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Education and Training

NCJ Number
91526
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 50 Issue: 10 Dated: (October 1983) Pages: 22-33,35-49,51-58
Editor(s)
C E Higginbotham
Date Published
1983
Length
35 pages
Annotation
A series of articles on police education and training covers such topics as a prepromotion job simulation exercise, predicting success in academy training, graduate police education, training technologies, and certification programs.
Abstract
The opening article describes New Zealand's use of role-playing and 'in-basket' exercises to prepare sergeant trainees for the experiences of a supervisory position, followed by a description of California's development and validation of a battery of reading and writing tests that have proven highly predictive of academic success. A discussion of entry-level police training in the 1980's emphasizes variety and innovation in training methods, remedial programs for trainees with severe weaknesses, self-instruction, and postacademy field training. A delivery model for graduate police education is described as used at the University of Alabama, and the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University is offered as an example of an outreach program (on-campus and off-campus) to help officers grow in the application of theory to practice. A number of articles discuss how video technologies can contribute to more effective police training. An article on training under cutback conditions argues that training can be 'sold' as having the highest priority in competition with other police budget items, because it contributes to improving cost-effective performance. The certification programs described are those promulgated by the International Association for Shopping Center Security and the National Association of State Directors of Law Enforcement Training. The final article concludes that roughly 20 percent of a police agency's performance problems can be addressed through training and instruction, while the other 80 percent should be dealt with through creative supervision and management.