NCJ Number
60098
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 46 Issue: 8 Dated: (AUGUST 1979) Pages: 22-26
Date Published
1979
Length
5 pages
Annotation
A REPORT ON 'THE QUALITY OF POLICE EDUCATION' IS CRITIQUED IN THE AREAS OF THE STUDY'S METHODOLOGY AND ITS APPRAISAL OF INSERVICE POLICE EDUCATION AND PART-TIME STUDENTS AND PROFESSORS.
Abstract
A STUDY BY THE POLICE FOUNDATION'S NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL ON HIGHER EDUCATION FOR POLICE OFFICERS ON THE QUALITY OF POLICE EDUCATION HAD A POOR DESIGN FOR THE GENERATION AND ANALYSIS OF NEW EMPIRICAL DATA. THE COUNCIL CHOSE TO ANALYZE THE FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS OF PREVIOUS STUDIES RATHER THAN TO DEVELOP MUCH NEW DATA ON ITS OWN. FURTHER, IF THE NEW YORK CITY HEARING WAS REPRESENTATIVE OF OTHER HEARINGS CONDUCTED THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY, THE SELECTION OF WITNESSES, DISTRIBUTION OF TIME, AND SEQUENCING OF TESTIMONY BORE LITTLE RELATIONSHIP TO THE ISSUES UNDER INVESTIGATION OR THE EXPERTISE OF THE WITNESSES. THE COUNCIL'S CONVICTIONS THAT PART-TIME EDUCATION FOR COMMUTING STUDENTS IS INHERENTLY INFERIOR TO FULL-TIME EDUCATION IN A RESIDENTIAL SETTING AND THAT PRE-SERVICE EDUCATION IS BASICALLY SUPERIOR TO INSERVICE EDUCATION ARE ASSUMPTIONS DEVELOPED WITHOUT SUPPORTING DATA. THESE ASSUMPTIONS UNDERLIE VIRTUALLY ALL OF THE FLAWED REASONING OF THE ENTIRE REPORT. EVEN WHILE MAINTAINING THAT FULL-TIME CAREER EDUCATION IS VASTLY SUPERIOR TO PART-TIME, INSERVICE EDUCATION FOR PROSPECTIVE AND ACTIVE POLICE OFFICERS, THE PRESENT PAPER ACKNOWLEDGES THAT THIS TYPE OF EDUCATION IS TOO EXPENSIVE AS A GENERAL PROCEDURE FOR POLICE EDUCATION. PART-TIME, COMMUTER EDUCATION IS THE ONLY FINANCIALLY PRACTICAL APPROACH FOR EDUCATING LARGE NUMBERS OF INSERVICE OFFICERS. FURTHER, THE COUNCIL FAILS TO PROVE THAT PART-TIME IS INFERIOR TO FULL-TIME POLICE EDUCATION. THE REPORT HOLDS THAT COGNITIVE LEARNING IN INSERVICE CLASSES IS LESS THAN THAT OF PRE-SERVICE COURSES AND THAT THE INSERVICE OFFICERS ARE LESS MOTIVATED TO LEARN FROM THE COURSES THAN THEY ARE TO HAVE A COURSE CREDIT THAT MAY INCREASE THEIR INCOME. PRE-SERVICE STUDENTS ARE VIEWED AS MORE MOTIVATED TO LEARN FOR THE SAKE OF DEVELOPING TOWARD QUALITY POLICE OFFICERS. AGAIN, THE STUDY FAILS TO PROVE ITS APPRAISALS. THE MODEL OF FULL-TIME, RESIDENTIAL, PRE-SERVICE HIGHER EDUCATION FOR POLICING RECOMMENDED BY THE COUNCIL IS NOT CURRENTLY A WORKABLE ALTERNATIVE FOR UPGRADING POLICE PERFORMANCE. (RCB)