Monday, August 18, 2014

Police Foundations Ensures Confidence and a Wide Range of Knowledge

People who work in police-related professions must have the utmost confidence in their abilities. That’s because they encounter a host of unpredictable and highly stressful situations. Take police officers, for example. Their day can see them going from catching speeders to a high-speed chase with a driver who refuses to stop. Border patrol, meanwhile, must know the right questions to ask to ensure that no illegal items cross the border from the US. Anyone in a police-related profession with the Provincial Police Services, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Armed Forces and more must be able to withstand the immense amount of pressures that come along with their job, communicate effectively with a wide range of people, act as a problem-solver by employing knowledge of current law enforcement methods, conflict resolution techniques, criminal proceedings, and community policing principles; and help people in the community.

Centennial College, through its School of Community and Health Studies, offers an introductory program known as Police Foundations. As the name implies, this offering’s focus is on introducing students to the Canadian justice system and the current laws as well as offering them the experience necessary to carry out decisions that can be applied in further police training. However, this foundational approach doesn’t mean that students get off “easy”. In fact, they are required to wear uniforms that are similar to the ones they may be required to wear in the various positions for which they are prepared. And the realistic approach doesn’t stop there. Students experience concentrated training that imitates a paramilitary environment. Because many students may go on to work in the police force or the military, this approach helps them to develop the type of discipline and deportment that will allow them to adjust easily.

Aside from the paramilitary environment, the realistic approach is also reflected in the program’s courses, which were developed after real-life experiences and case studies. Thanks to the converge of topics such as psychology, professional police standards, introduction to police practice, fitness, current criminal justice, conflict management, use of force and more, students graduate knowing how to: develop and implement partnerships to meet community policing and security needs, apply fundamental concepts of political science, law and legislative policy making; develop strategies to help victims of crime; document, prepare and execute court case presentations in compliance with criminal and provincial law, rules of evidence and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms; and more.

Centennial College recognizes that some students may want to use the Police Foundations program as a launching pad for further education. As such, it has forged relationships with a range of schools that allow students to apply their credits to learning at these institutions. Among partner schools are Humber College, Brock University, Conestoga College, Georgian College, Royal Roads University, Griffith University, Laurentian University, and University of Ontario Institute of Technology.  

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