Critical Issues in Police Training - Softcover

Haberfeld, M. R.

9780130837097: Critical Issues in Police Training

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0130837091 ISBN 13: 9780130837097

Publisher: Pearson College Div, 2002

The first comprehensive volume written that specifically deals with the complexity and ethical issues associated with the issues of police training. It provides an analysis of the process of training, from the historical and conceptual perspective with an emphasis on the steps to be taken to improve every stage of police training. This volume covers all aspects of police training including proactive training, the history of policing, training versus education, academy training, field training officer programs, instructors and educators, stress management, community-oriented leadership and policing, multicultural law enforcement, specialist and developmental training, supervisory and management training, liability and training, police training in other countries and the future of police training. For those in law enforcement or those interested in law enforcement training.

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From the Back Cover:

RETHINKING THE FUNDAMENTAL ISSUES IN POLICE TRAINING IN THE 21ST CENTURY
PAST, PRESENT, AND DESIRED

Critical Issues in Police Training is the first academic text that specifically deals with the important issues of police training, covering the entire training process, starting with the history of policing, and taking the reader, step by step, through all the phases of police training.

Sample table of contents:

Academy training—a professional standard model
E T.O. training—mandatory two-phase model-academy and in-service
Specialized courses

Law enforcement leadership training—from the military-orientation to community-oriented policing model-introducing the c.o.l. model—community-oriented leadership
Stress management training—discovering the "missing link"-introducing the f.i.t. model—feelings-inputs-tactics
Community-oriented policing training—"familiarity breeds contempt"—introducing the o.c.p. model—open communication policing

Training methodologies—student-centered and organization-centered training and education
Instructors—where to start?
Police training in other countries—a comparative perspective
Small, medium or large—how to secure quality training for your agency regardless of your size and resources

Critical Issues in Police Training thoroughly delineates various stages and phases of police training, creating the opportunity to develop new courses in this so-important area of police profession. Books in the area of policing devote anywhere from as few as two pages to as much as an entire chapter to police training. In the 21st century, it is an imperative to deliver more attention to this critical aspect of policing. Students of policing, undergraduate and graduate, should be exposed to the complexity and the ethical issues associated with the ways in which police officers are trained.

They are trained as soldiers and expect to perform as social workers . . . . well, at least 90 percent of their time, and then, in a split second—they have to be soldiers again—quite a trick!

The materials presented in this book were gathered from a host of sources: police departments around the country. and around the world, police chiefs, police managers, directors of training, police officers from the highest to the lowest ranks, students, and colleagues. It has not been my intention to identify all the police departments or all the academies specifically each time I discuss a given topic. The idea behind this relative anonymity is quite simple.

While gathering the information and performing the research, I came across many people who cared deeply about the topic of law enforcement training. They were helpful, enthusiastic, open, and cooperative. They opened their offices, files, and, more important, hearts and thoughts to me—no researcher could ask for more. There is, of course, a downside to such cooperation. The idea for the book was born out of an assumption that the approach to law enforcement training is fundamentally wrong and has to be altered, enhanced, changed, or restructured in order to professionalize the idea of policing. Without a critical analysis of the findings, the "right" answers could not be provided. However, analysis frequently entails criticism—constructive criticism but nevertheless, criticism. It is not my aim to challenge or criticize any of my sources by pointing an accusatory finger at a given police department or academy. It is nevertheless my goal to present a factual picture, not just theory, in an attempt to point out the basic misconceptions. No matter how skillfully this could be approached, a number of people, police departments, and academies would be hurt in the process in a very personal way. To avoid this potentially hurtful approach, I have decided to identify the actors involved only in very rare instances and in general to refer to agencies by approximate size or state location when possible. Sometimes, however, the identity of a given training academy or department was revealed and some direct criticism offered. Nevertheless, the goal of such an approach was to provide a valuable and replicable template that can be customized to a given department or academy. In other instances all that the reader needs to know is the approximate size, type of training delivered (through an in-house, regional, or state facility) and the floating ideas—the rest is left to one's imagination and his or her passion for the idea of policing. If this passion is even remotely close to the passion I feel for this profession, there is a good chance for progress.

I would be remiss if I not mention that as I write the final pages, many of the factual descriptions in this textbook are already obsolete. Police training changes as one reads this book, but the general themes and concepts presented to the reader remain valid and important. The contribution of this book to an understanding of the nature of police work cannot be measured against the exact number of hours allocated to training or topics discussed while this research was in progress. It is highly recommended, however, that both students and instructors check, verify, and update the current training modules prior to engaging themselves in any discussion, analysis, or evaluation. Finally, if through the ideas incorporated in this book I have managed to improve the quality of life for police officers and the communities they serve, my efforts will have been well worthwhile.

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