Internet Exercises

1) One of the goals for many police organizations is to continue to refine recruitment standards and develop measures to reduce turnover rates among police officers. Recruitment and retention of officers for small police agencies, however, can be a particularly challenging goal. Learn more about how smaller police agencies can improve recruitment and retention by logging on to www.theiacp.org/index.htm. Under "Information Resources", choose "Publications." Find the article entitled, "Big Ideas for Smaller Police Departments: Recruitment and Retention of Qualified Personnel: A Best Practices Guide." What strategies does the article suggest for effective recruitment? What role does mentoring play in recruitment and retention?

2) Several institutes, academies and centers across the country are designed to certify and train police officers. Using your web browser, find several local, state and federal training programs in the United States. Find the training curricula for each program. What types of training do these centers provide? What areas are covered in the training? Are there any specific topic areas you believe are missing from the training? Do any of the institutes offer training that is unique (not offered by other institutes)? How are officers evaluated? What is required to successfully complete the training (exams, performance evaluations, etc.)? Which training institute do you believe offers the best training overall?