Please provide a brief response to the post below: It is meant to be encouraging and adds to the conversation.
DB Post
Based on your findings and critique in part 1, develop a recommendation plan for the organization regarding best compliance practices.
The world of corrections, like education, has so many different layers. You must peel back the layers the find the causes of problems and issues within the organization. It is no secret that the criminal justice system needs to be overhauled, some would even say it just needs to be thrown away and started from scratch. As evidenced in recent years there have been several cases revolving around the injustices that some have suffered. In my part one post, I mentioned a few things but mainly discussed training. Most of the issues and cases that are prevalent in the news today all go back to training (or lack thereof) of the officers.
Law enforcement agencies in different jurisdictions serve in different capacities, but they are supposed to aim for the same goals of protect and serve. Different areas mean different means of training, but the training goals should be identical. In a perfect world, all law enforcement would receive the same training, and all officers would follow the protocols as they have been trained to do. Seeing how that is not very likely, this is my proposed plan of compliance for law enforcement training. Training has recently been geared towards de-escalation and dealing with persons with mental health disorders. The Arkansas Department of Community Correction employs what are called specialized law enforcement officers.
Recommendation Plan:
The training academy length should be extended from six weeks to eight weeks. Since they typically spend the first one to two months in the office learning the basics of the computer programs and systems that are used, it would be beneficial if they had time during the academy to exhibit what they have learned thus far and incorporate it into their basic training.
The pass/fail rate for weekly tests should be increased from 90% to 95%.
The weapons qualification minimum score should be increased from 205/250 to 220/250.
Home-visit scenarios and simulations should be conducted weekly during the academy.
Upon completion of the basic academy, officers are assigned a Field Training Officer (FTO).
To ensure proper assignment, there should be a review of the FTOs file, making sure they have not had any policy infractions or write-ups within the last six months. You do not want someone who has had previous problems training a new officer.
The FTO should set aside one hour per week and engage trainees, making sure they are following policies and address any concerns they may have.
The FTO program is nine months in length. It should be extended to one year to coincide with the initial year-long probationary period. (Arkansas Department of Correction- Field Division)
A performance evaluation should be completed on both the FTO and the trainee at the six-month mark. Performance evaluations are usually completed on a yearly basis. These evaluations should be completed by someone who works outside of the area and will likely be less biased in the scoring.
A review of defensive and de-escalation techniques should be visually and verbally reviewed every quarter since the actual defensive tactics refresher is conducted every six months, along with the weapons qualification.
Mandatory sensitivity training should be implemented in conjunction with First Aid for Mental Health disorders.
Arkansas requires officers in the police academy to complete at least 16 hours of training on behavioral health crisis intervention. (Essex, 2018).
Support assertions with scholarly research and include personal experiences that support your recommendations.
I believe that these additions to an already extensive officer training program will further ensure adherence to the Department of Community Correction training policy. And granted there will be times that there will be a blind eye turned on infractions, it is imperative that those in high authority be made aware and that the situations are dealt with accordingly to prevent a cycle for actions that are not reprimanded.
I was witness to several instances where the policy was not followed, and all parties involved were either terminated or allowed to resign. These incidents had the trickledown effect as they went from the area manager to the assistant area manager to the officer- which I found strange because, with them, I was used to seeing reprimand work its way from the bottom to the top. Although I was disappointed at the outcome, at the end of the day it was the correct action because the policy was not followed. Luckily, the incident that occurred did not lead to a front-page news article in the Arkansas Gazette. The policy is policy, regardless of whether you agree with it or not. If you have taken an oath or sworn to do certain things, you must do them and perform your duties according to the policies that have been written and are in place.
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