1500_W25_-_Lecture_6.2_-_Slides__Embedded_Audio_

Page 1: Introduction to Policing

• Lecture Title: Roles, Recruitment, & Training

• Course: SOC 1500 02

• Instructor: Dr. Chris Tatham

• Date: February 11th, 2025

• Institution: University of Guelph

Page 2: Today's Agenda

• Roles

• Recruitment

• Training

• Kahoot interactive quiz

Page 3: Overview of Canadian Policing Statistics

• Components of Policing in Canada:

  • Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP):

    • Federal jurisdiction

    • Provides provincial and certain First Nations policing on a contract basis

  • Provincial Police:

    • Ontario Provincial Police (OPP)

    • Sûreté du Québec (SQ)

    • Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC)

  • Municipal Police Organizations:

    • 137 municipal organizations

  • First Nations Self-Administered Services:

    • 36 services

Page 4: Police Roles

• Discusses the various roles within policing

Page 5: Theories of Police Roles

• Role Theory (Merton 1957, Stryker 1980, 1994):

  • Examines social positions and normative expectations

  • Defines roles as “performances”

  • Identifies the complexity of identity due to multiple roles

  • Concepts include role conflict vs. role strain

  • Salience hierarchy: importance of roles and level of commitment

Page 6: Role Strain vs Role Conflict

• Role Strain:

  • Tension from multiple expectations within a single role

• Role Conflict:

  • Tension from conflicting expectations of different roles

• Commitment:

  • The costs associated with not fulfilling a role

Page 7: Salience Hierarchy Example

• Example of Role Salience:

  • High Salience/Commitment: Parent

  • Intermediate Salience/Commitment: Spouse, Sibling, Student

  • Low Salience/Commitment: Starbucks Employee, Cat Sitter

Page 8: Categorization of Police Roles

• Police Roles Include:

  • Police Officer

  • Law Enforcement

  • Order Maintenance

  • Social Worker

  • Knowledge Worker

Page 9: Law Enforcement Role

• Described as “real police work”

• Engagement about 10-15% of officers' time

• High desirability among officers

• Performance metrics are measurable (arrests, traffic tickets, etc.)

Page 10: Order Maintenance Role

• Duties include maintaining peace, crowd control, and handling disputes

• Less desirable role for officers

• Performance is difficult to measure

Page 11: Social Worker Role

• Focus on providing emotional support and assistance with navigating systems

• Mixed sentiments among police about this role

• Hard to quantify performance

Page 12: Knowledge Worker Role

• Involves collecting and analyzing data

• Often regarded as undesirable by officers

• Performance is challenging to measure

Page 13: Role Conflict in Policing

• Conflicts arise from responsibilities across different roles

• Associated with outcomes such as burnout, cynicism, and withdrawal

Page 14: The Impossible Mandate

• Describes the difficulty in balancing various policing roles

• Reference to Manning's concept (1977) regarding policing challenges

• Relates to performance theory (Goffman)

Page 15: Implications of Roles

• Connection to Identity:

  • Some roles perceived as more desirable than others

  • Time often spent on roles that officers find less desirable

• Role Conflict:

  • Contributes to police stress and anxiety levels

Page 16: Recruitment Overview

• Guelph Police is hiring

• Visit guelphpolice.ca for more information

• Emphasis on making a positive impact

Page 17: Motivations for Becoming an Officer

• Study by Ranganella & White (2004) shows:

  • Top reasons include:

    • Helping people

    • Financial and career security

    • Crime fighting and excitement

Page 18: Salary Comparison

• Chart presents average salaries by level of policing (2019)

• Data includes:

  • Types of Personnel: Police officers, civilians, special constables

  • Breakdown across First Nations, Municipal, OPP, RCMP, and SQ

Page 19: Basic Criteria for Police Officers

• Must be:

  • 18 years or older, Canadian citizen or permanent resident

  • Completed high school education

  • Possess a valid driver's license

  • No criminal record

Page 20: Recruitment Outreach Methods

• Methods include:

  • Media campaigns

  • Social media engagement

  • Community outreach events

  • Recruitment officers and teams

Page 21: The Recruitment Process

• Operated by Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP)

• Includes mental and physical fitness evaluations

• OACP certificate must accompany job applications

• Police service conducts further assessments/screens

• Successful candidates receive training at the Ontario Police College

Page 22: Psychological Screening

• Introduced in Ontario: 1989

• Utilizes Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory Version 2 (MMPI-2)

  • Focused on predicting behavioral and attitudinal issues

  • Serves as a risk management strategy

Page 23: Background Checks

• Conducted on both civilians and officers, typically by former officers

• Check references from family, employers, and friends

  • Aims to create a “data image” for risk management

• Importance of organizational and cultural fit

Page 24: Police Academy Training Overview

• Training programs vary throughout Canada

  • RCMP: 26 weeks in Regina

  • Ontario Municipal Services & OPP: At least 13 weeks at Ontario Police College

  • Some services have additional cadet training

Page 25: Paramilitary Structure of Police Academy

• Characteristics of paramilitary structure include:

  • Hierarchy and deference

  • Sense of camaraderie, “us vs. them” mentality

  • Functions as a “total institution” (Goffman, 1961)

• Example: RCMP Depot training program

Page 26: Components of Police Academy Training

• Focus areas include:

  • Tactical skills

  • Physical conditioning

  • Understanding law & police procedure

  • Communications, problem-solving, community policing

  • Ethics, inequality, diversity training

Page 27: Training Philosophies and Background

• Different Organizational Philosophies:

  • Professional Model: Focuses on law enforcement and fighting crime

  • Community Policing Model: Emphasizes communication, problem-solving, community engagement

  • Role of education in shaping policing philosophies

Page 28: Critiques of Police Training

• Concerns regarding how cadets are taught:

  • A need for more progressive teaching methods (andragogy)

  • Existing pedagogy leads to a functional disconnect with real job requirements

  • Rigid hierarchy in training processes

  • Officers leave training with a soldier-like mentality (Birzer & Tannehill, 2001)

Page 29: Continued Critiques in Police Training

• Emphasis on traditional force skills diminishes need for ‘soft’ skills

• Institutional inertia regarding training practices persists despite a demand for change

• Gender ideologies and the paramilitary tradition raise further concerns

Page 30: Other Training Concerns

• Additional critiques include:

  • Length of training programs

  • Isolation experienced during training

  • Development of maladaptive coping strategies (Violanti, 1993)

Page 31: Conclusion

• Importance of considerations in police training and recruitment

• Emphasis on community-oriented approaches and real-world skills for effective policing

Page 32: Lecture Follow-Up

• Questions can be directed to Dr. Tatham via provided link

Page 33: Kahoot Interactive Quiz

• Participation in Kahoot is encouraged as part of lecture engagement

• Instructions for access and participation are detailed.