Text Police role: Has transitioned from a “professional” to a

“community-oriented” model. “COPS officers will have togravitate towards problem-solving and community building rather than high-profile arrests”

Officer behavior: “Officers will need to be accepted into the community and accepting of community input rather than isolated, apart, and suspicious. They will need to be more democratic and less authoritarian in their orientation than traditional officers.”

Jay Police role: Role hasn’t substantially changed since the dawn of

time: to promote civility and law observance Officer behavior: Officers should strive to achieve their goals

through voluntary compliance, with force and coercion as last resorts

Identify personal characteristics, knowledge, skills and abilities that can help working police officers do a good job. Be sure your responses are justified by what police

officers actually do Which of these skills should police candidates have before

going into the academy?

Incorruptible

Tolerates stress

Logical skills and intelligence

People oriented

Free of bias

Self-insight, emotional stability

Not impulsive

Not overly aggressive

Physical courage

Command presence

Works well as a team member

Accepts leadership and direction

Hire Work

College? White collar occupations? Service occupations? Blue-collar occupations? Military? Professions?

Working class and lower-middle class Conservative political views Looking for steady work with good benefits Idealistic, want to help others Prefer outside work – not be “cooped up” Taste for risk and excitement Lifetime interest (friends and relatives in law

enforcement) Assertiveness and physicality

Depends on economy In strong economies recruitment suffers In weak economies recruitment booms. During the recession

NYPD was swamped with well-educated applicants, many from Wall Street. In November 2009 more than half the recruits in the academy had four-year degrees.

LAPD (not the highest-paid) starts officers in the $50,000 range A few agencies require two-year degrees

Thirty years ago some (e.g. Ventura) required a four-year degree Requiring 2 years has been validated against writing and verbal

skills, which are critical components of police duties Constricts applicant pool, disproportionately impacts minorities

Corruption and violence discourages applicants to urban departments That, in turn, drives down hiring standards Hiring officers who admit to prior drug use or have records has

been linked to police misconduct (e.g., the Rampart scandal)

California P.O.S.T. standards Peace officers are certified by the State California law enforcement agencies must meet

or surpass Written exam

Reading, writing, general intellectual development LAPD has an essay to test writing skills

Oral interview Evaluates what cannot be measured Ability to communicate and reason, general poise and bearing LAPD: “personal accomplishment, job motivation, continuous

learning orientation, instrumentality, interpersonal skills, and oral communication skills”

LAPD By far the most important and expensive part of the process

Much more expensive for out-of-State candidates Key components

Criminal, traffic and driver license history Credit history and civil litigation School and work Family and friends, neighbors

Common shortcuts Sketchy coverage of teachers, friends and acquaintances Not checking prior addresses Not inspecting juvenile records

Police Issues: What Should it Take to be Hired?

Police work occasionally requires: Chasing people over obstacles

(speed, endurance and agility) Overcoming physical resistance

(strength and flexibility) Accurately deploying weapons under stress (strength and

coordination) LAPD

SIDE STEP (Agility): Ten seconds to move from one side of a center line to the other side as many times as possible

CABLE PULL (Strength): Five seconds to pull a pair of handles apart as hard as possible in a horizontal motion

STATIONARY BICYCLE (Endurance): Two minutes to pedal as many revolutions as possible against a pre-set resistance

TREADMILL (Aerobic capacity): Simulate running 1 ½ miles in 14 minutes

Psychological Pencil and paper Interviews with psychologists Exclude emotionally unstable, overly aggressive

or suffer from a personality disorder Polygraph

To confirm information developed during background investigation To elicit information that might not otherwise be obtained National Academy: polygraph is unreliable as an applicant screening

tool Usefulness as a prop

Medical For conditions that could limit someone’s performance as a police

officer Disqualifying: hypertension, poor vision and hearing, excessively over

or underweight, uncorrected hernias, respiratory problems California P.O.S.T medical screening standards

Page 14: “While it is impossible to substantiate completely, itappears that the application of our hiring standards was compromisedwhen these officers were hired during periods of accelerated hiringin the late 1980s and early 1990s. This is not to say that anyoneintended to do so. But, one need only look at the pre-employmenthistories of these four people to see that something was seriouslywrong when they were approved for hire. The fact that these menwere hired with egregious information in their packages leaves only two explanations: 1) Recognize that erosion has occurred and shore up the systems to prevent it from recurring; or, 2) Insist that the application of our standards did not erode, which means that criminal conduct, drug dealing, financial irresponsibility and violent behavior are consistent with our standards. Clearly, there has been erosion, the blame for which cannot be placed on one individual or group, but rather on a multifaceted system with competing interests. We must recognize that it has occurred and commit ourselves to never sacrificing quality for the expediency of numbers.”

LAPD Board of Inquiry Report into the Rampart Area Corruption IncidentMarch 1, 2000

Page 9: Of the 14 officers, four had questionable issues in their pre-employment background which strongly indicate they never should have been hired as Los Angeles Police Officers. Those four officers were hired in 1988, 1989, 1990, and 1994, and three of them have since been fired for felonious conduct:

It is important to note that the July 9, 1991, Report of the Independent (Christopher) Commission...all but predicted that a weak application of hiring standards was allowing risky candidates to become Los Angeles Police Officers.

