I. General Information

1. Course Title:
Peace Officers and the Community

2. Course Prefix & Number:
CRJU 1112

3. Course Credits and Contact Hours:

Credits: 3

Lecture Hours: 3

4. Course Description:

This course will study the historical and contemporary roles of policing in society, strategies for positive police-community relations and job-related issues for peace officers. Students will be introduced to positive principles of interaction between the peace officer and citizens of the community in which the officer serves. The course will also cover contemporary peace officer practices which include community-oriented policing and problem-oriented policing.

5. Placement Tests Required:

Accuplacer (specify test):

No placement tests required

Score:

6. Prerequisite Courses:

There are no prerequisites for this course.

9. Co-requisite Courses:

There are no corequisites for this course.

II. Transfer and Articulation

1. Course Equivalency - similar course from other regional institutions:

LAWE 335, Police and Community Relations, Minnesota State University, Mankato, 3 credits
CJS 1152, Police and the Community, Inver Hills Community College, 3 credits
CJS 2081, Police and the Community, Century College, 3 credits

2. Transfer - regional institutions with which this course has a written articulation agreement:

III. Course Purpose

1. Program-Applicable Courses – This course is required for the following program(s):

Criminal Justice AAS
Criminal Justice Certificate
Natural Resources Law Enforcement AAS

IV. Learning Outcomes

1. College-Wide Outcomes

College-Wide Outcomes/Competencies	Students will be able to:
Demonstrate interpersonal communication skills	Create and present oral presentation that covers the contributions of the people or concepts involved in community-oriented policing and/or problem-oriented policing.
Apply abstract ideas to concrete situations	Solve issues from hypothetical scenarios through the use the four stage problem-solving process of the SARA model found in problem-oriented policing.
Discuss/compare characteristics of diverse cultures and environments	Demonstrate how recognizing and valuing diversity, cultural differences and varied perspectives, promotes community unity, facilitates information gathering, and contributes to safer communities.

2. Course Specific Outcomes - Students will be able to achieve the following measurable goals upon completion of the course:

• Discuss how and why the peace officer function is much broader than law enforcement and why reliance on criminal law to solve problems is not always the best course of action;
• Explain philosophies and concepts of community policing;
• Discuss how community partnerships with peace officers foster unity and cooperation and how community alienation may lead to higher risk to officers;
• Identify community policing strategies that build rapport, reduce fear and foster community trust in peace officers;
• Identify techniques for organizing community members so that they are involved and trained in community policing activites, realting to diverse communities, and relating to individuals with physical and mental limitations;
• Identify methods and startegies used by peace officers to promote crime reduction in a community;
• Explain how collaboration with each of the folllowing groups may reduce crime: local citizens, community businesses, and service agencies; i.e., crisis intervention teams, social services, school personnel, and community youth groups;
• Give examples of proactive policing versus response policing; and
• Explain how various patrol strategies impact crime, community security and community perceptions of peace officers.  

V. Topical Outline

Listed below are major areas of content typically covered in this course.

1. Lecture Sessions

1. The evolution of community policing
• The beginnings of modern police forces
• The three eras of policing
• Essential elements of community policing
2. The mission and culture of police agencies
• The police culture
• The police image
• Ethical policing
3. Understanding and involving the community in the community policing process
• Community defined
• Citizen involvement in the law enforcement community
• The criminal justice system
4. Problem-Oriented policing
• What is Problem-Oriented Policing?
• The SARA Model: A four stage problem-solving process
• Using technology for problem solving
5. Implementing community policing
• Creating vision and mission statements
• Developing strategies
• Evaluating progress
6. Communicating with diverse populations
• Ethnic diversity
• Recognizing prejudice and discrimination
• Understanding physical and mental disabilities
7. Building partnerships in the community
• The benefits of community partnerships
• Building partnerships in a variety of neighborhoods
• Key community resources
8. Forming partnerships with the media
• The First Amendment and freedom of the press
• Victims privacy rights
• Strategies for developing partnerships with the media
9. Community policing and drugs
• The "The War on Drugs" and the national drug control strategy
• Prevention: Stopping drug use before it starts
• Treatment: Healing America's drug users
10. Including youth in the community policing process
• Partnerships that connect youths and the community
• Crime and violence in our schools
• Forming partnerships that prevent juvenile delinquency
11. The challenge of gangs in a community
• Understanding gangs and gang violence
• Preventing gang membership
• Problem-solving partnerships to address gang problems
12. Understanding and preventing violence
• Causes of violence
• Preventing hate crimes
• The law enforcement response to domestic violence
• Forming a multidisciplinary team to investigate child abuse

2. Laboratory/Studio Sessions