112 lines
6.1 KiB
Plaintext
112 lines
6.1 KiB
Plaintext
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May 1990
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POLICE PRACTICE 2
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DARE: SELECTING THE RIGHT OFFICER
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The Drug Abuse Resistance Education Program, D.A.R.E., may
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be one of the most successful undertakings in the history of
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modern law enforcement. This highly visible program, developed
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by the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Unified
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Schools, has become a primary tool to teach children how to
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resist using drugs. The business community and local governments
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have also recognized the value of D.A.R.E. and continue to
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provide financial support to operate this valuable program.
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However, the success of D.A.R.E. would not be possible if
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it weren't for the police officers who dedicate their time and
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efforts not only in the classrooms but also at PTA meetings,
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school programs, community service organizations, and business
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groups. Because of their high visibility, it is imperative that
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agencies take the necessary steps to ensure that their D.A.R.E.
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officers are the best possible representatives, who reflect the
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department's total commitment to the program. To meet this goal,
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the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office has implemented a
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multiple-step process of selecting D.A.R.E. officers.
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THE RECRUITING PROCESS
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In order to be successful, the recruiting process must not
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be overlooked. Often, some of the best candidates do not
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consider applying for the D.A.R.E. program until they are
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approached. This is primarily due to peer pressure to ``stay on
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the street and be a real cop.'' Therefore, Snohomish County
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D.A.R.E. officers go into the field to educate the officers about
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the program and to explain the impact they could have.
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Officers are approached at roll call, coffee stops, and even at
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their homes. Notices are also distributed advertising the
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D.A.R.E. opening and inviting any interested officers to apply in
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writing.
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THE SELECTION PROCESS
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After the applications are collected, each candidate is
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advised that because public speaking is so important in the
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position, there would be a public speaking exercise. Since this
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is an activity that many fear, those candidates who do not have a
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strong desire to fill the position usually withdraw prior to this
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exercise. The remaining applicants are instructed to prepare and
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deliver a 5-minute speech explaining what D.A.R.E. means to them
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and why they want to be D.A.R.E. officers. Each candidate also
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delivers this presentation to a local community service club, in
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which five members score the officers with a maximum score of
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100.
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Potential D.A.R.E. officers must also demonstrate an ability
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to formulate a lesson plan using their own education and
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experience. Toward this end, candidates are given information
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and tips on how to prepare lesson plans on topics of their
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choice, which can then be used to instruct a fifth or sixth grade
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class. Like the speech, the lesson plans are scored with a
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maximum score of 100. Scoring is completed by two officers who
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both have relevant academic and teaching experience. Because, in
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all probability, the scorers would know the candidates, all names
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are removed from the lesson plans to ensure impartiality.
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Each candidate also contacts a school to schedule a D.A.R.E.
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class, because D.A.R.E. officers must do this on a regular basis.
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Candidates are rated in five categories by the teachers for a
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combined score of 100.
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The final exercise that the candidates have to complete is
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an appearance before the oral board. The oral board consists of
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experienced D.A.R.E. officers who ask each candidate a series of
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questions that had been asked by students from previous D.A.R.E.
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classes. Again, the maximum possible score on the oral board
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was 100.
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To make the final selections, the scores from the various
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exercises are totalled. The public speaking exercise is assessed
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a value of 40 percent; the classroom presentation, 40 percent;
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and the lesson plan, 20 percent. These scores are then added to
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the oral board score and divided by two for the final score. The
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names of the top three candidates are then sent to the sheriff.
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In most cases the sheriff's decision closely mirrors the exercise
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scores of the candidates.
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However, in order for this process to be credible, the
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candidates have to accept it as fair and impartial. Therefore,
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after the exercises, each candidate is asked to evaluate the
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testing and selection process. From comments received, all
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candidates believed that they not only had been given fair
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treatment but also that they learned a great deal in the
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process.
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CONCLUSION
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Obviously, it would be simpler and far quicker for the
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sheriff or the chief of police to arbitrarily select an officer
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for the position. However, the Snohomish County Sheriff's
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Department believes that its D.A.R.E. Officer Selection Program
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will eventually have a great impact in eliminating drugs from the
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community. In fact, D.A.R.E. is already changing the public's
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perception of law enforcement officers. With this in mind, each
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department must ensure that this key to a drug-free future is
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turned by the best qualified D.A.R.E. officers possible.
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____________
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Information for this column was submitted by Philip W.
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Tribuzio, who is Chief of the Bureau of Staff Services for the
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Snohomish County, Washington, Sheriff's Office.
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