NCJ Number
204737
Journal
Campus Law Enforcement Journal Volume: 34 Issue: 1 Dated: January/February 2004 Pages: 25-28
Date Published
January 2004
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article describes the experiences and opportunities that have stemmed from the University of Central Florida's (UCF) Police Department's development of an online training program.
Abstract
In spring 2000, the UCF Police Department received a grant to equip the department with technology that would facilitate the officers becoming more community-oriented. The department purchased 45 laptops and issued 1 laptop to each officer. Each laptop contains a silent dispatch program that allows dispatchers to transmit nonemergency or low-priority calls; a word-processing program for writing various reports is also included in each laptop. In accordance with community-policing principles, officers have been encouraged to spend time outside their patrol cars and write their reports from anywhere on campus. Shortly after purchasing the laptops, the field training officer had the idea of using the laptops for online training in the field and at home. After a period of research and planning, online courses were selected to consist of two major components: the publicly accessible content of the course and the password-protected component of the course within WebCT, which is the online course management tool of choice at UCF. The four-phase instructional program addresses the jurisdiction of the campus police, administration, policies and procedures, and legal issues. The goal of the training program is to disseminate content and also facilitate and foster critical thinking and problem solving. Future plans for the online training program include the development and implementation of additional modules, as well as designing an evaluation of the training's effectiveness. The success of the project thus far has been largely due to the collaborative relationship between the field training officer and the designer of the training program. 2 references