Impact of Police Training on the Daily Operations for Police Officers

Copy the link below. Watch the attached Video on PBS Frontline called "Policing the Police".

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/policing-the-police/

Using what you have learned so far in chapters 1 -5 from the textbook:

Cox, Steven. Massey, David. Koski, Connie. Introduction to Policing. Fourth Edition. Sage Publication. ISBN: 9781544339610

describe how police training plays a role in the day-to-day of police officers. Make sure to mention topics like police operations, police conduct, and police diversity. The essay should be at least 3 pages long, double spaced. You should only use your book as an outside source. 

(if you have questions regarding the topic or anything else, please message me immediately)

Police Training

Introduction

            Police training is an essential part of police preparation approach which aims at ensuring that the officers are competent at what they are doing. The work of policing is very critical, and there is a need for the officers to be at the peak of their performance. Recruitment, training and subsequent testing of the training elements has been identified as the most effective way of ensuring officers are at their best. The paper will look at the importance of training of police officers in the undertaking of their day to day activities. The various elements of training and education that ought to be included in the process are also addressed in the paper.

            The day to day operations of police are diverse, and this makes the work of police officers as complex as most people would not imagine. The scope of police operation is determined by several factors including the geographical locations, the issue being policed for (for example drug-related problems) and even the state of the officer (Cox, Massey, Koski and Fitch, p. 35). The complexity of operation also determines if an officer will be moving in a patrol vehicle or on foot, in uniform or as a civilian. All these elements define the complexity of the operation of the roles of police officers. The fundamental element of training is to ensure that the police officer knows their scope of operation. Moreover, the training is effective in ensuring officers operate within the required principles of practicing (Cox, Massey, Koski and Fitch, p. 39).

            The function of police officers is based on the situation at hand. However, the broad functions are to maintain law and order in the public and private sector (BUMBAK, 2017). It is worth noting, therefore, that not all activities that enforcement officers undertake in the process of maintaining law and order. Cox and colleagues confirm that some of the events that police deal with in their daily activities contradict to their personal beliefs (p. 59). A perfect example is in the case where officers are supposed to use force as a way of dispersing a group of rioting individuals. In as much as the action may not be confirmed to their beliefs they still need to act accordingly. Intensive training and education are, therefore, essential to ensure that these officers can handle such cases of conflicting interests with professionalism.

            The police force is an institution that is very fundamental to the wellbeing of the community. The officers are the ones responsible for ensuring that there is a peaceful existence among the people where everyone respects the rights and freedoms of the other. Thus there is a need for police officers to display the highest status of moral values. The institution has a code of ethics that defines how police officers relate with each other and how they relate with the people they serve (Cox, Massey, Koski and Fitch, p. 93). Because the ethics of police profession is different from that of other occupations, the officer is supposed to be trained and educated on these moral codes so that they can aid them in their day to day decision making.

            The operation of the police department is the most critical aspect of all their roles. The operation entails the recruitment, selection and training (BUMBAK, 2017). It should be noted that the process of recruitment and selection need to be as effective as possible because the goal is to ensure that the selected officers for the job are of high performance and good reputation; hence they will ensure the institution retains its good reputation (Cox, Massey, Koski and Fitch, p. 110). The leaders of the institution are always trained to ensure there is diversity in their selection including gender representation.

A fundamental reason that ought to be considered during training is the respect for human life and individual’s right. Various complain have been raised in different regions such as New York, New Jersey of police brutality towards certain marginalized communities (Childress, 2016). Therefore, police conduct plays a vital role in properly educating prospective police officers in training, on the procedures utilized in performing various police operations such as arrests etc. In addition to that, part of the conduct training involves them being taught on their accountability, and thus punishment of misconduct (Childress, 2016).

            Another importance of training is to ensure that the officers are equaled with the core competencies required for a successful operation in the profession. One is on the physical well-being of the officers. Physical training allows the officer to be physically fit and this will enable them to chase after criminals in the street and even operate as rescue officers in case of emergencies (Cox, Massey, Koski and Fitch, p. 146). More to this is that officers are at times tasked with solving disputes or even calming down angry members of the society. It is for this reason that they are trained so that they can enhance their communication skills (Cox, Massey, Koski and Fitch, p. 147). With effective communication, coordination of operation among officers on the ground is also enhanced.  More importantly is that officers are with time expected to gain more experience and raise the ranks of becoming leaders. It is, for this reason that leadership education is provided during training to prepare the officers for leadership roles (Cox, Massey, Koski and Fitch, p. 139).

Conclusion

            It is evident that police officers have a very complicated job that is very dynamic and at the same time very demanding requiring one to have a variety of skills and competencies. Training and education not only allows the officers to formalize with their roles but also will enable them to gain the core competencies expected for their day-to-day activities.

References

Cox, Steven. Massey, David. Koski, Connie. Introduction to Policing. (Fourth Edition). (2018)Sage Publication.

Childress, Sarah. "Policing The Police." FRONTLINE. N.p., 2016. Web. 29 Sept. 2019, from https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/policing-the-police/

BUMBAK, A. (2017). DYNAMIC POLICE TRAINING. [Place of publication not identified]: CRC Press.