Introduction
Policing is an ever-changing, challenging, demanding yet rewarding career. Police officers often see hurting and suffering and terrible injustices, but they also see the very best of the human spirit. They know that they are sometimes the only thing standing between life and death and that they can affect an entire life through the decisions they make. These responsibilities mean that every day is different and that every day is a new challenge. For this reason, police agencies must put their candidates through intense training prior to deploying operationally on the road. However, like with many other jobs, police training has its challenges and is constantly changing to ensure that the officers on the road are the most suitable and qualified people entrusted with the life and liberties of others.
Recruitment
The recruitment process ("the process") for any police agency is comprehensive and timely not only for applicants but for recruiters alike. Agencies expect their applicants to be fully committed to the process, including being emotionally, mentally and physically prepared to be a competitive candidate. Like most jobs, policing agencies have certain basic qualifications that each applicant must meet, in BC the basic qualifications are the following:
Be a Canadian citizen/ Permanent Resident
Be at least 19 years of age Be physically fit and in good health in order to pass the POPAT and the Leger Shuttle Run or the Mile and a Half run
Grade 12 diploma or equivalent, supplemented with a number of post-secondary credits
Possess a full valid Canadian driver's license and have a good driving record
Be of good character with no criminal convictions or history of improper conduct.
Valid CPR Level C with AED or equivalent
Meet the visual/hearing acuity standard
Although these qualifications are very basic, the majority of police agencies have various preferred qualifications that are not necessary, but applicants possessing any of these preferred qualifications will be considered more competitive during the process. Among some of these preferred qualifications are:
Knowledge and fluency of a second language
Additional post-secondary education beyond the minimum, specifically the completion of a university degree or college diploma
Police related volunteer and/or work experience
Work experience in a supervisory capacity and/or with the public
These qualifications have been set out by the policing agencies to ensure that they hire only the best and most qualified applicants. Although these standards are high, they are attainable for those who are serious about a career in law enforcement. If a potential applicant feels as though they meet the basic/preferred qualifications then, they can begin the application process with the agency of their choice.
Once in the process applicants will undergo a series of tests and interviews that will determine their suitability to become a police officer. These tests and interviews are essential to ensure that the applicant will not only be successful in the police academy but overall be successful and be able to handle the physical, mental and emotional demands of the job. The process is highly competitive for each agency and employment offers will only be given to the best and most qualified candidates. The process may be strenuous and stressful, but successful candidates will enjoy a rewarding career with many opportunities to grow in the field. As Inspector Frank Ciaccia said in his interview "the hard part of the process is over, although there is still a lot of work to be done" (Parent & Ciaccia, "Audio Interview: Inspector Frank Ciaccia").
The Police Academy
Congratulations, you have been offered an employment position with the police agency of your choice. Finally, you are ready to start your career as a police officer, this will begin with recruit training at the police academy ("the academy") at the Justice Institute of British Columbia in New Westminster. In the case of RCMP academy, their training will take place in Regina, Saskatchewan at a military base known as "Depot". Although the location and structure of training are different as Inspector Frank Ciaccia says in his interview the "content of training and competencies are the same" (Parent & Ciaccia, "Audio Interview: Inspector Frank Ciaccia"). Both RCMP and municipal police officer will be "fully trained in law enforcement techniques, conflict management and community relations" (Royal Canadian Mounted Police, 2016) during their time at the academy.
The Justice Institute Police Academy
Although, both the RCMP academy and the municipal academy teach recruits similar aspects of the job, the structure of the programs highly differs.
Block I.
Block I is the first of three training blocks that must be completed prior to graduating as a Certified Municipal Police Constable. During the first block of training, approximately 13 weeks, recruits will learn the foundational tactical, legal and physical skills required to go into their Block II operational field training (Justice Institute of British Columbia, 2016). These basic skills are the core foundations of a patrol officer and are taught in an integrated problem-based format. This format presents actual problems in the form of classroom or practical scenarios, that regular patrol officer will encounter in their day to day shifts, and encourages recruits to apply not only their classroom but their practical knowledge to solve the problem. Each training week at the academy builds progressively to reach the overall competencies required as a Police Officer.
Block II.
Following the successful completion of Block I, a block II recruit will return to their home police department for approximately 8-9 weeks. Here recruits will be integrated into regular patrol squads under the supervision of a trained and designated Field Training Officer ("Field Trainer"). The field trainer is responsible for ensuring that the recruit receives a wide exposure to general police work while being assessed in the performance of basic patrol and operational duties. As a result, the recruit will have the opportunity to apply the knowledge gained in Block I within an operational setting. Moreover, Block II is divided into two halves. The first half of Block II focuses on the recruit's demonstration of legal knowledge, officer presence and safety and the familiarization with the Canadian Police Information Centre ("CPIC"), the Mobile Data Terminal ("MDT"), the Mobile Report Entry ("MRE"), as well as the radio and the various equipment found within the squad cars. The second half of Block II focuses on the core competencies of a police officer. Here the field trainer ensures that the recruit can not only handle the stressors and demands of the job but continues to apply what they have learned in block I to effectively deal with the different types of calls.
Block III.
Block III is the final training block of the academy, here recruits return to the academy bringing back the many "on the road" experiences from their Block II. This last block integrates the knowledge from the classroom work that recruits learned in Block I and the practical experience from Block II, to prepare the recruit to function independently after graduation (Justice Institute of British Columbia, 2016). Upon the completion of all three blocks, recruits graduate from the academy as "Qualified Municipal Constables" and return to their home police departments for deployment.
