Exploratory Essay Final Draft

Exploratory Essay

Annotated Bibliography Final Draft

Annotated Bibliography

Writing History Response Final Draft

Writing History Response

Letter to Elementary School Student

Self Assesment Reflection - JTC Academic Essay

In writing this paper, my goals were to write with in-depth knowledge of my topic. My topic is actually relevant to me and I care about it, so I naturally wanted to learn more about it. I believe that I have reached my goals in learning about the topic and writing with the knowledge that I have gathered. I will continue to learn as I prepare for my multimodal project. As I progress in this career field, I will never run out of things to learn. A lot of my time in developing this paper was used on the assignments leading up to the third step (final paper). All of the assignments before this one were great for preparing me for this paper. By the time I wrote the final step in my inquiry project, I was so well prepared that it was more of a revision than writing a paper. I think that with each step: the research proposal, the annotated bibliography, and the first two JTC steps my writing improved a little bit each time. Not only did my writing improve a lot with this paper, but it has improved overall throughout the class. Last night, I went back and revised the first paper that I wrote in this class, the Writing History Response. As I was reading it, I was impressed with how I have improved. Obviously, I haven’t become a fabulous writer in four months, but I am one step closer to it. I took great advantage of my peers’ feedback on my drafts. When I wrote the next step, I had the last draft and the peer comments next to each other; they came in very handy in helping me to improve. My inquiry group contributed to my success quite a bit because they gave me great feedback with each draft. While writing this paper, and in the whole class in general, I have learned a lot about my ability to improve my writing. The hardest part about writing this paper was to include every point of view of all the authors that I used as sources. Once I would start writing, I would pick a side that I agreed with and start to leave out the other arguments. I had to stop myself and include everything. The easiest thing about writing this paper was the topic. I thoroughly enjoyed the topic, therefore, I was excited to learn and write about it. One of the main things about my paper that still needs improvement is the cohesive, flowing, easy-to-read aspect of it. I can work on that by trying to tie all the viewpoints together and come up with one view that includes both sides of the argument spectrum. I didn’t work very hard to fix this aspect of my paper yet, I was more focused on other things, such as, including all views, grammar, and writing outside of the box.

Joining the Conversation Step #3 Inquiry Project

Police Education

          What is the difference between the education received in a Criminal Justice degree and at a Police Academy? Is a Criminal Justice degree really necessary to be an effective Police Officer? Should there be a better connection between Police Departments and colleges? Peter McDermott, Diana Hulse, Michael Bueger, Charles Tenney, Richard Harris, and Frank Morn have differing opinions on this topic.

          According to Harris, all Police training is regulated through the state. There are minimum standards for what is to be taught in the Academy. Minimum standards are put in place to ensure adequate education for all officers across the country. This guarantees that new Police Officers are well-equipped to do their job and keep the community safe. Minimum standards are good for those without a college degree. The training academy is the only education that they will receive. With minimum standards, it is ensured that they will be well educated to help make up for the lack of a college degree. A world without Police Education regulation would be a scary world. If Police Education wasn’t regulated, then there would be so many Police Departments that would provide very little training, which is dangerous for the Officers and for the community.

          It is extremely hard to get into many of the Academes in the United States and this creates problems in the hiring process. Many require a Criminal Justice degree and even with a degree, you might get the job. Someone once told me that if you don’t become a Police Officer, the only thing you can do with a Criminal Justice degree is teach. Recruits have to submit to an extensive background investigation including a “competitive civil service exam”, a physical fitness test, and a thorough medical examination. (The Police Academy, pg. 10)  Recruits have to jump through hoops to get to the Academy, which is where the intense training is, and there is no guarantee that you will actually get there. It is not fair to the recruit to have to pay for college and then go through this rigorous process to possibly end up with no job. Police Departments need to either stop requiring a college degree or make the Academy easier to get into and finish. There needs to be more guarantees for the recruits because they spend so much time and energy in the application process and so much money on their education which is useless if they don’t get the job.

