Police in America Chapter Twelve Police officers: Entering Police Work

Recruitment n Minimum qualifications Most 21 years of ageMost 21 years of age n Height and Weight ProportionalProportional n Education Vast majority-high school diplomaVast majority-high school diploma 25% require some college25% require some college n Criminal record No felonyNo felony Misdemeanor?Misdemeanor? n Residency About ¼ of departments require living within the city limitsAbout ¼ of departments require living within the city limits

Choosing law enforcement as a career n Motivations Help peopleHelp people Job securityJob security Fight crimeFight crime Excitement of the jobExcitement of the job Prestige of the jobPrestige of the job n Selection Personal interviewPersonal interview Criminal record checkCriminal record check Background investigationBackground investigation Driving record checkDriving record check Medical examMedical exam Psychological screenPsychological screen Drug TestDrug Test Written aptitude testWritten aptitude test Physical agility testPhysical agility test Polygraph examPolygraph exam Voice stress analyzerVoice stress analyzer

Equal opportunity n Title VII of the Civil Rights Act Race, color, religion, sex, or national originRace, color, religion, sex, or national origin Protected classProtected class n Job related qualifications B.F.O.Q.B.F.O.Q. –Drive –A.D.A.

Equal opportunity n Employment of Racial and Ethnic Minorities Reflect the composition of the community it servesReflect the composition of the community it serves n Hispanic and Latino officers Fastest growing populationFastest growing population Spanish speaking officers recruitedSpanish speaking officers recruited n Women More seriously underrepresented than racial or ethnic minoritiesMore seriously underrepresented than racial or ethnic minorities Concentrated in lower ranksConcentrated in lower ranks n Gay and Lesbian officers Increasingly open over the last 20 yearsIncreasingly open over the last 20 years

Equal opportunity n Affirmative action Conduct a census of current employeesConduct a census of current employees Identify underutilization or concentration of minorities and womenIdentify underutilization or concentration of minorities and women Develop a recruiting plan to correct any underutilizationDevelop a recruiting plan to correct any underutilization n Opponents of affirmative action Reverse discriminationReverse discrimination

Training n Police Academy Big departments have own academyBig departments have own academy Small departments use state run academiesSmall departments use state run academies n Field training FTO programFTO program 2/3 of departments use this process2/3 of departments use this process

Training n State training and certification Certify and decertifyCertify and decertify State-required content of trainingState-required content of training n Probationary period 6 months to 2 years6 months to 2 years 7% resign or quit during this time7% resign or quit during this time