education
For most professions, participation in MCE is no longer an issue; rather, it has become accepted practice. Unfortunately, the field of policing has not consistently incorporated this educational philosophy. Participation in CPE is left entirely to individuals and their respective agencies
Police Training
How much training is enough? Police officers can never have enough training. A career-long commitment. In-service training is one of the cornerstones of professionalism and keeps police officers current. Evidenced by the increase in the use of computers for communication, forensics, crime analysis, and so on.
Police Training
How much training should be done? Who should do it? What should the content of the training be? What form should it take? How can training be used to benefit officers and the citizens they serve? How effective is the training received?
Field Training
If the recruit successfully completes the FTO phases, she or he becomes a full-fledged police officer at the end of the probationary period. FTO evaluations may serve as a basis for terminating undesirable or ineffective personnel.
College Education and Police Performance
In a study conducted by Cunningham (2006), a positive correlation between college educated officers and fewer disciplinary issues was discovered. Other studies that examined the relationship between higher education and police performance seem to be positive in nature.
Police Education
In response to concerns over the quality of training, the U.S. Department of Justice (1999) created the Office of the Police Corps and Law Enforcement Education. The Police Corps was designed to address violent crime by helping police and sheriffs' departments increase the number of officers with advanced education and training assigned to community patrol.
Licensure
In some states professional boards issue licenses to qualified individuals who are required to meet established qualifications. Licensure of professionals has served as a gate-keeping function in two ways: It ensures a certain level of education or proficiency It protects the profession by determining who can use the title
Police Educational Requirements
In the survey conducted by Sapp, Carter, and Stephens for the Police Executive Research Forum, only about 14% of the responding agencies reported requiring any college, and less than 1% required a bachelor's degree. Today, in spite of the calls for an education requirement for police officers, a large number of agencies continue to require a high school education or equivalent.
Who Should Conduct Training?
It is essential that police training also be conducted by those outside the profession, for two reasons: Many of the skills required of trainers and educators are not frequently found among police officers Relying only on those within the profession for training typically leads to a myopic world view, which serves to isolate members from the rest of society The police can ill afford further isolation
Field Training
Many police executives remain reluctant to terminate the individual(s) in question due to the significant costs associated with the hiring process.
Online Training
Most recently the type of police training showing the most promise for reaching large numbers of officers and for keeping associated costs down to a minimum and affordable expense is online training. Online training sessions and courses can be delivered using both synchronous and asynchronous instructional strategies.
Field Training
Normally new officers involved in field training under the supervision of field training officers. FTOs (Field Training Officers) are selected and trained to direct, evaluate, and correct the performance of recruits immediately after their basic academy training
The Bureau of Justice Statistics (Continued)
Of the approximately 57,000 police recruits who entered the basic training program in 2005, 86%, or 49,000, graduated from the academy. Academies with a predominately non-stress, or academic, orientation (89%) had a higher completion rate than academies with a predominately stress, or paramilitary, orientation (80%).
Purposes of Training
One of the major purposes of police training should be to make better communicators of the public servants responsible for maintaining order . Courses dealing with both verbal and nonverbal communications should be required of all police personnel. Police officers trained to express themselves clearly and as good listeners are likely to be more effective in performing order maintenance and law enforcement.
Police Education
One of the most popular proposals for improving the quality of policing in the United States focused on better educated officers. Presidential commissions found that policing should become more like a profession The debate over the importance of police education continues Federal funding for education has diminished considerably
Types of Police Education
One survey of police departments found that about half of all police executives prefer to hire officers who have majored in criminal justice. A similar study indicated a general perception among police executives that colleges and universities do not have curriculums that meet the contemporary needs of law enforcement agencies.
College Education and Police Performance
Other studies of the relationship between higher education and police performance have found that those officers with the best performance evaluations also had significantly higher education, And That college-educated police officers are less authoritarian than those without college educations.
Who Should Conduct Training?
Police trainers often, come from diverse backgrounds Police officers, themselves, may be trainers if: They have information to share and Skills to present the information
Training and Police Officers
Some police executives like to operate as if they were omniscient, with no need for additional information. Supervisors may have doubts about how well they will perform in the classroom. Supervisors need to attend training to demonstrate that training is not simply a superficial symbol of the progressive nature of the organization, but rather a valued, ongoing part of the organization.
Around the World: The Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Strategic priorities include: Organized crime Terrorism Youth Economic integrity Serving Aboriginal communities The RCMP is unique since it is a national, federal, provincial and municipal policing body.
Basic Training
The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) (2009) reported the following: As of the end of 2006, there were 648 police training facilities offering basic recruit training. Basic training programs averaged 19 weeks in length. Topics with the most instruction included firearms, self-defense, health and fitness, patrol procedures, investigations, emergency vehicle operations, criminal law, and basic first aid.
