NCJ Number
170675
Journal
FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin Volume: 67 Issue: 1 Dated: (January 1998) Pages: 18-23
Date Published
1998
Length
6 pages
Annotation
Members of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) have participated in the West Point Leadership and Command Program (WPLCP), the police version of the curriculum at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
Abstract
Five members of the LAPD participated in the WPLCP in 1994 and later revised the program's training scenarios and computer- assisted instruction to fit contemporary policing issues. In January 1996, the LAPD trained 30 employees assigned to various supervisory and executive positions to be WPLCP instructors. In March 1996, the first two classes of middle managers, both sworn and civilian, began the intensive 15-week leadership course. The goal of the WPLCP is to teach individuals how to think more systematically about leadership challenges and situations. The course covers behavioral science and adult education theories and includes group exercises, student journals, and class discussions. The WPLCP's decisionmaking model teaches police managers to identify what is happening in a specific situation, account for events, and devise actions that respond to the situation. LAPD instructors also use a conceptual framework called the Model of Organizational Leadership. The four levels of analysis in this model constitute the four major study areas in the WPLCP: individual, group, leadership, and organizational systems. In the enrichment phase of the WPLCP, students learn and practice stress management techniques, communication and counseling skills, and ways of applying concepts they have learned. A sample lesson is included. 4 endnotes and 1 photograph