The officer hired in 1994 sold marijuana to two other students on one occasion while he was in high school. At age 15, the police detained him for investigation of tampering with vehicles on a car sales lot. He was taken to the station and released to his parents. Those law enforcement contacts were self-admitted and nothing on his criminal history printout indicates that he was ever formally arrested. However, there is a notation in the package that “All records have been sealed” indicating that he may have had a juvenile record that could not be accessed for the background investigation. In any event, the Police Department recommended his disqualification, but it was overturned by the Personnel Department.

The officer hired in 1990 had been arrested three times before he became an officer at the age of 24. As a juvenile, he was arrested for stealing hubcaps. As an adult, he was arrested and convicted of driving under the influence (DUI). One year before his hire, he was cited for having an open container of an alcoholic beverage in his car and was arrested for driving on a suspended license (suspended from the earlier DUI) for which he was sentenced to ten days in jail. In the military, he was disciplined for disobeying a lawful order. His background investigation disclosed that he "loses his cool very easily“ over minor incidents, and acted like a "big macho man." The psychological examiner advised the Personnel Department that there was not enough negative information to warrant his disqualification.”

The officer hired in 1988 had been arrested as an adult for grand theft. The incident occurred when he struck a public bus driver during a dispute over a transfer. When the driver's watch fell to the ground, the officer picked it up and began walking away, which resulted in his arrest. The Department did not recommended his disqualification or deselect him under three whole scores.

The officer hired in 1989 admitted losing his temper during arguments with his wife and pushing her on six different occasions. He was psychologically eliminated due to "temperament/impulse control." However, he was eventually cleared for hiring by the Personnel Department psychologist.

Known as “Department of second chances”. Examples of hires: A former LASD deputy fired for abusing inmates A former LAPD officer fired for witness intimidation A former Huntington Park officer charged with negligently firing a gun

and drunk driving Also hired officers who flunked out of training programs Allegations investigated by state and Federal officials:

Police and city officials bribed by a tow company Officer extorted sex from relatives of a fugitive Officer tried to run over the president of the Maywood Police

Commission Officer impregnated a teenage police explorer Officers covered up a fatal police shooting (settled for $2.3 million) Los Angeles Times article California Attorney General’s final report

Maywood PD disbanded 2011; LASD hires four “problematic officers”

Hired over 2,500 deputies during 2005-2007 Replaced rigid compliance with standards with

“holistic” process, % of disqualified plunged Reviewers told to balance problem areas against applicants’ overall history Poor follow-up of negative flags Approach affected entire screening process, even psychologist interviews

Examples of poor hiring decisions 01/17/12 Deputy sheriff Henry Marin, 27, surrendered on charges that he

helped a woman sneak a heroin-filled burrito into the Los Angeles County courthouse in 2010.  In the reality series “The Academy,” Marin was depicted flunking out.  He was allowed to go through a second time and passed.

Another deputy had past arrests for DUI, driving a vehicle with an altered VIN and vandalism. While on probationary status with another department was fired for using excessive force.▪ Result: Fired while on probation for anger management issues

Another deputy had a history of traffic tickets, marijuana, steroids and alcohol.▪ Result: Fired while on probation for assault and intoxication

OIR Report Police Issues

On December 1, 2013 the Los Angeles Timespublished the results of its investigation into theLASD’s hiring of 280 L.A. County guards asdeputies and jailers in 2010.

They were hired when the Sheriff’s Department took over policing of parks and government buildings

There was allegedly pressure on the LASD to hire the guards

During background checks at least 100 of these new deputies and jailers had demonstrated evidence of dishonesty. Fifteen had cheated on the polygraphs.

Two-hundred of these hires were previously rejected by other law enforcement agencies. Twenty-nine had been previously fired or forced to leave other policing jobs for various kinds of misconduct.

On December 17 LASD reported that about 80 of the hires did not meet department standards and should not have been made.

For the hiring files click here

Between 2005-2013 the LASD had a special hiring program, “Friends of the Sheriff,” that gave special treatment to relatives and friends of department officials and employees.

These candidates automatically came to the front of the applicant pool. Many were hired even though they had criminal records and/or personal histories that would have disqualified others.

For example, one of those hired – because he was a friend of Sheriff Lee Baca’s driver – had been convicted of misdemeanor sexual battery.

In December 2013, when confronted by evidence of this process, which was dug up by the L.A. Times, the Sheriff’s department confirmed it existed but that applicants were held to the same standards as everyone else.

One day later the Sheriff’s Department admitted this was not so and that mistakes had been made. Officials vowed to end the program.

