NCJ Number
207849
Journal
FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin Volume: 73 Issue: 11 Dated: November 2004 Pages: 18-24
Editor(s)
John E. Ott
Date Published
November 2004
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article examines the need in community-oriented police training for change in the methods of educating officers to meet changes in society, technology, law, and crime.
Abstract
With police agencies moving away from just responding to incidents and addressing causes of crime and social unrest, the field of law enforcement is facing the tremendous need to change. They must change how they train or educate officers. To meet this challenge, academicians and police trainers have suggested changes in both academy content and in methods of educating officers to meet changes in society, technology, law, and crime. This article addresses methods of educating officers through community oriented police training in order to meet the variety of changes. Over the years it has been suggested that teaching methods be more appropriate for officers who are faced with making immediate discretionary decisions, interacting with all aspects of society, and resolving social conflict. An andragogical framework (the art and science of helping adults learn) is advocated for academy training with the employment of pedagogical methods (the art and science of teaching children) as needed within the context of community oriented policing. However, pedagogy and andragogy should not be viewed as distinctly separate concepts. In addition, in viewing adult learners and the use of the andragogical framework in teaching, it is encouraged that creative problem solvers who independently work through problems be recruited. The use of andragogy, or adult learning can help establish a new model of police education for recruit training, designed to promote the development of innovative problem solvers.