Course Syllabus
Course Description
Examines the history of community policing, problem-oriented policing, community responsibilities, media relations, and evolving strategies. Students analyze criminal justice organizations, including human resources management, research studies, environmental factors, centralized authority, and other issues.
Course Textbook(s)
Solar, P. J. (2019). Police community relations: A conflict management approach. St. Paul, MN: West Academic.
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
1. Explain how the United States Constitution impacts American law enforcement. 2. Examine the three eras of policing in the United States to identify trends. 3. Assess the viability of the broken windows theory in the 21st century. 4. Explain how theories in law enforcement can be applied in various forms of policing. 5. Explain the importance of a good relationship between law enforcement and the media. 6. Discuss the importance of police-community relationships. 7. Analyze violence, crime, and vandalism in schools. 8. Examine citizen’s complaints as they relate to excessive force by police.
Prerequisite(s)
BCJ 3450 – Introduction to Court Security or equivalent
BCJ 2501 – Criminology or equivalent
Credits
Upon completion of this course, the students will earn 3.00 hours of college credit.
CSU Online Library
The CSU Online Library is available to support your courses and programs. You may be prompted to login with your CSU Account. The online library includes databases, journals, e-books, and research guides. These resources are always accessible and can be reached through the library webpage. The CSU Online Library can be accessed from the “My Library” button on the course menu in Blackboard.
The CSU Online Library offers several reference services. E-mail ([email protected]) and telephone (1.877.268.8046) assistance is available Monday-Thursday from 8 am to 5 pm and Friday from 8 am to 3 pm. The library’s chat reference service, Ask a Librarian, is available 24/7; look for the chat box on the online library page.
Librarians can help you develop your research plan or assist you in finding relevant, appropriate, and timely information. Reference requests can include customized keyword search strategies, database help, and other services.
BCJ 4101, Police and Community Relations
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LibGuides
Think of a LibGuide (a Library Guide) as a mini-website to help you with your assignments. It has relevant information such as databases, e-books, and websites specific to your courses. If you have any questions, please reach out to your friendly library staff.
Click here for the LibGuide for this course.
Unit Assignments
Unit I Journal
As a law enforcement officer, can you see yourself using the social contract theory in your dealings with citizens? If so, how would you use it? If not, why would you not use it?
Your journal entry must be at least 200 words in length. No references or citations are necessary.
Unit I Essay
In this unit, you learned about the police function and history in society. For this assignment, you will compose an essay in which you cover the following elements.
Explain the three eras of policing and how each era has contributed to the method of policing used today. Describe the roles of the social contract theory and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs in policing. Discuss how the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights limit the power of law enforcement.
Your essay should consist of at least two pages and should utilize at least two sources, one of which can be your textbook. Be sure that all sources used are cited and referenced using APA Style and that you include an introduction in your essay.
Unit II Journal
Do you feel that your community views the police in a positive or a negative light? If positive, explain what the police department does to maintain its positive reputation. If negative, explain ways that you feel your police department could improve its reputation within the community.
Your journal entry must be at least 200 words in length. No references or citations are necessary.
Unit II Annotated Bibliography
In Unit VII of this course, you will be submitting a research paper based on a topic within police-community relations. More specifically, narrow the focus of your research paper to how the police relate to a specific group within a community.
For this assignment, you will create an annotated bibliography, which requires you to research, select, and read three peer- reviewed journal articles. Newspapers, news outlets, blogs, or anything from Wikipedia or any of its affiliates etc. are not acceptable.
Your articles should address the following elements:
one or more of the theories regarding conflict and conflict management and how they can be applied to policing, one or more of the different approaches to police-community relations, and how police-community relations are impacted by police officers themselves.
In addition, substantive annotated bibliographies should address the direction, intent, and conclusions of the subject under review (your research paper topic), and explain how the individual articles are going to be applied to your final research paper.
The annotations for each source should consist of at least 100 to 150 words.
Use the annotated bibliography template to complete your assignment.
View the annotated bibliography tutorial to learn what it is and how to construct one. The transcript for this tutorial can be found within the “Notes” tab to the right of the presentation.
Prepare for Final Exam – Proctor Approval Form
Now is a great time to start thinking of a proctor for your Final Exam. CSU approves two, flexible proctoring options: a Standard Proctor, who is chosen by the student and approved by the university, or Remote Proctor Now (RP Now), an on- demand, third-party testing service that proctors examinations for a small fee.
