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Article Facing the Storm: The Problem-Based Learning Revolution in Police Education
Articles are $4.00 and only available by downloadable Acrobat PDF.
Page 115   Total Pages   8
Author(s) Director Gregory Saville
Police Education Specialist Gerry Cleveland
Issue October 2004
Categories
(Click a category to see similiar articles) 		Education
Abstract Let’s face it; internal and external problems are the norm in the business of policing, so let’s think about both conflict and teaching differently. We don’t know any communities that are problem-free, so at least we all enjoy the same “natural resources” of problems with which to work and train our new employees. When it comes to problem solving and conflict resolution, education is the key. If police educators, field trainers, and academy instructors want to make an impact on the process of education that takes place in their profession, we have a suggestion. They should do something about how we train and educate new employees in order to learn how to properly deal with conflict, disputes, and neighborhood problems. Many police educators are reluctant to rethink the inevitable conflicts that arise every day in our jobs. That has got to change. We should analyze those conflict-ridden circumstances carefully and teach our new employees that we’re destined to fight with one another, both inside the organization and on the street. We need to teach better methods of fighting and employing force. If that is not the focus of training, we have lost the battle already. The very basis of our teaching—all our teaching—must strive to teach others to face conflict in a positive and meaningful fashion. The metaphor that best describes this new educational reform is called “facing the storm.” Police educators need to turn in the opposite direction and run directly towards these problems. We suggest that trainers and leaders should seek out and explore issues that they have previously avoided. Have you got external community problems like drug and gang incidents? How about internal problems like shift disagreements or partner disputes in your department? Don’t hide them from the rookies you are training. Instead, employ a teaching method that is based on using these real-life problems. Explore the learning opportunities they present for you, your trainee, your agency, and your community. The sooner we prepare new employees for both internal and external disputes, disagreements, and conflicts, the better they will be at solving them when inevitable problems do arise. The other option is to run from them or, worse still, ignore them and let them overwhelm us, turning us into bitter and detached employees, ineffective problem solvers, and members of dysfunctional organizations. The issues police officers face today can be overwhelming. Is it any wonder that some police officers end up facing excessive use-of-force complaints, drug and alcohol problems, divorce, and worse? Policing educators must reframe educational thinking about even the most basic of assumptions. What’s worked before doesn’t necessarily work now. How do we shift our focus to problem solving as a learning technique for all new employees?
 
Articles are $4.00 and only available by downloadable Acrobat PDF.