Kelsey

If I was a police officer and I was tasked to develop a plan to increase police-community cooperation I would make the Drug Abuse Resistance Program (DARE) and Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT) my top priorities. The reason for this is because if you build a healthy, trustworthy, and honest relationship with children you could build a stronger future of cooperation when they get older which may also influence their future children positively. It’s easier to influence, motivate, and teach children to cooperate with the police through these programs. In the DARE program, police officers teach children about the dangers of drug abuse, building self-esteem, building self-confidence, managing youthful stress, redirecting behavior to viable alternatives, and viewing police officers as positive role models. The GREAT program provides kids valuable information about gang violence, youth violence, etc. I always believed to make the world a better place, it should start with the children by helping, teaching, motivating, and influencing them to do the right thing in life. Overall, all of the programs stated in our text are important to police and the communities by helping increase cooperation.

Carly

If I were a detective in a mid-sized department, I would focus mainly on strengthening the bond between young citizens and police officers. High school and college-age people are the next generation to be entering the workforce, and students who have a passion to help people may be interested in a career as a police officer or in another branch of law enforcement. As someone who came into the criminal justice minor at RMU with almost no information about the system, I could have benefited from a little bit of background from someone who lives the job every day. If this bond between the young people and the officers of the surrounding neighborhoods grows stronger, young adults are more likely to stay out of trouble. If they find their passion for law enforcement, that is an added bonus.

Citations:

“Police and teen program” (2019). StreetLawInc.. Retrieved from https://www.streetlaw.org/programs/police-and-teens.