L.A. Times article

01/18/09 A North Carolina police officer accused of sexually assaulting five female motorists was hired despite past incidents of violence, including one that resulted in a restraining order

02/20/09 LA Sheriff’s relaxed policies allowed unsuitable candidates to be hired

10/13/08 More than one in three Atlanta PD new hires have criminal records; many were rejected by other departments

Police Issues Ex-FBI executive Jody Weis, hired to lead Chicago PD in 2008

Department beset with excessive force and corruption issues 04/08/11 Four former Chicago cops to plea guilty to federal

charges of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from drugdealers and others by staging phony arrests and searches. These events, which occurred in the mid and late 2000’s, led to the conviction ofseven other officers. All were members of an elite squad.

Weis ran head-on into police union and politicians Human services board had final say on firing

▪ Refused to fire cop who beat handcuffed citizen▪ Reversed 40 percent of department decisions, allow in those rejected

elsewhere Weis raised entry standards to 2 years college and/or military experience Washington D.C. , also suffering from recruit performance issues, has done the

same Meanwhile, LAPD, where poor hiring decisions helped lead to Rampart,

requires only GED or high school exit exam (same at LASD)

What should police trainees learn in the academy? List subjects in order of importance.

Be sure you tie in the topics to what police officers actually do.

Peace Officer Standards and Training Commissions Set entry requirements and minimum training

standards for pre-service and in-service training Academy training (pre-service)

Knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA’s) to do patrol work Often includes field practicums (e.g., ride-alongs)

Field training Continue working on KSA’s Observe recruits; weed out those unsuitable for real-world

policing Field Training Officers (FTO’s) Probationary period

On-the-job (in-service) Refine and practice skills Learn new skills for other assignments

Does it cover all the critical KSA’s? Emphasis on narrow technical skills (law,

report writing, physical arrest, firearms) Areas of insufficient attention

▪ Cognitive skills (reasoning, information processing)

▪ Decision-making skills

▪ Interpersonal skills (defusing, not aggravating situations)

▪ Using discretion Resource and quality-control issues

Rich jurisdictions / poor jurisdictions Inequities in funding and large variability in curricula and

instruction between agencies

Traditional “stress” academies (e.g., LASD,OCSD) Modeled on military Gain instant compliance, instill discipline and enhance teamwork

skills May hinder learning, discourage analysis and innovation and fail to

prepare recruits to act independently LASD academy nearly decertified LASD academy OIR report

▪ Gave students answers, allowed them to repeat academy multiple times, uncertified instructors, TV show interfered with training

Collegiate-style academies (e.g., LAPD) Stress academies accused of producing low-functioning robots Modeled on higher education, foster judgment & analytical skills Tailored for individual rather than team work May not reach undisciplined recruits and those with little life

experience. Police Issues: Sheriff Baca’s Police Academy

Black Monday

Academy length: 30 years ago most academies weretwo months long – now they are five or moremonths in length LAPD Eight months (includes ride-alongs) California POST Four months Statewide

minimum (Basic course training specifications) Criticality of basic skills

Officer safety Liability issues Report writing

Student ability to absorb instruction Many have limited verbal and writing skills Most all are young and lack maturity

Practical decision-making exercises role playing is very time-consuming Realism is difficult to achieve Students lack work experience (context) to internalize instruction

Classroom instruction – personal skills, defusing incidents Producing changes in behavior can take months of intense

instruction Health care professionals learn this hands-on, during internships Many cadets have limited life and work experience

Unrealistic expectations By the time police arrive situations have often resolved or

escalated beyond what talking can accomplish Time may be better spent on weaponless defense and use of less-

than-lethal weapons

Police Issues About 4:30 am, 2/7/12 USMC Sgt. Manuel Loggins drove

his SUV onto San Clemente High. His 9 and 14-year old daughters were in the back.

A nearby OCSD deputy saw the vehicle speed and crash through a gate. Loggins walked off. More deputies arrived. They checked on the girls and set up a perimeter.

Several minutes later Loggins returned. He ignored commands, got in the SUV and started to drive off. A deputy then fatally shot him.

The deputies’ organization defended the shooting and said it “clearly prevented” the girls from coming to serious harm. Months later the D.A. later ruled that the deputy did not commit a crime, and he was allowed to return to duty.

Exchange agreement: Police expected to use least amount of force necessary Failure to contain a situation can allow it to escalate to the point where officers

may decide – reasonably or not – that the only available solution is to use deadly force.

Alternatives may require pre-emption and innovation Grabbing the kids, jamming the SUV with patrol cars, using a Taser, etc.

Can academy training help? Are static, choreographed responses (e.g., a “perimeter”) over-emphasized? Should innovative, adaptive responses be encouraged? How? Are certain academy models less likely to foster creative solutions?

A new officer’s first step after the academy A form of OJT (on-the-job training)

Recruit learns laws and procedures

▪ Through modeling, application and repetition

▪ In more depth and greater complexity than possible at the academy Recruit learns how to deal with citizens and offenders

▪ Command presence

▪ Evaluate situations for risks and opportunities

▪ When and how to apply force and coercion Recruit’s suitability is evaluated by experienced officers

▪ Is recruit trainable? Does s/he follow directions?

▪ Does recruit have the necessary physical and mental acumen?

▪ Can the recruit be trusted to exercise appropriate judgment?