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.
Throughout the history of police in this country, the relationship between police and the community suffered as officers were placed at a distance from citizens. A worsening of relations during riot-torn years demonstrated the need for community relations in training. Technology training is also necessary as a result of the evolution in basic equipment. In addition, knowledge of community relations has become important in the training of administration of police. College degrees in police training and education became important as standards for officers rose. Most states now require certification and the passing of standardized examinations for law enforcements officers. Terrorism has now been added to the list of concerns which police have to deal with in the current political world. In order to cover all of the necessary areas which police must be well-versed in, mentioned above in #6, it appears that expertise...
test. Thes test includes four basic P.O.W.E.R. test sections:
Sit and Reach Test
Minute Sit Up Test
Repetition Maximum Bench Press
1.5-Mile Run.
Passing the P.O.W.E.R. test should be required for all applicants, since police enforcement requires extraordinary physical challenges at times and if the ability is not available to all officers, there may be a failure of procedures. In order to qualify for this unusual and specific line of duty, police officers must be able to qualify in all areas, including physical agility.
Works Cited
Baltimore County Police Department. in-Service Training Guidelines. Baltimore County, Maryland. 17 Dec 2004. http://www.baltimorecountymd.gov/Agencies/police/academy/guidelines.html.
Chappell, Allison T. Law Enforcement Training: Changes and Challenges. Critical Issues in Policing. 2004. www.clas.ufl.edu/users/chappell/alpert%20book%20chapter.pdf.
Coleman, John L. Police Assessment Testing: An Assessment Center Handbook for Law Enforcement Personnel. New York: Charles C. Thomas, 3rd Edition. 2002.
Herbert, Steve. "Morality in Law Enforcement: Chasing "Bad Guys" with the Los Angeles Police Department." Law and Society Review, Vol. 30, 799-829. 1996. http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=97925886.
Meerbaum, Monica L. "A written simulation measure to evaluate police crisis intervention training." Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association (Toronto, Ontario, Canada, August, 1978).
Meyerhoff, James L.; Norris, William; Saviolakis, George; Wollert, Terry; Burge, Bob; Atkins, Atkins; and Spielberger, Charles. "Evaluating performance of law enforcement personnel during a stressful training scenario." Biobehavioral Stress Response: Protective and Damaging Effects. Vol. 1032, Dec 2004.
PTO Manual. "Training Standard." A Problem-Based Learning Manual for Training and Evaluating Police Trainees. Reno, Nevada: Reno Police Department. 2000.