          McDermott and Hulse highlight the differences between the Police Academy and the college degree. In the Academy, training involves tactical skills, communications, human interactions, and proper documentation skills. Tactical skills are definitely not on the list of courses that are required to earn a Criminal Justice degree. In the tactical skills portion of the Academy, recruits learn defensive skills, some martial arts, and how to fight in high stress situations. Communications consists of learning to use the Police radio and training in the Police ten codes and reference codes. Learning about human interactions and proper documentation skills is important because you learn how to deal with citizens and how to handle the different types of people that you will come in contact with every day. In the field of law enforcement, documentation is a very important thing. You have to be able to describe what happened in every situation during your day. These just aren’t things that can be taught in a classroom. Every Police department operates differently, so in order for colleges to teach everything they would have to give an overview of every Police department, which would take a very long time.  New Police Officers have to take what they have learned and apply them every day in the field. The Academy combines classroom learning with physical fitness and recruits need both of these things to be a successful Police Officer.

          On the other hand, Bueger emphasizes the importance of a college education AS WELL AS the Police Training Academy. He says that these two types of education need to work together to provide the best education for our Police Officers. Programs such as internships, explorer programs, and cadet programs are a way to connect the college education with the hands-on Academy training. If the college community and the Police Training Community communicated on their education topics, then we could avoid a lot of the “double education” that occurs. If these two are not willing to have an educational relationship, then why are more and more Police Departments requiring a 4 year degree to get an entry level job or for promotions in the future. UNCC and CMPD work very well together. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has many programs for UNC Charlotte students to get involved in law enforcement before they graduate. This helps students to learn more about law enforcement and about this particular department.

As part of my Criminal Justice education, I completed an internship. The experiences and the things that I have learned during my internship are priceless. When you do an internship, it is like on-the-job training while you are taking classes. I go to class and learn the law and learn about different elements of crimes and then I ride along with a Police Officer and get to learn first-hand how these things apply directly to the job. It was an amazing experience that connected my education with my future career. It also helps students to realize how the material they learn in class actually relates to the job.

          “An increasing number of Police Agencies require that 4-year Bachelor’s degree as a hiring credential” (Education and Training the Future Police Officer, pg. 2) If so many Police Departments have made a degree a hiring requirement, than is it more useful than previously thought? Some think that a college degree is becoming more valuable. With the sophistication of crime, a college degree is becoming a more favorable credential of candidates.  According to Charles Tenney, education should be left up to the law enforcement agencies. Their training should provide enough classroom education to be as effective as a college degree in Criminal Justice. Tenney believes that college-type education should be part of the Police Academy. He believes that this would be easier on the recruit because they wouldn’t have to pay for what is basically job training. New recruits would only have to learn the material once in the Academy instead of once in the Academy and once in college and they wouldn’t have to pay for it at all!

          What are the problems with the Criminal Justice field? Some look down upon the field of Criminal Justice; however, the field has come a long way in recent years. Historically, the Criminal Justice discipline has been looked down upon because of the nature of the courses that are involved in this type of degree. Some say that it has no place in higher education and that it is a waste of time and of a degree. Historically, when people thought of Criminal Justice, they thought of the “handcuffing 101” class. (Academic Politics and the History of Criminal Justice Education, pg. 23) The bad reputation of the Criminal Justice degree is another reason that Law Enforcement training should stay within the Police Academy. Our Police Officers are going to colleges around the country to get an education in order to go to the Academy, but they are learning from people that don’t even have any respect for this line of work. People don’t think that this field of study is legitimate.

          The problem that remains within the Criminal Justice degree and the Police Academy is that they are so different and so alike at the same time. Some things that you learn in college you just can’t learn in the Police Academy and there are things that you learn in the Police Academy that have no place in college. Can you imagine and college class that focused on the correct way to shoot a gun. This would be very weird in a college setting. Can you imagine a shooting range on a college campus; it would definitely be something that has never been done before. Both education methods are important, but whether or not this way of educating our Officers will last is unknown. 