A Standard Proctor is an unbiased, qualified individual who is selected by the student and agrees to supervise an examination. You are responsible for selecting a qualified Proctor, and the Proctor must be pre-approved by CSU. The Proctor Information Request Form can be found on the University Forms/Courses page in the myCSU Student Portal.
Students choosing RP Now must have an operational webcam/video with audio, a high-speed internet connection that
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meets RP Now’s bandwidth requirements, and appropriate system rights required to download and install software. During examination administration, RP Now will access the student’s webcam and microphone to record the examination for academic integrity review. Please be advised that there is a $19.00 fee for each exam paid to RP Now if you choose to utilize them for proctoring services.
Students are encouraged to review the RP Now Tutorial Video, along with the RP Now System Requirements. Please note that CSU currently utilizes RPNow v4.x.
You are permitted four (4) hours to complete the Final Exam in the presence of your approved Proctor. The four (4) hour time limit begins at the time the exam is initially opened. Use of exam materials includes only the course textbook, eTextbook, or permitted resources in an integrated learning resources course, a writing utensil, blank scratch paper, and a calculator if needed. Online
Calculators or other software may only be utilized with the approval of the course professor or Office of Disability Services. Other materials are not permitted unless specified in the examination instructions.
Please review the Final Examination Proctor Policy located in the Student Handbook for specific guidelines regarding proctor requirements and Final Exam expectations.
Unit III Journal
Of the various types of police agencies that were discussed in this unit, which one would you most like to work for? Explain your choice.
Your journal entry must be at least 200 words in length. No references or citations are necessary.
Unit III PowerPoint Presentation
You have been asked to present at a conference about how the nature of community can play a role in the police- community relationship and how the police departments can damage or improve their relationship with the communities they serve. For this assignment, you will create a PowerPoint presentation in which you discuss the following issues:
the nature of community and how it can affect the police-community relationship, the broken windows theory and the role it can play in reducing and preventing crime, the three styles of policing that law enforcement officers use to define their role in the community, police discretion and how it can be used to damage or improve the police-community relationship, and alleged racial or biased profiling by the police and how it can damage the police officers’ relationship with people in their communities.
Your PowerPoint presentation should consist of at least 7 slides, not counting the title and references slides. All resources used should be cited and referenced properly using APA Style. You must use at least two resources, one of which can be your textbook.
Unit IV Journal
If you were in the role of a police officer, would you agree that it is necessary for you to have high levels of emotional intelligence, intelligence quotient (IQ), and social intelligence? Why, or why not? Which of the three do you believe would be the most important for you to have? Explain your choice.
Your journal entry must be at least 200 words in length. No references or citations are necessary.
Unit IV Article Critique
For this assignment, you will be using the CSU Online Library to locate an article that discusses how emotional intelligence, intelligence quotient, and/or social intelligence are important to police-community relations.
The article must be a scholarly journal article. Do not use articles from newspapers, news outlets, blogs, websites, or Wikipedia as these sources are not academically acceptable.
When working on your article critique, please keep the following requirements in mind.
The article must be a scholarly journal article. The topic must be appropriate for the course or the audience. You should identify whether you are in support of the article’s premise or not and why. You should then apply a proper analysis, which is predicated upon some knowledge of the topic, and a review of the contravening arguments made by other researchers or experts. This is followed by you putting forth your critical evaluation of the premise(s) of the article and your position, supported by the literature.
Some of the questions you should ask about the article include the following:
What biographical data about the author of the article is important? What is the purpose, tone, and format of the article? How can the work be interpreted? Based upon your review of the literature, is there any information in the article that is inaccurate or incomplete? In what way was the article successful? Did the author succeed in what he or she was trying to accomplish? How does the author fail? What did you find in your review of the literature that brings you to that conclusion?
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Are there any historical, psychological, geographical, gender, racial, cultural, religious, or sexual considerations that have an impact on the article?
Your article critique should contain the following elements:
APA title page (p. 1); content beginning on p. 2, and there must be a minimum of 3 pages of content, not including the title or references pages; and APA references page.
For help with composing your article critique, please view the Article Critiques tutorial. The transcript for this resource can be found within the “Notes” tab to the right of the presentation.
