Replicating bad behaviour:
The effects that field training officers have on police recruit behavior According to Sir Robert Peel, the founding father of modern policing, “The power of the police to fulfill their functions and duties is dependent upon public approval of their existence, actions, and behaviours and on their ability to secure and maintain public trust” (Loader, 2016, p. 429). This statement signifies the critical importance of field training officers as, according to Sun (2014), who exist as a focal point for the transmission of organizational culture and skills for to new police officers. It is the impact of a field training officer on a new officer that sets the stage to ensure the continuance of Peelian principles and maintenance
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These perils may occur through officer discontent, substandard work ethic, ethical deterioration, and officer complacency.
Historical and recent events have led to a diminishing public trust in the police throughout North America. Events such as those witnessed in Ferguson Missouri, Baltimore, Minnesota, and Canadian trust issues around murdered and missing women, RCMP sexual harassment allegations and the behaviours of police during the G 20 protests in Ontario, highlight the need to implement best practices in the training and indoctrination of new police officers to meet current societal needs. Thus, this research study is important as the behaviour and attitudes of field training officers may be key to the formation of attitudes and behaviours in their recruits and perpetuate negative conduct (Getty et al, 2014).
In examining the impact that field training officers have on recruit behavior, we can open the door to evidence-based research in an effort to mitigate the negative impacts and enhance best practices in the training and indoctrination of new police recruits, resulting in enhanced public trust.
Statement of
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My research exists as an impetus for further research and study in the area of field training officer pedagogy.
2. My study will lead to the professionalization of the field training officer role in Canadian Police Service
3. My research will enhance the relationship between academia and public safety organizations encouraging evidenced based policing practices. Terminology
For the purposes of this proposal, the following terms will apply;
• ‘Field training officer’ refers to an experienced or senior member of an organization who is responsible for the training and evaluation of a junior or probationary level member.
• ‘Recruit officer’ refers to a newly engaged member of an organization.
• ‘Performance records or measurement’ refers to the process of quantifying the efficiency or effectiveness of an action, while a measurement is the metric used in the quantification of the process (Neely, et al 1995).
• ‘Disciplinary records’ refers to a section in a member’s personnel file containing details of remedial orders and disciplinary punishments.
Conceptual Frame
This paper will show four different police departments that are currently hiring or recruiting for police officers. There will be a summary on the research found on the process used to recruit police officers. It will also show their current hiring trends and what hiring practices they have that are successful or not successful. The paper will also go over the different methods departments use to train their new officers and their values.
The composition by recruiting officers is to manufacture loyalty and conformity by implying the craving to seek approval during training and later by experienced officers during their career. Leading officers frequently influence new recruits by their unethical behavior and poor decisions making. Many officers are aware of the wrong behaviors, while others justify their actions by the principles “us versus evil” that “justifies all that police do to control their turf, including righteous abuse of suspects and malcontents” (Crank, 1998). Most officers will follow their footsteps out of fear, rejection, and becoming cut off from the organization.
A considerable number of research has been conducted over the past 40 years to understand police culture. A variety of terms have been used in reference to it including: ‘cop culture’ (Reiner, 2010:118), the ‘working personality’ of the police (Skolnick, 1966, 2010:15), the ‘police mind’ (Fielding & Fielding, 1991) and, ‘police sub-culture’ (Waddington, 1999). Research has shown that police culture influences officer’s attitudes, behaviors’ and work ethics (Scaramella et al., 2011); and the way officers perceive society and their role within it (Reiner, 2000). Schein (2004: 17) defines police culture as ‘A pattern of shared basic assumptions that was learned by a group as it solved its problems of external adaptation and internal integration, that has worked well enough to be considered valid and,
I was hired in 2011 as a police officer for the City of Muncie. I started on second shift and had a variety of field training officers (FTO’s). The FTO’s were supposedly training me according to the department policies, but I often saw opposite practices. It was hard to know if the FTO’s valued their own work and a job well-done. They did not have consistent values
The police must be efficient with their response times and each officer should have a good appearance that commands respect (Bohm & Haley, 2011). Robert found that an officer with “a perfect command of temper and a quiet manner, has more effect than violent action” (Bohm & Haley, 2011, p. 141). Most police departments today, spend a great deal of time training on interpersonal communication. It is important for officers to learn how to communicate instead of trying to persuade someone by
The law enforcement industry has become a less desirable job for Americans nowadays. The current shortage of police officer’s applications across the country are attributed to the diminishing pay, bad reputation, and dangerous nature of the job (Ali, 2017). Police departments around the country face severe scrutiny after heavy attention was drawn to police brutality incidents. The general belief that the law enforcement industry in America has a
“A now-former area police chief face public corruption charges. He was accused of using a city credit card to pay for a trip to Hawaii” (John 2014). Police officers have done a lot of wrong things in the past, some examples are: gratuities, bribery, and brutality. Although there are plenty of instances where the officer is not wrong, and the civilians are in the wrong. Some people wonder what exactly leads a police officer to bribery, and some bribery cases are civilians lying. A large solution to this problem would be the training for police officers to be improved to prevent police misconduct.
