Michelle Skelton Profile picture
Criminal Justice professor, avid reader, budding artist, aspiring yogi, tattoo aficionado, coffee drinker, football & color guard Mom, TedX, she/hers

Sep 30, 2021, 43 tweets

Join me tonight at 5pm to continue our discussion of Hiring & Training in #Policing

THINKING CHALLENGE: Do you believe Affirmative Action is appropriate for police hiring?

#CRJ201 #PoliceForAChangingSociety

Good evening, friends! We are going to take a look at some of the issues we see in recruitment of police officers and challenges in current training.

So glad to have you follow along!
#CRJ201 #PoliceForAChangingSociety

To get a quick sense of things, please let me know a little about you.

Are you a ....

#CRJ201 #PoliceForAChangingSociety

As far as your social & political opinions, would say you ...

#CRJ201 #PoliceForAChangingSociety

We just started today's discussion about Affirmative Action. As a hiring practice, do you support Affirmative Action?

#CRJ201 #PoliceForAChangingSociety

Let's talk a little bit about diversity in our police departments.

Is diversity necessary for a police department to be effective?

#CRJ201 #PoliceForAChangingSociety

One of the most controversial issues in police employment is affirmative action, an employer must take positive steps to remedy past discrimination

eeoc.gov/advancing-dive…

#CRJ201 #PoliceForAChangingSociety

Opponents of AA argues it involves an illegal form of reverse discrimination, in which white or male applicants claim they were not hired because quotas required the hiring of applicants who had weaker credentials

sciencedirect.com/science/articl…

#CRJ201 #PoliceForAChangingSociety

In 2016, in Fisher v. Texas, the Supreme Court ruled that is was constitutional for the Univ of Texas to use race as one of many factors in making undergraduate admission decisions.

How this decision affects police hiring is not clear

#CRJ201 #PoliceForAChangingSociety

The best way to determine whether a department complies w/ the diversity recommendations is the equal employment opportunity (EEO) index

#CRJ201 #PoliceForAChangingSociety

The EEO index, compFares a police department’s workforce with the racial and ethnic composition of the community it serves

#CRJ201 #PoliceForAChangingSociety

Despite a successful push in 2016 to attract more black applicants to the police force, the Chicago Police Department has hired relatively few African-Americans

chicagoreporter.com/more-african-a…

#CRJ201 #PoliceForAChangingSociety

@ChicagoReporter

Many people believe that officers from different backgrounds will be better able to relate to segments of the community

#CRJ201 #PoliceForAChangingSociety

Much of the initial progress in the hiring of more African Americans, Hispanics, and women was a result of employment discrimination suits under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.



#CRJ201 #PoliceForAChangingSociety

As more & more women entered policing in the 1970s, and began working as patrol offices for the first time in police history, police departments had to change many male-centered policies

#CRJ201 #PoliceForAChangingSociety

The entry of women also challenged many aspects of the male-dominated police subculture.

The 1964 Civil Rights Act outlawed employment discrimination and female officers were assigned to patrol duty on an equal basis with men

#CRJ201 #PoliceForAChangingSociety

A report by the National Center for Women and Policing found a number of current barriers to the employment of women

The most significant challenge includes:

#CRJ201 #PoliceForAChangingSociety

How can police women make society safer? @PD_PhD has some ideas ...

ted.com/talks/ivonne_r…

#CRJ201 #PoliceForAChangingSociety

Much of the initial progress in the hiring of more African Americans, Hispanics, and women was a result of employment discrimination suits under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

Successful suits produce a number of different results

#CRJ201 #PoliceForAChangingSociety

"When we define racism as behaviors instead of feelings, we can measure it, and transform it from an impossible problem into a solvable one," says justice scientist, @DrPhilGoff

ted.com/talks/dr_phill…

#CRJ201 #PoliceForAChangingSociety

The increase of diversity in hiring has had a significant although complex impact on policing.



#CRJ201 #PoliceForAChangingSociety

Police departments see a fair number of challenges past recruitment & hiring.

#CRJ201 #PoliceForAChangingSociety

Training is constantly discussed in the media as one way to remedy the current discord between the public and the police

#CRJ201 #PoliceForAChangingSociety

One problem hindering one’s understanding of police training, however, is that although there are many descriptions of training programs

#CRJ201 #PoliceForAChangingSociety

Many people focus only on pre-service police academy training.

#CRJ201

To ensure the highest quality of police service to the public, training needs to be an ongoing process including:
~ supervised field training,
~ regular roll-call training,
~ and annual in-service training

#CRJ201

The new approach to recruit training seeks to develop officers who are problem-solvers
~to assess a potentially dangerous situation,
~choose the appropriate response,
~and reassess the situation as it changes
~and change tactics accordingly

#CRJ201 #PoliceForAChangingSociety

The major elements of the new approach to police training include
~de-escalation,
~tactical decision making,
~communication skills,
~and procedural justice.

#CRJ201 #PoliceForAChangingSociety

THINKING CHALLENGE: Of the following, which training do you think police are in MOST need:

~de-escalation,
~tactical decision making,
~communication skills,
~and procedural justice

#CRJ201 #PoliceForAChangingSociety

They also include new styles of teaching, including ~fewer lectures
~scenario-based teaching
~and a shift toward training officers training officers to think and use their judgement in difficult situations rather than simply to follow orders

#CRJ201 #PoliceForAChangingSociety

THINKING CHALLENGE: What was your last training experience like?

#CRJ201 #PoliceForAChangingSociety

THINKING CHALLENGE: If you attended the Academy, how long was your training?

#CRJ201 #PoliceForAChangingSociety

THINKING CHALLENGE: How many hours of in-service training does your department require each year?

#CRJ201 #PoliceForAChangingSociety

THINKING CHALLENGE: What type of training would you like to see have better attention?

#CRJ201 #PoliceForAChangingSociety

THINKING CHALLENGE: What training was most beneficial to your career?

#CRJ201 #PoliceForAChangingSociety

THINKING CHALLENGE: And what type of training would you be good never having to sit through again?

#CRJ201 #PoliceForAChangingSociety

Thank you so kindly for your time this afternoon. I hope we hit on some interesting questions & topics in this brief look at recruitment & training.

What topic was most interesting?

#CRJ201 #PoliceForAChangingSociety

I had wanted to spend more time discussing military service & police hiring, perhaps that can be a separate discussion.

Should veterans receive hiring preference?

#CRJ201 #PoliceForAChangingSociety

Of the following topics, what should be more predominant in police training?

#CRJ201 #PoliceForAChangingSociety

Were there any topics or questions I missed?

#CRJ201 #PoliceForAChangingSociety

Lastly, I always appreciate feedback, how would you rate today's discussion?

#CRJ201 #PoliceForAChangingSociety

Stay safe this weekend, we will be back next week to highlight the realities of being on the job. Huge "THANK YOU" to @CPD1617Scanner for spreading the discussion

#CRJ201 #PoliceForAChangingSociety

Until then! ~ Michelle

Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.

A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.

Keep scrolling