Community Policing

POLICE ISSUE You are a law enforcement officer (LEO) representing your agency, making a presentation to a group of concerned citizens, including the media. Your objective is to sway the audience into seeing the issue from a different perspective (that of the police).You will use a PowerPoint presentation to discuss a current issue in policing to the attendees.

Content Requirements:

Choose ONE (1) of the following topics

• Community Policing–Does it really work or is it a “feel good” program?
• Building trust with communities.
• Officer Involved Shootings: Public Perception vs. Reality
• Gun Legislation & Law Enforcement (Will increasing gun control be better or worse for police? Will it make our citizens safer? Will it reduce violent crime?)
• Are body cameras an invasion of privacy or are they necessary?
• Is profiling justified and necessary?
• Why can’t the police stop the violence in Miami? (Drive-by shootings; increase in violent crime; gang violence)
• Should the police agencies investigate themselves or should outside agencies (state or federal) and/or civilian review boards be instituted?
• Should the grand jury system be used for officers accused of a crime or should it be eliminated? (What would replace it?)
• Police morale–Who cares? (Why does it matter?)
• Police corruption (from a law enforcement perspective).
• Use of Force–Is it excessive or is it being used to keep officers out of harms way? (De-escalation, minimizing; public perception)

Content Requirements:

(Be sure to address all items.)

1. Briefly describe the nature of the problem/issue. (Carefully analyze the problem: myths vs. facts; pros vs. cons.)
2. Discuss the history of the issue.
3. Describe the extent of the problem/issue (is it an actual problem or a perception).
4. Use at least two actual examples/cases to illustrate your position.
5. What are the best practices in this area? (What police agencies/cities/states already use the program/policy?)
6. What is the recommended solution?
   • Do not base your position on personal opinion.
   • Use research and statistics to support your position.
   • The audience members should leave your presentation feeling more informed.

HELP FUL SITES 

Police Forum

MDPD 5-Year Crime Comparison

Dangerous Cities

Requirement

1. Length: 25 slides
   • Separate cover slide
   • Separate references slide
2. Design:
   • Do not to overcrowd your slides with information.
   • Be thorough, but also be concise.
   • Use bullet points to highlight main points.
   • If you use graphics, be sure to condense them, so your presentation is not too large.
3. Mechanics:
   • PowerPoint does not require that you write full sentences or paragraphs; in fact, this will detract from your presentation.
   • Your ideas must flow logically and your points should be presented in a consistent format.
   • Check your spelling and use standard American English.
4. Consult at least three (3) SCHOLARLY sources in preparing your presentation. (The last slide should be a “References” slide; follow APA format.

• For all course work submitted or posted, students must cite all sources of information whereas I can retrieve a copy of the source to verify it.  If a book is used, the student must include the page number of where the information was taken.
• Students should not use sources that are more than 10 years old.  Students should use scholarly sources via the MDC online library.
• If the professor is not able to retrieve the information, it will not be considered as a source and or the information will be assumed to be plagiarized.
• You must cite your source on each slide.  Points will be deducted for not doing so.