Officers working for the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) have the responsibility of serving the public and for this reason they are given substantial authority to enable them to carry out their duties. The citizens have expectations that such authority is given to individuals who have demonstrated the through their conduct to have the intention of using the authority for the sake of the public’s interest. Therefore, the recruitment process of these two agencies involves scrutinizing the candidates’ background to select the ones with the highest probability of success.
Based on Caro’s finding, it was concluded that there is a need for additional studies to measure police officer training curriculum and field training programs. It is important to have a great training curriculum for incoming cadets to get the best-in-class training as well as on the job training. Much of the on the job training rookie officers will receive will be from fellow more seasoned officers. These officers, as well as rookies’ supervisors, will play a major role on how well rookies will perform in the
These customs and beliefs, we expect, would involve the protection and justice for civilians. Training new officers how to manage situations that are at times difficult, quick to react to and life endangering situations would be some the things that should be important in this process. “Police corruption is not limited to a few bad officers, rather, it is a product of dysfunctional management and deviant subculture” (Hoon Lee, 2013). This subculture is so powerful and can completely shape the behavior of those individuals in the group. The new officers need to feel accepted by the organization and are willing to conform to the beliefs of the police. The shaping of officers starts at training in which the officers are already subjected to this subculture where the result becomes whether the officer fits in or
Police academy training programs must go beyond arrest procedures and usual tactics it must include COP skills (Anyatt, 1993). Academy training is infamously imperfect in instruction that emphasizes the discretionary application of a range of skills that relate to real world circumstances (Kelling, Wasserman, & Williams, 1988). Much police academy training is undermined in the field. For this reason, a change to community policing philosophy and its subsequent organizational changes must be trained to senior members of the department. The Field Training Officer (FTO) program needs to be modified to put an emphasis on COP philosophy including ethical problem solving and decision-making (Overman, 1994). Research has illustrated that properly
He embarked on a 12 week journey through the “Rurban County Police Department” police training academy. The purpose of this study was to provide a view of the process of what recruits go through on the path of becoming a police officer. The book uses many examples from Harris’ field notes, as well as direct interaction from classroom instruction, and interaction among recruits. Harris uses these examples to support his belief that people see the police as a defensive bureaucracy. Harris would like to change this view by stressing the
The Ferguson police department wants officers to attend several trainings such as what is the department’s policy, the law in general, and what is the department’s integrity and in-service training in order to develop community trust. The Ferguson police department also wants officers to be train for detecting and responding to individuals with known or suspected mental health conditions (“Investigation of the Ferguson Police Department,”2015, p.93). This policy might be difficult to be implemented because the Ferguson police department might feel the need to train their officers more on what are their responsibilities as a police officer and have knowledge about when to take enforcement action.
Police/recruit training wasn’t always as vigorous as it is now and wasn’t always required as it is now. Proper police and recruit training is essential when it comes to dealing with society. Such training as, knowing the laws, prisoner transport, tactics, scenario training, handling of evidence, driving, forearm training and interpersonal skills are all examples of training officers must know. (The History and Importance of Police Training).
state and large municipal and county police departments to analysis the use of in-service deadly force programs. His study showed that large municipal, county, state police, and highway patrol departments different in four ways regarding in-service deadly force programs: instructor staffing, training framework, requalification, and availability of field performance information (Morrison,2006). First, he found that large police departments had two staffing models: dependent on full-time personnel and the other primarily involves collateral-duty personnel (2006). However, state police and highway patrol have some collateral-duty instructors(Morrison,2006). He also found that all the departments have recognized that their instructors must be specialized before leading the firearm and deadly force training (Morrison,2006). Firearm training is one of the key components of in-service programs (Morrison & Garner,2011). Additionally, Morrison also discovered that 41% of law enforcement departments use computer simulation for judgement and tactics training