Questions and inquiry frameworks in academic research

Police Training

Are tests of morality important to the police officer selection process? Why?

In a recent article in Law and Society Review entitled "Morality in Law Enforcement: Chasing "Bad Guys" with the Los Angeles Police Department," Steve Herbert noted that police have a unique role in society that creates dilemmas: to prevent crime that seems unable to be prevented, to "run roughshod" over ambiguity in the situations they encounter, and that must, in almost every instance, act against at least one citizen's interest. The policeman's morality must deal in an instant with each dilemma and decisions must be made that pit legality and morality against each other. Proper behavior on the part of the police must serve the social needs and protect the state. Legitimate solutions to situations involving regulation of law involve moral decisions that enforce the original intent of the law. Therefore, the police must act with a morality based on knowledge of the law and the reasons for sustaining and upholding that law (Herbert 799).

2.) What are the important characteristics of an assessment center?

An assessment center allows participants to look at their own performance in regard to the validity, reliability, objectivity and effectiveness of actions on the part of candidates for police work. There are different kinds of assessment centers throughout the country and in each, different types of exercises and testing. Work simulation is the most important characteristic of testing at any center, since this is the essence of its purpose. The assessment center must be able to measure job behavior in a controlled or simulated setting. It does not test with "question and answer" type tests, though this may be part of a simulation, but with a rigorous evaluation of how the candidate performs and acts toward the public and others in a job-related activity. Gilbert Skinner summed up the purpose of an assessment center when he said it is "a procedure for simultaneous measuring of several persons, performing a variety of simulated work exercises, with their behavior being observed and recorded by trained evaluators. Or more simply, the Assessment Center lets a person try out for a job without the expense of being in the job for six months to a year" (Coleman 4).

3) When is in-service training used?

In-service training is designed to train police personnel in skills that they must acquire beyond the minimum requirements, for individual growth and for proficiency in their current assignment. Specialized skills may be acquired for future assignments, as well. It stimulates improvement in knowledge and abilities that may be needed in the police's assignment position and enhances their potential for transferring into other specialized assignments. In order to become the best professional member of the force that an officer might be, free from all types of employee discrimination, such as sexual, racial or obscene harassment, most departments provide and require training workshops in these areas. Participation in training sessions is usually mandatory for candidates for positions in a department to acquire accreditation for state agencies (Baltimore 1).

4) How can we evaluate the effectiveness of police training?

Effectiveness of training may be assessed through simulations. Trainees ready to graduate from enforcement training may participate in exercises designed to evaluate their survivability. The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center created a stressful scenario for this purpose that included a hostage situation in 2004 that tested performance, "including shooting judgment and accuracy, communications and coping with a weapon malfunction." In this test, 19% of the candidates shot the hostage (Meyeerhoff 250). In addition these subjects showed that anger interfered with shot placement, performance during the fight and overall performance scores.

There are, in addition to simulations, written simulation measures that evaluate police crisis intervention training. Called the Crisis Intervention Simulation Survey (CISS), it is designed to assess officers' knowledge of their skills in this area and their knowledge of these skills. The CISS puts forth 4 types of crisis situations "with a response sheet with open-ended questions and bipolar, Likert-type emotion scales" (Meerbaum 1).

In addition to the situation simulation and the written testing, there is a form of training testing called Problem-based learning program adapted for police. Based on community problem-solving principles, it challenges recruits to use community resources for response to crime and disorder, as well as getting them to think creatively as they are evaluated for effectiveness in training. When officers complete training, they are expected to explain the benefits of their learning, describe the purpose of learning, analyze ill-structured problems in order to determine if they are suitable for problem solving and to evaluate the need for "emotional intelligence" while working with their cohorts and members of the community.

6) What issues should be included in basic recruit training? Has this changed in recent years, Why?

Police training has been transformed since the early 20th century, which was known for untrained officers who walked on foot throughout the community and knew each citizen. In those times, police had personal discretion and few supervisors to determine their actions and decisions. This historically led to corruption and allegations of corruption, which resulted in universal reforms in policing. The changes, however, brought in bureaucracy and legalistic structures that were almost too strict and limited officers' actions. Technology then placed officers into equipment where they could respond quickly and efficiently to crises.

The issues that should be included in basic recruit training now include community relations and technological training. Skills in public speaking, ethics and integrity, problem solving, crime prevention, stress management, domestic violence, community building "driving, use of weapons, defensive tactics, report writing, arrest techniques, first aid and first response techniques" and bases in "law, race relations, interpersonal communication, mental illnesses, drug and alcohol effects," as well as terrorism now are part of the overall curriculum for officers graduating from training (Chappel 6).

7) Should there be a mandatory higher education requirement for police officer applicants? Explain.