Minimizing Endangerment to Police Officers Dailey 1

Minimizing Endangerment to Police Officers

Alexis Dailey

Professor Pennesi

Composition and Culture Part B

4 May 2017
Minimizing Endangerment to Police Officers Dailey 2

It seems like every time the TV or radio is turned on all anyone hears about is of another

police officer being shot and/or killed. Something that no family or department ever wants to

experience but has become so common. Tragedies like these need to stop. It has become too

regular for loved ones to go through when they are only trying to protect and service the

country. Police officer tragedies are occurrences that are dependent on the area and training

received which could be minimized by increasing the amount of training to

officers/departments as a whole and training based on area versus the general training they

have as of now.

In 2015, the FBI released statistics of law enforcement assaulted and even killed. There

were 86 law enforcement officers that were killed in the line of duty during this year. This

resulted in 41 being felony acts and 45 as accidents (FBI 2016). There were more recent

statistics released as well. As of 2017, 64 police officers have been shot or killed so far this year.

This number has increased at an alarming rate in just two years (FBI 2016). Doing nothing about

this issue is not an option at this point and needs to be addressed as a change. Changing times

require people to come together and mend the problems which could save the lives of men and

women around the United States. All lives matter which need to be realized of all people.

The first step to the process of becoming a police officer is to go through the Police

Academy. The academy is a training school for future police officers around the country which

provide several various aspects of training. The training typically takes from 19 to 21 weeks

generally. No college degree is required but does have a minimum requirement of a high school

diploma. In the United States there are 71 state academies, 286 local academies, and 307

college/university/technical school academies (International Association of Chiefs of Police

2008). Police Officers must go through the Police Academy in order to start out their whole

journey. They must pass all aspects of training and testing in the academy to become certified.

The training that is done is divided into four different sections including operations,

weapons/defensive tactics/use of force, self-improvement, and legal education. The training

hours can be from anywhere from 8 to 60 hours on average, depending on the section per

recruit. The most time consuming is the weapons/defensive tactics/use of force which takes on

average about 60 hours. The least time consuming portion is the self-improvement which takes

about 8 hours. Operations training includes report writing, patrol procedures, investigations,

CPR certification, etc. Going into the weapons category, recruits learn defensive tactics, use of

force, and firearm skills. Self-improvement includes health and fitness, communications,

professionalism, and stress prevention/management. Legal education is juvenile justice

law/procedures, traffic law, and criminal/constitution law. When all of these requirements are

met and passed, the final portion of the academy is when a training officer accompanies the

trainee on a routine patrol (International Association of Chiefs of Police 2008). This is where

everything they have learned comes together and applies to the job. It can range anywhere

from tasks like writing tickets to more dangerous situations which involve drugs or weapons.

To start off their testing/training, recruits must go through physical testing. The United

States Capitol Police explains the physical ability test that police officers must go through in

order to take their job. Physically, they must go through multiple exercises which test their

muscular strength and endurance. This is to prepare themselves for any type of situation.

During these tests they are graded on a scale from poor to superior (Unites States Capitol Police

2016). This is based off of how well they do on the physical obstacle courses as well as practical
Minimizing Endangerment to Police Officers Dailey 4

tests on another person. Examples of practical tests include hand cuffing, CPR, and pepper

spraying. These training tasks are done in a realistic manner which will prepare them for real

life situations that require these type of physical exertions. The training methods like pepper

spraying are essential for officers to be a part of. They are not able to carry certain weapons on

their belt unless they are trained properly on how to use it. The same goes for the taser which

is one of the newest editions to police officers’ belts. This makes them have the opportunity to

have another form of defense that provides safety for them and others. Police officers must be

able to respond to calls, make arrests, and issue citations. Officers must be physically fit to

enforce these laws and perform these duties. As of now, departments only have one physical

test before the officer is hired. In order to lower the rate of police officer fatalities it is essential

to have these officers physically able to defend themselves. These officers should have ongoing

physical tests that ensures they are in the best shape possible. This would provide the ability to

make sure that the officers out on the street are able to physically handle any situation and not

provide a weak spot for fatalities to happen. Officers that are not physically able to perform in

all situations are not only providing a danger to themselves but also the people they are

protecting. The job of a police officer is to serve and protect which cannot be properly done

under the circumstances of not being in proper shape.

Mental training of police officers is based on written tests as well as working under

pressure/stressful situations. A lot of this training is purely on how the person would react to

situations as well as what they would do during them. This test is not one which has right or

wrong answers necessarily. The questions are primarily situational and just depend on what

each department wants as a person. Each department could be looking for certain types of
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people which they can somewhat get a feel for while taking a written test this way. This is used

during the hiring process mostly but can be done with ongoing training as well. When

comparing this to the Police Academy, it is the complete opposite. The written tests are

questions which for sure have definite right and wrong answers. The topics of this test includes

criminal/constitutional law, traffic law, and juvenile justice law/procedures (United States

Capitol Police 2016). Officers have requirements which keep them up to date on all new

information. When comparing it to the physical aspects, the amount of training kept up with is

a lot more often than the physical aspects. Every few months is generally when certain

certifications are needed to be renewed. This ensures that officers are up to date on everything.

After analyzing the types of training, it is essential to look at the area dependency of the

department as well. Realistically not every area is going to be the same in terms of crime. Rural

and urban areas are examples of this. They can be complete opposite when looking into types

and severity of crime levels. Urban areas are typically where more crime is from. The

populations are typically higher in cities so it would make sense for this to be the case in the

research. In order for future officers to be prepared for situations, they are given different areas

of jurisdiction to gain as much exposure as possible before they are hired anywhere. While this

is a great way to start off, more area based training should be installed once the officer is hired

to that department. Studies show that urban crime is higher in the areas of domestic violence

as well as drug related crimes. On the other hand, rural crimes are higher in theft in areas such

as theft. With this being said it would make much more sense for officers to be trained extra on

the type of crimes which depend on their areas. Each department should have specialized

training and preparation for that specific location. This should be a requirement that can
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prepare the officers in the department more properly for their area. Area dependency training

should not just be a single visit session. This should be an ongoing process which keeps up with

the officers to make sure they are up with all new information. This can keep them safer and

lower the amount of police officer fatalities.

Society today has an overall negative view and outlook on police officers. It can seem

like they are not able to properly do their job without the judgement of outsiders. With this

being said, opinion based facts guide how people hear of these issues. Looking further into the

physical training, mental training, and location of the department these factors can change

what can be done to minimize these fatalities and endangerment of officers. Overall police

officers can stay safer if they are trained based on their area and physically prepared better. In

order for these statistics to lessen change needs to occur to protect the ones who protect and

serve the country.

Works Cited
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Discover Policing. (n.d.). Retrieved May 04, 2017, from

FBI Releases 2015 Statistics on Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted. (2016, October
18). Retrieved May 04, 2017, from https://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-
releases/fbi-releases-2015-statistics-on-law-enforcement-officers-killed-and-assaulted

Police Officer Training - Preparing for the Physical Abilities Test. (2016, August 02). Retrieved
May 04, 2017, from https://www.uscp.gov/police-officer-training-preparing-physical-
abilities-test

Training the 21st Century Police Officer. (n.d.). Retrieved May 04, 2017, from
https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=up4BW6nZLgMC&oi=fnd&pg=PP2&dq=
police%2Bofficer%2Btraining&ots=_FszvuOOM2&sig=9gh92KpIfQi2hfDd-
189qWOVc7U#v=onepage&q=police%20officer%20training&f=false