NCJ Number
157955
Date Published
1994
Length
60 pages
Annotation
This analysis proposes ethical and didactic foundations as well as goals and methods for German police training.
Abstract
Ethically, police training presents special challenges because police officers can restrict the democratic rights of the citizens. At a time of confused and changing values, the officer must learn to act with self-reliance, cooperation, and responsibility. Didactically, police training must go beyond the transmission of mere information, unite theory and practice, and create a special type of human being: Police officers must be able to participate in the decision-making process, see the society they work for critically and lucidly, practice solidarity, reach peaceful consensus, and anticipate coming events. Furthermore, the training should be directly related to society's needs, encourage critical and rational thinking, and involve the students actively in the learning process. Appropriate teaching methods include not only lectures and discussions, but also practical demonstrations, team work, mind mapping, audio-visual programs, Socratic questioning, and role playing. Numerous hints and specific methods for instructing police officers are appended. 29 references