Police Education - Academic Inquiry Essay

What is the difference between the education received in a Criminal Justice degree and at a Police Academy? Is a Criminal Justice degree really necessary to be an effective Police Officer? Peter McDermott, Diana Hulse, Michael Bueger, Charles Tenney, Richard Harris, and Frank Morn have differing opinions on this topic.

            According to Harris, all Police training is regulated through the state. There are minimum standards for what is to be taught in the Academy and this is supposed to be a good thing. (The Police Academy, pg. 10) Minimum standards are good for the Police Academies because it insures that the Police recruits are learning enough to keep the community safe. Minimum standards are good for those that did not get a college degree. The training academy is the only education that they receive. With minimum standards, it is ensured that they will be well educated to help make up for the lack of a college education.

            A problem with the Police Academy and the hiring process before one gets to the Police Academy is how long the process is. Recruits have to take a “competitive civil service exam”, a physical fitness test, a medical examination, as well as submit to an extensive background investigation. (The Police Academy, pg. 10)  Recruits have to jump through a lot of hoops to get to the intense training. The only problem with such a lucrative process is that it leaves no guarantee of a job. It is not fair to the recruit to have to pay for college and then go through this rigorous process to possibly end up with no job in the end. Police Departments need to either not require a college degree or make the Academy easier to get into and pass. There needs to be more guarantees for the recruits.

            McDermott and Hulse highlight the differences between the Police Academy and the college degree. In the Academy, training involves tactical skills, communication (Police Radio System), human interactions, and proper documentation skills. (Focus on Training, pg. 16). Tactical skills are definitely not on the list of courses you are required to take to earn a Criminal Justice degree. New Police Officers have to take what they have learned and apply them every day in the field. The Academy combines classroom learning with physical learning and recruits need both of these things to be successful as a Police Officer.

            On the other hand, Bueger emphasizes the importance of a college education AS WELL AS the Police Training Academy. He says that the two need to work together to provide the best education for our Police Officers. (Educating and Training the Future Police Officer, pg. 1) Programs such as internships, explorer programs, and cadet programs are a way to connect the college education with the hands-on Academy training. If the college community and the Police Community communicated on their education topics, then we could avoid a lot of the “double education” that occurs. If these two are not willing to have an educational relationship, then why are more and more Police Departments requiring a 4 year degree to get an entry level job or for promotions in the future.

            “An increasing number of Police Agencies require that 4-year Bachelor’s degree as a hiring credential” (Education and Training the Future Police Officer, pg. 2) If so many Police Departments have made a degree a hiring requirement, than is it more useful than previously thought? According to Charles Tenney, education should be left up to the law enforcement agencies. They should provide enough education in their training to be as effective as a college degree in Criminal Justice. (Higher Education Programs in Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice, np) Tenney thinks that if we roll the college education and Police Academy training into one, then it would be easier on the Officers. New recruits would only have to attend education/training once in the Academy and they wouldn’t have to pay for it at all!

            What are the problems with the Criminal Justice degree field? The field of Criminal Justice has come a long way. Historically, the Criminal Justice discipline has been looked down upon. Some say that it has no place in higher education and that it is a waste of a degree. Typically when people thought of Criminal Justice, they thought of the “handcuffing 101” class. (Academic Politics and the History of Criminal Justice Education, pg. 23) The bad reputation of the Criminal Justice degree field should be another reason that Police education should stay within the Police Academy. Our Police Officers are going to colleges around the country to get an education in order to go to the Academy, and people don’t even think that their field of study is legitimate.

            The problem that remains with the Criminal Justice degree and the Police Academy is that these two are so different, but so alike at the same time. There are things that you learn in college that just couldn’t be taught in a Police Academy. There are things that are taught in a Police Academy that just couldn’t be taught in college. Both education methods are important, but whether or not this way of educating our Officers will last is unknown.