Police Training Officers
The Police Training Officer (PTO) program is a more recent post-academy training program, although the FTO program is still widely used. Provides a foundation of lifelong learning that prepares new officers for the complexities of policing. Training officers mentor, observe, and evaluate probationary officers
Higher Education and the Police: A Continuing Controversy
The ability to communicate with citizens of all ages, ethnicities, and educational levels is critical for police officers Responding to criticism about the lack of empirical evidence, Bostrom (2005) attempted to determine whether a link between education levels of officers and good work habits existed.
Higher Education and the Police: A Continuing Controversy
The controversy surrounding the need for higher education for police personnel continues in spite of the fact that virtually every national commission on the police over the past half-century has recommended such education. One basic argument against college education for the police is that there is insufficient empirical evidence to indicate that such education is necessary for performing the police function.
Licensure
The government establishes the requirements necessary to obtain licensure in order to ensure proficiency and title protection. Licensure requires that the government create a governing body to regulate it and discipline those who violate their privileges or are found to be performing without a license.
Training Effectiveness
The only way to assess the value of training is to conduct routine evaluations. Need to assess if: Training changes the way employees do their job? The change in the direction is desired by employers?
Higher Education and the Police: A Continuing Controversy
The study provided some interesting data: Type of college degree was the most significant factor. Officers with a bachelor of arts degree used less sick time, were involved in fewer traffic crashes, were disciplined less often, and received the most commendations of any group.
Who Should Conduct Training?
There is no doubt that the field of policing has advanced along the continuum of professionalization during the past few decades. Many agencies have experienced a decline in funding, and training often represents one of the first budget items cut. ROI
Field Training
There is often a considerable gap between what is taught in the academy and what actually occurs on the streets. Academy training is simply a preparatory step for on-the-job or field training
Key Terms:
Training Education In-service training Recruit training Field training Probationary period Field Training Officer (FTO) Police Training Officer (PTO) program Continuing professional education
Purposes of Training
Training in communications, human relations, minority relations, analysis of encounters, and negotiating is available, but such training is often not well attended unless officers are required to be present. Typically, officers who are forced to attend such training fail to see the benefits that may accrue.
Online Training
Training topics available through the internet-based training portal in Maine: Terrorism awareness Hazardous materials Workplace harassment Federal firearm laws Search and seizure Dealing with people with mental retardation Cultural diversity Crime scene investigation Weapons of mass destruction Sexual assault
Alternative Police Training
Use of Force Training Simulator (UFTS) Selected police personnel have the opportunity to participate in longer term, more intensive training offered by a variety of training institutes around the country. California's Law Enforcement Command College
Purposes of Training
While approximately 80% of police academies offer recruits at least some form of training in community-policing-related subjects, the amount of time spent on those and other like issues pales in comparison to the more traditional subjects, such as firearms training, physical fitness, and the like .
Mandatory Continuing Education
Benefits: MCE serves to either eliminate the laggards from the ranks of the profession or revive their interest in learning. By virtue of its very existence, the quantity and quality of programs tends to increase. Participation in MCE is viewed as being more acceptable to professionals than periodic re-examination for license renewal. It protects the public from those who are unwilling to keep up with current developments in their field, thus increasing public confidence.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Cadet training involves a 24-week basic training course and then a six month Field Coaching Program under the supervision of a Field Coach. It consists of 785 hours in the following areas: Applied Police Sciences: 373 hours Police Defensive Tactics: 75 hours Fitness and Lifestyle: 45 hours Firearms: 64 hours Police Driving: 65 hours Drill, Deportment and Tactics: 48 hours Detachment visits, exams, etc.: 115 hours
Police Training
Eight qualities of effective law enforcement trainers: Humility Honesty Dedication Passion Preparedness Inspiration Purposefulness Style
Training Police Officers
Historically, many police supervisors (including chiefs) avoided training. The absence of police supervisors from training sessions may have more to do with these factors: Feeling that those still striving for higher ranking positions may benefit more? "It is unhealthy for the functioning or morale of an organization if the people at the top cannot communicate in an informed and sophisticated manner about concepts and ideas suggested, as a result of their education and training with those who work for them."
Police skills
Police Officers Must: Be experts in interpersonal communications Possess intimate knowledge of counseling and crisis intervention strategies Be able to defuse potentially volatile situations
Police Training
Policing - difficult and complex career: Called on to play psychiatrist, doctor, lawyer, judge, jury, priest, counselor, fighter, and dogcatcher.
Police Training
Positive training experience includes the following: Accommodation of the three broad categories of learners Visual Auditory Kinesthetic Technical considerations such as knowing the average skill level of attendees ahead of time and planning accordingly. Utilization of real life or job related applications to emphasize and clearly demonstrate the benefits of the training at hand.
Police Training
Training Provision of basic skills necessary to do the job Education Providing familiarity with the concepts and principles underlying the training
Police Training
• Police work requires a combination of effective, relevant training as well as completion of higher education coursework. • Educators and trainers are needed to build a bridge over the chasm that currently separates higher-education and university criminal-justice programs from police training
Police Training
• Since 1989 both the duration and variety of topics covered in police training centers throughout the United States have increased • Proper training boosts officer performance, reduces agency liability for poor performance, and mitigates community aversion to the presence of law enforcement