Unit V Journal
Take some time to think about the relationship between the police and minority communities within your local area. Do you believe police managers and policymakers in your area demonstrate flawed thinking in their approach to minority communities? Why, or why not?
Your journal entry must be at least 200 words in length. No references or citations are necessary.
Unit V Assignment
Introduction and Review of Literature
For this assignment, you will be composing the introduction and review of literature sections of your research paper that is due in Unit VII. In Unit II, you selected your research paper topic, conducted research, and identified three articles that will be used. Now, you will present your introduction, which will include your thesis statement, and your review of literature, which should include at least five scholarly resources that relate to your topic. The resources can include the three from Unit II and an additional two for this assignment.
Please see the following Writing Center resources for help with constructing your introduction and literature review:
Introductions and Conclusions Abstracts Literature Review
Transcripts for these resources can be found within the “Notes” tab to the right of each presentation.
Be sure to include the following elements in this assignment:
APA title page, APA abstract, introduction (including your thesis statement), review of literature, and references page.
Remember that your introduction should capture and focus the attention of your reader, present your topic, give background information on your topic, and present your thesis statement.
Be sure that your literature review includes information related to the following:
deliberate indifference and its impact on the relationship between police and the group that your paper is focused on and the psychological ramifications that police action taken against your group can have within a community.
This assignment should consist of at least two pages, not including the title page and references page. All sources used should be cited and referenced properly using APA Style.
Unit VI Journal
Place yourself in the role of a police chief. What restorative justice principles would you try to put into place to help improve the police-community relationship within your local area? What effect do you believe these principles will have within your community?
Your journal entry must be at least 200 words in length. No references or citations are necessary.
Unit VI Assignment
You are a police officer who has been assigned to a local high school as a school resource officer. You would like to recommend the use of restorative justice techniques to your resource officer program supervisor as you believe these will help youthful offenders assimilate back into the school system after being away. Prepare a report for your supervisor in which you outline the techniques you would like to use and how these ideas might help to improve relations between resource officers and young people in the schools. In your report, be sure to explain the theoretical perspectives behind your techniques and why you feel they are important.
Your report should consist of at least two pages, including an introduction, and should use at least two references, one of which can be your textbook. Make sure that your citations and references are formatted properly in APA Style.
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Unit VII Journal
Imagine yourself in one of two positions: police officer or community leader. If you chose the position of police officer, how would you use education, the media, and inclusion to help establish a better relationship with the community? If you chose the position of community leader, what information do you feel can be gleaned from education or the media about police policies, procedures, and practices that would help you better understand why the police do what they do.
Your journal entry must be at least 200 words in length. No references or citations are necessary.
Unit VII Research Paper
In Unit V, your assignment was to begin writing the first part of the final research paper. This required students to submit the first several pages of their project:
APA title page, APA abstract, introduction (including your thesis statement), review of the literature, and references page.
The final portion of the paper will include the following:
discussion of the literature; analysis and findings of your research; conclusions drawn from your research, including how the media can operate to help improve the relationship between the police and the community, especially in regards to citizen perceptions of police regarding use of force and/or excessive use of force; and APA references, including all references used in the development of your paper.
As you are combining the first part of your paper with the final portion, be sure to incorporate any feedback that you may have received from your professor in Unit V. Your research paper should consist of at least five pages.
All papers must be in APA Style that includes the items listed above and use of peer-reviewed journal articles, government documents, books, or monographs. Never use anything from newspapers, news outlets, blogs, websites, or anything Wiki as they are not academically acceptable, contain significant bias, or they are can be altered (Wikipedia).
Request to take Final Exam
You are required to request to take your examination by submitting the Final Examination Request in the myCSU Student Portal. The Final Exam for this course must be proctored, and must be submitted by 11:59 PM CT on the course end date.
If you have selected the standard proctor option, the Final Exam instructions will be sent to your Proctor via email within three business days from the date the request is received.
If you have selected the RP Now option, you will receive a confirmation email containing a direct link to RP Now within three business days from the date the request is received.