Depot, the RCMP Academy
Unlike the municipal academy, Depot is broken down into seven units over a period of 26 weeks and recruits, known as "cadets" in the RCMP academy, will not be offered employment until the successful completion and graduation from depot.
Applied police sciences.
The Applied Police Sciences constitutes the bulk of the RCMP training curriculum. Cadets are taught a variety of problem-solving models, incident management models, service standards and values to deal with the problem-based situations presented to them in class or as scenarios. Progressively cadets will be exposed to calls from simple/basic to high-risk situations, applying the correct legal knowledge to each situation.
Police defensive tactics.
The Police Defensive Tactics unit ensures that cadets acquire the proper police survival skills. These skills range from appropriate handcuffing techniques to ground fighting and edged weapons defense. The skills are especially important to ensure that cadets are aware of threats to officer safety and have the tools and skills to overcome the threat.
Fitness and lifestyle.
The Fitness and Lifestyle unit focuses primarily on personal training and providing cadets with the necessary tools to remain fit for duty throughout the length of their career.
Firearms training.
The Firearms Training unit teaches cadets the safe and proper handling, use and storage of their issued firearm. This unit teaches the cadets to handle their firearm appropriately in a controlled environment so that they are able to respond adequately in a high-risk environment.
Police driving.
During the Police Driving unit, cadets train and develop their multitasking skills in a controlled environment. They are expected to have increased observational skill, while continuously ensuring the safety of those they share their road with. Likewise, cadets will learn the skill required to perform specific operational duties, while adhering to the laws and policies around the use of emergency equipment.
Drill and deportment.
In the Drill and Deportment unit, cadets develop a sense of confidence, alertness, disciple and self-control that will assist them in the performance of their duties. Drill ensures that the cadets work as a part of a complex team within their troop while providing a sense of pride for their department.
Upon the successful completion of the 26-week RCMP academy, cadets will be offered an employment position in an assigned detachment. Once employed, they too will be required to undergo an operational field training portion, where they will be involved in everyday policing duties under the supervision of a field trainer. This operational field training porting will take place over a six-month period (Royal Canadian Mounted Police, 2018).
From the Academy to the Road
Inspector Frank Ciaccia commented in his interview that "chiefs demand that their new patrol officer be ready to go upon graduation" (Parent & Ciaccia, "Audio Interview: Inspector Frank Ciaccia"). This is because the majority of graduating officers will be deployed into the field within a month's time of graduation and at times, they will be deployed by themselves and expected to make the same decisions an experienced officer would make. With that in mind, the statement shines light onto the many challenges and issues that new officers face upon leaving the academy both during their operational field training and upon graduation. Although the officers may be "theoretically" ready, many find themselves struggling to take the knowledge they acquired at the academy and apply it in a practical setting on the road.
This phenomenon can be explained by looking at the formal vs informal socialization of new recruits. Formal socialization occurs mostly throughout the process and the academy. Their recruits are formally introduced and taught the knowledge and information needed for policing (Whitelaw & Parent, 2019, p. 264). They are taught the "textbook version" of how to deal with a problem and are then expected to apply it during their scenario-based evaluations. Although this style of training gives recruits the tools needed to solve the problem, the majority of real-life situations are never the same. Recruits come to this realization during their operational field training portion, when many of the field trainers tell the recruits to forget what they have learned; this is known as informal socialization. Although this type of socialization can be conflicting with formal socialization, it is still important for recruits and new officers to be open to the advice given to them by experienced officers.
Experienced officers have been exposed to many different situations throughout their time in patrol and at times have dealt with the consequences following certain decisions that are made. Most of the time, experienced officers are able to provide insight that may be useful for the recruit or new officer to make a decision. Likewise, experienced officers have a surplus amount of experience when dealing with people and may be able to de-escalate a situation more effectively than a new officer or recruit. Although the knowledge and experience provided to new officers and recruits through informal socialization is important, police agencies are paying close attention to ensure continuity on what recruits have learned and what really happens on the road.
In-Service Training
In-service training is the training provided to police officers over the course of their careers. Unlike recruit training, this type of training is conducted by the individual police agencies and is held at one of the municipal training centers. Among some of the types of training are refresher training, requalification training, advanced training or career development training. This type of training "provides police personnel with ongoing professional development in operational, investigative and administrative skills" (Whitelaw & Parent, 2019, p. 265). As the majority of these training courses are not mandatory for general patrol, courses are considered to be highly sought after and therefore not available for everyone. This lack of availability is largely due to a limited amount of space and the lack of available resources to hold the course. As a result of these challenges, many agencies have begun to utilize online learning technology referred to as e-learning through the Canadian Police Knowledge Network ("CPKN"). This type of learning has been able to provide continual training to officers in the field without having to pull them off the road for a course.
Additionally, many agencies have mandatory in-person training multiple times a year, to ensure its officers are up to date on the changes in legislation, policy, and departmental procedures. For example, the Vancouver Police Department ("VPD"), puts its patrol officer through training four times a year, this training is known to its officers as "cycle training" and can take the form of scenario-based training to in-class training. Cycle training takes place on the officer's days off and officers are expected to complete each cycle to remain operational.
Conclusion
Although, police training has its challenges and is constantly changing, law enforcement agencies are making sure that training is held accountable to ensure the officers on the road are the most suitable and qualified people for the job. This is done through the rigorous training police recruits receive at the academy as well as the many in-service training opportunities open to serving officers. Training is important and will always continue to be important, as police officers are entrusted with the ability to take away the life and liberties of others through their actions.