Course Syllabus

Law Enforcement in America

Faculty

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Course Description

This course provides an examination of the history and evolution of law enforcement in the United States. Among the topics examined in this course are law enforcement careers; the police role; selection, recruitment, and training of personnel; occupational socialization and the police subculture; discretion; management and organizational behavior; patrol/investigative functions; and debates on police and criminal justice reform. Other issues considered include police use of force, police-community relations, job stress, corruption, and ethical conduct. Prerequisite: Introduction to Criminal Justice.

Essential Objectives

1. Trace the historical development of law enforcement from England to the United States.
2. Explain how personal values and ethics influence working with the public, as well as the ways in which implicit and explicit bias can impact professional decision-making and interactions.
3. Assess factors that determine the organization, operations, and administration of a law enforcement agency.
4. Distinguish between proactive and reactive patrol systems and evaluate the potential impacts of each on community relations and social justice.
5. Appraise the critical issues and trends in law enforcement and the effects on police reform and the law enforcement profession.
6. Assess the impacts of court rulings and Department of Justice investigations on law enforcement operational policy and procedure.
7. Compare and contrast the selection, training, and retention practices of law enforcement in different jurisdictions.
8. Explore the roles and interconnections of law enforcement, mental health, human services, and community resources and describe strategies for interagency collaboration to serve individuals with diverse backgrounds and needs.
9. Explore practices for identifying professional stressors and strategies for promoting resiliency among police officers and other law enforcement practitioners.

Required Technology

More information on general computer and internet recommendations is available on the CCV IT Support page. https://support.ccv.edu/general/computer-recommendations/

Please see CCV's Digital Equity Statement (pg. 45) to learn more about CCV's commitment to supporting all students access the technology they need to successfully finish their courses.

Required Textbooks and Resources

The last day to use a Financial Aid Advance to purchase textbooks/books is the 3rd Tuesday of the semester. See your financial aid counselor at your academic center if you have any questions.

Grading Criteria

CCV Letter Grades as outlined in the Evaluation System Policy are assigned according to the following chart:

	High	Low
A+	100	98
A	Less than 98	93
A-	Less than 93	90
B+	Less than 90	88
B	Less than 88	83
B-	Less than 83	80
C+	Less than 80	78
C	Less than 78	73
C-	Less than 73	70
D+	Less than 70	68
D	Less than 68	63
D-	Less than 63	60
F	Less than 60
P	100	60
NP	Less than 60	0

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance and participation in classes are essential for success in and are completion requirements for courses at CCV. A student's failure to meet attendance requirements as specified in course descriptions will normally result in a non-satisfactory grade.

• In general, missing more than 20% of a course due to absences, lateness or early departures may jeopardize a student's ability to earn a satisfactory final grade.
• Attending an on-ground or synchronous course means a student appeared in the live classroom for at least a meaningful portion of a given class meeting. Attending an online course means a student posted a discussion forum response, completed a quiz or attempted some other academically required activity. Simply viewing a course item or module does not count as attendance.
• Meeting the minimum attendance requirement for a course does not mean a student has satisfied the academic requirements for participation, which require students to go above and beyond simply attending a portion of the class. Faculty members will individually determine what constitutes participation in each course they teach and explain in their course descriptions how participation factors into a student's final grade.

Accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities:

1. Provide disability documentation to the Accessibility Coordinator at your academic center. https://ccv.edu/discover-resources/students-with-disabilities/
2. Request an appointment to meet with accessibility coordinator to discuss your request and create an accommodation plan.
3. Once created, students will share the accommodation plan with faculty. Please note, faculty cannot make disability accommodations outside of this process.

Academic Integrity