Incorporating Higher Education into Initial Police Training: An International Comparison of Practices and Challenges
Incorporating Higher Education into Initial Police Training: An International Comparison of Practices and Challenges
Ian Pepper Christie Gardiner James Dwyer Isabelle Bartkowiak-Théron Christopher D. O’Connor a International Centre for Policing and Security, University of South Wales, Pontypridd, UKb California State University, Fullerton, Fullerton, CA, USAc School of Social Sciences, Tasmanian Institute of Law Enforcement Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australiad University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, CanadaDr. Ian Pepper is a Professor in Policing at the International Centre for Policing and Security, University of South Wales, and an advisor on higher education within policing both nationally and internationally. Ian is a former principal lecturer in policing, senior lecturer in crime scene science, training team leader, police trainer, crime scene investigator (CSI), and fingerprint officer. He has designed and delivered education and training to crime scene investigators and police officers worldwide. Ian has undertaken academic roles including chair of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education/College of Policing subject benchmark statement for policing, visiting professor in professional practice at the University of Sunderland, and invited visiting scholar at the University of Central Florida, USA. Ian is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. He has research interests focused on policing higher education, evidence-informed practice, police leadership, and volunteering in policing. Ian has authored, contributed to, and edited a range of journal articles, policing, and professional publications.Dr. Christie Gardiner, PhD is a Professor of Criminal Justice at California State University, Fullerton, USA. She is chair of CSUF-PD Chief’s Advisory Board and a former Senior Research Fellow for the Police Foundation (now National Policing Institute). She received her Ph.D. in Criminology, Law, and Society from the University of California, Irvine, and her M. Phil from Cambridge University (England). She is a certified Crime and Intelligence Analyst with prior work experience as a sheriff’s department crime analyst, a police dispatcher, a police explorer, and an intern probation officer. Her fields of expertise include policing and crime policy. She has conducted two major studies on the role of higher education in policing—one in California, the other National. She was awarded a prestigious National Institute of Justice grant to study the implementation effects of Proposition 36 (drug treatment in lieu of incarceration) on Orange County criminal justice practitioners and drug offenders and has also studied public opinion on policing and crime policies. She has worked with multiple local agencies to study body-worn camera implementation, as well as develop a set of recommendations to improve inter-agency collaboration between LA County’s public safety agencies and create a “Blueprint for juvenile offender re-entry” for Orange County. She has edited multiple books and authored numerous articles, book chapters, and an introduction to policing textbook.Dr. James Dwyer, PhD is a lecturer and early career researcher with the University of Tasmania’s Tasmanian Institute of Law Enforcement Studies. Dr. Dwyer is the Course Coordinator for the Bachelor of Social Sciences (Policing Practice), and stream coordinator for the university components of the Tasmania Police Recruit Course, Frontline Supervisors Course, Sergeants Qualifying Program, and Inspectors Qualifying Program. Further, Dr. Dwyer is the university course director for the Tasmania State Service Strategic Management Program. He also sits on the Tasmania Police Curriculum Approval Board, and the Tasmanian Government Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management Scholarship Committee. Dr. Dwyer has led a commissioned study for the Department of Police, Fire, and Emergency Management on the effectiveness of traffic infringement cautions and is commencing an evaluation of the higher education components of Tasmania Police promotional programs.Dr. Isabelle Bartkowiak-Théron, PhD is an Associate Professor and the Director of the Tasmanian Institute of Law Enforcement Studies and Head of Discipline for Policing at the University of Tasmania, Australia. She leads innovative research and educational initiatives aimed at addressing critical issues at the intersection of policing and public health. Internationally recognized for her expertise in police tertiary education, Dr. Bartkowiak-Théron is a leading authority on law enforcement and public health, with a focus on vulnerable people and trauma-informed policing. She plays a pivotal role within the Global Law Enforcement and Public Health Association as its Vice President, and she heads up the Special Interest Group on Education. Isabelle is an award-winning police educator and is the recipient of the 2020 University of Tasmania Teaching Excellence Medal. The same year, she also received a Teaching Excellence Award from the College of Arts, Law and Education. In 2021, Isabelle received a National Citation from Universities Australia. This was the first time a police training program was acknowledged nationally.Dr. Christopher D. O’Connor is an Associate Professor of Criminology at Ontario Tech University. His primary research areas include policing, youth participation in crime, rapid growth communities, and emerging/disruptive technologies. He has researched public perceptions of a range of issues including crime, disruptive technologies, and attitudes toward the police. More recently, his research has examined police data quality and collection techniques and data modernization within policing. He is currently a co-investigator on an SSHRC-funded Partnership Development grant examining facial recognition use by the police which involves working with a range of multi-disciplinary stakeholders to examine the viability of the technology for police use.