Dedicated To Serve You

At Portland State University, you have the option to complete either a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in Criminology & Criminal Justice online. Designed and taught by scholars and leaders of the field you will study in areas such as crime analysis, criminal behavior and the American justice system. In addition to the degree, you will also have the option to follow education tracks to earn one or more certificates. Police Academy experience may also apply towards your bachelor's.

For more information, click here >

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

by Steven D. Ashley

Risk management is more than policies and training

Consider this scenario:

A medium-sized department in a typical town handles a call one night where officers have to use force to take someone into custody. During the arrest, the subject resists violently, and it takes several officers to get the subject handcuffed. Because the individual is so out of control, officers use OC spray, and then an electronic control device (ECD). Eventually, they just have to use brute strength and a polyester pile in order to subdue the subject. At the jail, the subject is booked into a cell. Sometime later a cell check reveals that the subject is unresponsive. Corrections Officers immediately start CPR, but the subject is pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

This describes every department's nightmare scenario. Whenever force is used, communities rightly demand accountability regarding the actions of the police. If an in-custody death occurs, the scrutiny is intense. That's as it should be. We need to be accountable for what happens on our watch. Unfortunately, society has evolved to the point where law enforcement no longer gets the benefit of the doubt in these cases. There is frequently a knee-jerk reaction from the public and the media that police did something wrong, and whatever that was is to blame for the negative outcome. Incidents of this type are rare in American policing, but they grab major headlines. Distraught family members demand answers, some community leaders vacillate, and activists stir the pot. Faced with the need to fill hours of time and pages of web space or print, the media often speculates, which feeds the frenzy.

.

article continues >>

by Steven D. Ashley 

Don't become over reliant on your weapons

Not too long ago I taught a use of force class, and was fortunate enough to have some really sharp officers as students. During one of the sessions, we got to talking about force and control options, including what they had and what they wished they had, technology-wise.

As part of the general discussion, I asked the class (rhetorically) how many of their departments included transitio drills in their training. When they looked at me sideways, I explained that to me - a transition drill was one in which an officer has to move from one level of force (or weapon) to another, under stress. The example I gave was moving from an aimed firearm to a non-lethal weapon, such as an electronic control device (ECD).

During one of the breaks, an officer approached me and said that he had asked his department to let him incorporate similar drills into their mi, and he was told that it wasn't necessary, and there wasn't time. Later, I couldn't stop thinking about his comments.

Early and Simple Weapons

Most departments equip their officers with some sort of non-lethal technology nowadays, even if money is scarce. Not everyone has the latest and greatest ECD, but most everyone has some sort of baton, and usually an aerosol weapon. In fact, officers have probably had various impact weapons at their disposal since the first night watch-man or Town Crier pinned on a badge.

 article continues >