You are permitted four (4) hours to complete the Final Exam in the presence of your approved Proctor. The four (4) hour time limit begins at the time the exam is initially opened. Use of exam materials includes only the course textbook, eTextbook, or permitted resources in an integrated learning resources course, a writing utensil, blank scratch paper, and a calculator if needed. Online Calculators or other software may only be utilized with the approval of the course professor or Office of Disability Services. Other materials are not permitted unless specified in the examination instructions.
eTextbooks should be accessed on the computer in which the examination is being taken. Please note, if an examination is taken on a computer that has not been registered with the eTextbook, all features (highlighting, notes, etc.) will not be available.
Please refer to the Final Examination Proctor Policy located in the Student Handbook for specific guidelines regarding proctor requirements and expectations.
Unit VIII Journal
How will you be able to apply what you learned in this course to your current or future work?
Your journal entry must be at least 200 words in length. No references or citations are necessary.
APA Guidelines
The application of the APA writing style shall be practical, functional, and appropriate to each academic level, with the primary purpose being the documentation (citation) of sources. CSU requires that students use APA style for certain papers and projects. Students should always carefully read and follow assignment directions and review the associated grading rubric when available. The CSU Citation Guide includes examples and sample papers and provides information on how to contact the CSU Writing Center.
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Grading Rubrics
This course utilizes analytic grading rubrics as tools for your professor in assigning grades for all learning activities. Each rubric serves as a guide that communicates the expectations of the learning activity and describes the criteria for each level of achievement. In addition, a rubric is a reference tool that lists evaluation criteria and can help you organize your efforts to meet the requirements of that learning activity. It is imperative for you to familiarize yourself with these rubrics because these are the primary tools your professor uses for assessing learning activities.
Rubric categories include (1) Journal, (2) Assessment (Written Response), and (3) Assignment. However, it is possible that not all of the listed rubric types will be used in a single course (e.g., some courses may not have Assessments).
The Journal rubric can be found within Unit I’s Journal submission instructions.
The Assessment (Written Response) rubric can be found embedded in a link within the directions for each Unit Assessment. However, these rubrics will only be used when written-response questions appear within the Assessment.
Each Assignment type (e.g., article critique, case study, research paper) will have its own rubric. The Assignment rubrics are built into Blackboard, allowing students to review them prior to beginning the Assignment and again once the Assignment has been scored. This rubric can be accessed via the Assignment link located within the unit where it is to be submitted. Students may also access the rubric through the course menu by selecting “Tools” and then “My Grades.”
Again, it is vitally important for you to become familiar with these rubrics because their application to your Journals, Assessments, and Assignments is the method by which your instructor assigns all grades.
Final Examination Guidelines
Final Exams are to be administered to students by an approved Proctor. CSU approves two flexible proctoring options: a standard Proctor, who is chosen by the student and approved by the university, or Remote Proctor Now (RP Now), an on- demand, third-party testing service that proctors examinations for a small fee.
Students choosing RP Now must have an operational webcam/video with audio, a high-speed Internet connection, and the appropriate system rights required to download and install software.
To review the complete Examination Proctor Policy, including a list of acceptable Proctors, Proctor responsibilities, Proctor approval procedures, and the Proctor Agreement Form, go to the myCSU Student Portal.
You are permitted four (4) hours to complete this exam in the presence of your approved Proctor. This is an open book exam. Only course textbooks, writing utensils, and a calculator, if necessary, are allowed when taking proctored exams.
You may use only your textbook as source material for your response. All source material must be referenced (paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying citations). You may use the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA Style Guide) or the CSU Citation Guide for reference.
Communication Forums
Overview
These are non-graded discussion forums that allow you to communicate with your professor and other students. Participation in these discussion forums is encouraged, but not required. You can access these forums with the buttons in the Course Menu. Instructions for subscribing/unsubscribing to these forums are provided below.
Once you have completed Unit VIII, you MUST unsubscribe from the forum; otherwise, you will continue to receive e-mail updates from the forum. You will not be able to unsubscribe after your course end date.
Click here for instructions on how to subscribe/unsubscribe and post to the Communication Forums.
Ask the Professor
This communication forum provides you with an opportunity to ask your professor general or course content questions. Questions may focus on Blackboard locations of online course components, textbook or course content elaboration, additional guidance on assessment requirements, or general advice from other students.
Questions that are specific in nature, such as inquiries regarding assessment/assignment grades or personal accommodation requests, are NOT to be posted on this forum. If you have questions, comments, or concerns of a non- public nature, please feel free to email your professor. Responses to your post will be addressed or emailed by the professor within 48 hours.
