This show explains a lot about creation of the anti-citizen attitude with which so many police recruits leave "skills training."

http://www.hulu.com/the-academy

Man, I saw the that show for the first time tonight and got sick to my stomach.

It is absolutely disgusting to me that any civilian police agency feels it is appropriate to train their officers in that fashion. CIVILIAN DOES NOT EQUAL THE EFFEN MILITARY!

-Mark

Being from LA I remember when LASO was the #2 department everybody wanted to be on (LAPD was # 1). They were professional, smart, diciplined and tough. The CHP was the marine corp of academies. Hard to get into and harder to graduate from.

Much of their jurisdiction encompasses contract cities. Most of these are poor, 3rd world, gang infested and just plain difficult to be a law enforcement officer in.

So, how would you do it? How would you train these young men and women to into harms way.

Require a four year degree in social work or two years experience working with some flavor of unfortunate sub-group (homeless, mentally ill, chemically dependant, school district, children's home, etc.) Actually I'd like to see it as an across the board requirement for cops. Four years of learning about the "serve" part of serve and protect or two years experience doing it. Then, let them learn how to be enforcers.

People know when you are there for them Vs. when you are out to get them. I realize this may sound crazy liberal or something, but I have seen in action how much mileage being there for the people will get ya. It is amazing, and it makes a huge difference.

Better still: Actually DRAW the police from the people at large. Like an extended tour of jury duty. Sure, weed out what you can of the mentally slow, psychologically cracked, physically weak, morally decrepit, and criminally experienced. Train firmly, and supervise closely (Possibly with social worker-cops as you describe, Macx.). Then let them go back to their lives after a couple years. Not long enough to get jaded, or to establish a pattern of corruption. There'd be many more "civilians in uniform" on the streets, with ties to the community they serve. There'd be many more ex-cops returned to normal life, who know what it's like to be there.

Then again, the armed forces ought to be like this too.

We are either an armed society, any part of which is capable of taking care of itself at any extreme, or we are just a flock of sheep, overseen by shepherds.

In public service, we should create no social elites.

Also, I wouldn't even consider anyone under 25. Sure, there are prodigies, and there are very mature young people, but there's also plenty of time. And life experience goes a long way. It would also give more time in real life for flaws to show up.

The 'young cop" sydrome is always the same. They are immature and ridiculously insecure when they get out of school. (like most of the rest of us.)

Later they either join the "burned out cop club" or, they learn from their life experience, and become fairly effective.

But it's not right that somebody should just go to school and then become a cop, (which is what we usually do); they need a diverse life experience and maturity, before we turn them loose.

As long as we do the same way, we'll have the same trouble. Ans so will they.

+1000!

The best cops tend to be those for whom law enforcement is a second or even third career. There is no way that a 21 year old knows anything above jackshit when it comes to what actually happens in the world. Think about it...you graduate from HS, head to a 2-year tech program, then spend some time looking for jobs...what time have you actually spent living among the people you are supposed to be policing? NONE!

I'd personally like to see all of the "criminal justice" programs and degrees done away with. They create a similar mentality to that being fostered in our academic system; a group of people incapable of existing outside of a certain mental and emotional ecosystem.

-Mark

I don't disagree with the sentiment, but I have real doubts about whether experience as a social worker teaches either understanding or compassion.

Yea, but the pre-req for the social worker job is 3 years as an economist.

To produce the outcome that I see being sought here, with these training ideas, a prerequisite of 18+ years of quality parenting is required.

I know I have a 4 year degree in Criminal Justice, and I know how much that prepared me to be a cop (I am not one & that should be an indication) . . . I tend to agree with the sentiments about doing away with LEO degree programs & though long winded in saying it would much rather see relevant degree or experience (with an incentive for experience over "book lern'n") as the sought after requirement.

At 20 something I could have become just another thug in blue. Life and luck steered me a different way and a decade latter. . . I think I'd make a good cop, if I could stand to be around my co-workers. Life experience speaks volumes. spot on Mrokern!

Sounds like you and I would get along very well in this respect; we have similar stories to tell in the career path.

An interesting note in this vein; when I was interviewing, I made it very far into the selection process for Madison, WI (far enough that I voluntarily pulled out due to bad timing; I chose to continue college). Madison had one of the longest academies I'd ever come across...9 months...and had a full year of riding with a FTO, during which you could be dismissed at any time if your FTO didn't feel you were a good fit for the job. The department heavily preferred older applicants, and their hiring figures reflected it. Over 60% of the folks who went that far down the road with me were in their 30s. I was one of the pups, but must have done well enough on my written tests and oral boards to get that far. Granted, that was 10 years ago and I wasn't quite so cynical yet.

-Mark