Police Academy Training: Why Hasn'T It Kept Up With Practice?

Abstract

The movement toward community-oriented policing and problem-solving policing has required the development of new police officer competencies. However, police academy training has changed very little in the past 20 years. The authors recommend that police academies move beyond task analyses and the traditional components and include training in the skills necessary to be effective community-oriented and problem-solving police officers. Increased time should be spent on police recruits developing problem-solv ing, interpersonal, and decision-making skills. The authors encourage the readers to provide some additional training and curriculum suggestions.