Before posting, please ensure that you have read all relevant course documentation, including the syllabus, assessment/assignment instructions, faculty feedback, and other important information.
Student Break Room
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This communication forum allows for casual conversation with your classmates. Communication on this forum should always maintain a standard of appropriateness and respect for your fellow classmates. This forum should NOT be used to share assessment answers.
Schedule/Grading
The following pages contain a printable Course Schedule to assist you through this course. By following this schedule, you will be assured that you will complete the course within the time allotted.
Unit I The Police Function and History in Society [ Weight: 12% ]
Read/View: Unit I Study Guide Chapter 1: Introduction: Why Do We Need the Police? pp. 11–38 Chapter 2: The History of the Police Function, pp. 41–83
Submit: Unit I Journal Unit I Essay
2% 10%
Unit II Approaches to Police-Community Relations, Conflict, and Conflict Management [ Weight: 12% ]
Read/View: Unit II Study Guide Chapter 3: Historical Approaches to Police Community Relations, pp. 87–125 Chapter 4: The Nature of Conflict, pp. 127–171
Submit: Unit II Journal Unit II Annotated Bibliography
2% 10%
Unit III The Community and Police Discretion Dealing with Legal and Social Issues [ Weight: 12% ]
Read/View: Unit III Study Guide Chapter 5: The Nature of “Community,” pp. 173–203 Chapter 6: Police Discretion in the Context of Police Community Relations, pp. 215–253
Submit: Unit III Journal Unit III PowerPoint Presentation
2% 10%
Unit IV Approaches to Policing the Community and Managing Conflict [ Weight: 12% ]
Read/View: Unit IV Study Guide Chapter 7: Humanistic Policing: Human Relations, Emotional Intelligence, and the Power of Respect, pp. 257–299 Chapter 8: Managing Conflict in the Law Enforcement and Policing Roles, pp. 301–333
Submit: Unit IV Journal Unit IV Article Critique
2% 10%
Unit V Minority Community Perspective Versus Police Perspectives [ Weight: 12% ]
Read/View: Unit V Study Guide Chapter 9: Perspectives of the African American Community, pp. 337–383 Unit Resource (1 article): See Study Guide
Submit: Unit V Journal Unit V Assignment
2% 10%
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Unit VI Restorative Justice Concepts as One Concept to Forge Good Police-CommunityRelations [ Weight: 12% ]
Read/View: Unit VI Study Guide Chapter 11: Building Better Relationships Through Restorative Justice, pp. 441–470
Submit: Unit VI Journal Unit VI Assignment
2% 10%
Unit VII Managing Conflict Through Education, Effective Media Relations, and CommunityInclusion [ Weight: 14% ]
Read/View: Unit VII Study Guide Unit Resource (1 article): See Study Guide
Submit: Unit VII Journal Unit VII Research Paper
2% 12%
Unit VIII Youth and Community Expectations: How Do Police Become Allies Rather ThanAdversaries? [ Weight: 14% ]
Read/View: Unit VIII Study Guide Chapter 12: Building Better Relationships Through Youth Mentoring and Engagement, pp. 473–495
Submit: Unit VIII Journal Final Exam
2% 12%
BCJ 4101, Police and Community Relations 8
- BCJ 4101, Police and Community Relations
- Course Syllabus
- Course Description
- Course Textbook(s)
- Course Learning Outcomes
- Prerequisite(s)
- Credits
- CSU Online Library
- LibGuides
- Unit Assignments
- Unit I Journal
- Unit I Essay
- Unit II Journal
- Unit II Annotated Bibliography
- Prepare for Final Exam – Proctor Approval Form
- Unit III Journal
- Unit III PowerPoint Presentation
- Unit IV Journal
- Unit IV Article Critique
- Unit V Journal
- Unit V Assignment
- Introduction and Review of Literature
- Unit VI Journal
- Unit VI Assignment
- Unit VII Journal
- Unit VII Research Paper
- Request to take Final Exam
- Unit VIII Journal
- APA Guidelines
- Grading Rubrics
- Final Examination Guidelines
- Communication Forums
- Overview
- Ask the Professor
- Student Break Room
- Schedule/Grading