Course Discussion Questions

UNIT ONE QUESTION
How would you encourage and/or facilitate communication between yourself as a first-line supervisor and your subordinates? Between you and management?
UNIT TWO
Topic: Problem-Oriented Policing

Problem-oriented policing is the primary strategy of community-oriented policing. The community and police work together to analyze community problems and develop customized responses and strategies to combat these problems. The community identifies problems as recurring incidents or matters of concern. Working in concert, the police and the community offer greater insight and efficiency in addressing crime and disorder issues in affected communities.

How would you utilize the SARA model to address problems in your own community?
UNIT 3 TOPIC ONE
In the communication process, there are four major styles: passive, aggressive, assertive, and passive-aggressive. Which one of these styles best represents the behavior you would practice in your organization? Explain how this communication style comports itself to today’s millennial and Generations X, Y, and Z recruit. Explain your answer.
UNIT 3 TOPIC TWO
Advantages of an Educated Criminal Justice Workforce

Criminal justice agencies across the United States are being called upon to manage an increasingly more educated workforce. The educational level of American criminal justice practitioners has risen significantly over the past 20 years. Still, there has been recent criticism of the professional educational and training standards of criminal justice industry, as opposed to other professions. What are the advantages of a more educated criminal justice workforce? What should be the minimum educational level of an entry-level employee? Why do you feel this way?
UNIT 4
What is motivation? Does Maslow’s theory provide a supervisor with any tools for dealing with employees? As a supervisor, how do you motivate subordinates to achieve organizational goals?
UNIT 5 TOPIC ONE
Positive Discipline
What is meant by positive discipline? Would you implement that type of discipline if you were a supervisor? If yes, please explain the rationale. If not, please explain an alternative and defend the rationale for its use.
UNIT5 TOPIC TWO
Topic 2: Supervisory Styles – Kaltura Video Response

In your reading of Chapter 5 and from the article “How Police Supervisory Styles Influence Patrol Officer Behavior” (in Web Resources), you learned about four supervisory styles:

Traditional
Innovative
Supportive
Active
Which of these four supervisory styles do you think are the most effective? Explain your answer.
FOR THIS ONE – WRITE IT OUT AND I WILL MAKE THE VID
UNIT 7 TOPIC ONE
Officer Dave Clark

You are a new first-line supervisor. You do not know many of the staff at this new office, and you learn that the supervisor in charge of the office is close to retirement and is not concerned with the management of the office and its personnel. During your first week, you discover Probation Officer Dave Clark has been lying on reports that are being submitted to the court concerning his clients. Someone in the district attorney’s office brought this to your attention. You learn that Clark has historically been a marginal performer. When disciplined, he became irate, threatened to sue for discrimination, and even threatened management. Officer Clark is actively engaged in “poisoning the well,” so to speak, with younger officers spreading half-truths and rhetoric about how the larger law enforcement agency is engaged in an active campaign of age discrimination against him. This influences the impressions of younger officers.

How are you going to handle this situation with Officer Clark?
UNIT 7 TOPIC TWO
When examining criminal justice agencies, the most important characteristic to employees was the feeling that the job was important and yielded a feeling of accomplishment. Job satisfaction differs for each employee, but studies seem to confirm that essential elements include a wide range of ambient factors, such as positive relationships with supervisors. As a first-line, how could you strengthen your positive relationship with your subordinates?
UNIT8
Looking at the five basic urban policing problems that lead to deviance, which are the most important? Which can be influenced by a first-line supervisor?
UNIT 9 TOPIC ONE
How important is the FTO role in an agency? Should there be a formal process, and should the officers who are FTOs be volunteers? What traits should applicants for the FTO role possess and why?
UNIT 9 TOPIC TWO
As a first-line supervisor, how important is diversity regarding employee training? In relation to the importance, please provide reasons why you think diversity is, or isn’t an important component and why, or why you do not believe that it is relevant. Please support the reasons with solid references. NO REF FOR THIS ONE
UNIT 10
Please reflect on the previous units and post a brief essay that addresses the following questions:

What prior knowledge did you bring to this course?
What were the most important new ideas you encountered, and how did they change your understanding of criminology?
Do you feel you have met the outcomes in your work on this course? Is there any outcome with which you feel you still need support or assistance?
What have you learned from your discussions and collaborations with your fellow students?
In what specific ways can you use the knowledge you have gained in this course in your chosen profession? What are your strengths and opportunities for growth in this area?
What questions or concerns do you have about what you have studied?
What areas of the subject would you like to continue to explore, and why?