StudiGuide 3: Principled Policing in California

This StudiGuide course provides a practice review-testing resource for police academy cadets (based on the state of California’s Commission on Peace Officer Standard and Training 'POST' requirements) to help understand and pass the POST written examinations.

After review and study of this StudiGuide:

Community Policing in California

DEFINE:

· community policing

· community partnerships

· communication

· facilitation

· community mobilization

· homeland security

· the term “problem”

· problem solving

· crime prevention

· Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED)

DEFINE and DISCUSS a problem-solving strategy

IDENTIFY the essential components of community policing, including:

· essential components of community policing

· problem solving

· addressing quality of life issues

· partnerships with the community

· partnerships with other agencies

· internal and external resources

IDENTIFY community policing goals, including:

· reducing/preventing crime

· reducing the fear of crime

· improving quality of life

· increasing community Awareness

· increasing community Involvement

· increasing community Ownership

· increasing local government involvement in problem-solving

IDENTIFY peace officer responsibilities in the community, including:

· maintaining order

· enforcing the law

· preventing crime

· delivering service

· educating and learning from the community

· working with the community to solve problems

IDENTIFY the elements of area/bead knowledge, including:

· critical sites

· locations requiring special attention, i.e., hot spots

· potential dangerous areas

IDENTIFY:

· the components that comprise communities

· benefits of integrating community mobilization and homeland security

· crime prevention strategies

· methods for recognizing crime problems

IDENTIFY resources that provide opportunities to educate and learn from the community, including:

· community forums

· community advisory groups

IDENTIFY the essential partnering skills, including:

· leadership

· communication

· facilitation

· community mobilization

IDENTIFY the four tenets of procedural justice

· voice

· neutrality

· respect

· trustworthiness

IDENTIFY the elements of the crime triangle, including Victim, Offender, Location

IDENTIFY the principles of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED)

· natural surveillance

· access control

· territorial reinforcements

· image

RECOGNIZE peace officers’ responsibilities to enforce the law, including:

· adhering to all levels of the law

· fair and impartial enforcement

· knowing the patrol beat or area of responsibility

RECOGNIZE:

· a peace officer’s role in influencing community attitudes

· the potential effects of negative nonverbal signals

RECOGNIZE the components of a message in communications with others, including:

· content (words)

· voice characteristics

· nonverbal signals

DIFFERENTIATE between PROACTIVE and REACTIVE policing

DISCUSS:

· community policing philosophy

· the history of policing models – Traditional

· the history of policing models – Professional

· the history of policing models – Community

· community expectations of peace officers

· current and emerging issues that can impact the delivery of services by peace officers

· opportunities where peace officers educate and learn from community members

· government expectations of law enforcement and peace officers

· the relationship of ethics to the badge of office

· leadership skills in community policing

· communication techniques that can be used for obtaining voluntary compliance

· community mobilization methods

· benefits of maintaining a positive relationship with the news media

· the Broken Windows Theory

· crime prevention programs within the community

DISCUSS the key elements for developing trust between community partners, including:

· Trust

· Respect

· Understanding

· Support

· Teamwork

DISCUSS the components of the facilitation process, including:

· being familiar with the issues

· establishing meeting guidelines

· stating meeting purpose, scope, and need

· stating and clarifying objectives

· prioritizing competing problems and issues

· identifying potential solutions

DISCUSS the elements of the community mobilization process, including:

· getting people involved

· identifying community resources (skills)

· calling for action

· educating the public

· taking responsibility for public safety and quality of life

· sustaining effort

DISCUSS the components of a community inventory, including:

· partners

· stakeholders

· community collaboration

DISCUSS principled policing, to include:

implicit and explicit bias

procedural justice

legitimacy

historical events

GIVE EXAMPLES of effective communication techniques for:

· active listening

· establishing effective lines of communication

· overcoming barriers to communication

GIVE EXAMPLES of obstacles that officers may encounter when developing community partnerships

GIVE EXAMPLES of crime risk factors

APPLY facilitation techniques reflecting professional behavior, including:

· maintaining the focus on the issues and stimulating discussion

· displaying interest in the issues

· leading the group toward problem resolution

· helping participants learn from the problem-solving experience

· dealing calmly and respectfully with unexpected incidents

· maintaining objectivity

APPLY a problem-solving strategy

DISTINGUISH BETWEEN Problem-Oriented Policing (POP) and Community Policing (CP)

Selected information from this StudiGuide will also appear on your Mid-Course and End-of-Course Proficiency Written Tests.