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Organizational framing: evaluation of a community college law enforcement training center

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ORGANIZATIONAL FRAMING: EVALUATION OF A COMMUNITY
COLLEGE LAW ENFORCEMENT TRAINING CENTER

by

Ygnacio “Nash” Flores

A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION

May 2011

Copyright 2011 Ygnacio “Nash” Flores
ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I am sincerely thankful to my Chair, Dr. Melora Sundt, without whose patience,
support and guidance I would not have completed this study. I also wish to thank Dr.
Linda Fischer for being a committee member and for particularly pushing me along
when I needed it. Additionally, I want to thank my two other committee members for
working with me on short notice: Chief Louie Kealoha, Ed.D, Chief of Police
Honolulu Police Department, Honolulu, Hawaii; and Dr. Lawrence Picus. I
especially wish to thank my family for their understanding and patience in living
with me through this experience. First to my supportive wife Kaori, my son Mitsumi
and my daughter Kanami: お疲れ様でした!

iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii
LIST OF TABLES vi
LIST OF FIGURES vii
ABSTRACT viii
CHAPTER 1
Overview of the Study 1
Background 2
Evolution of Law Enforcement Training 5
Homeland Security 9
POST 16
Community College Connections 18
Organizational Framing 24
Statement of the Problem 27
Purpose of the Study 29
Research Questions 29
Organizational Theory 30
Importance of the Study 31
Limitations and Delimitations 31
Assumptions 32
Definition of Terms 33
Organization of the Study 35

CHAPTER 2
Literature Review 38
Overview 38
Factors that Create Effective Law Enforcement Training 38
Framing 44
Structural Framing 45
Human Resource Frame 45
Political Frame 46
Symbolic Frame 47
Defining Successful Training Programs 47
The Community College as a Professional
Training Organization 48
Summary 55

CHAPTER 3
Methodology 57
Research Method and Design 58
Site Selection 60
iv
Study Participants 61
Academy Personnel 64
Cadets and Alumni 66
Police Chiefs 69
Assurance of Participants Rights 70
Data Collection 71
Interviews 74
Artifacts 77
Data Collection 79
Controls for Researcher Bias 81
Data Analysis 81
Coding 83
Variable Relationships 84
Instrumentation 86
Descriptive Overview of the Academy 88
Managerial Organization 91
Academy Faculty and Staff 93
Program Summary 95
Program Certification 96
Curriculum 97
Revenue Generation 98
Program Effectiveness 99
Academy Outlook and Expectations 101

CHAPTER 4
Overview 106
Research Question 1 107
Findings for Research Question 1 108
Research Sub-Question 1a 110
Academic Quality 110
Academy Culture 116
Research Sub-Question 1b 121
Organizational Characteristics 122
Personality Characteristics 125
Research Sub-Question 1c 127
Academic Quality 127
Academy Culture 131
Research Sub-question 1d 136
Academic Quality 136
Academy Culture 137
Research Question 2 138
Findings for Research Question 2 140
Research Sub-questions 2a and 2b 140
v
Academic Quality 141
Academy Culture 143
Predominate Themes 144
Academic Quality 146
Academy Culture 148

CHAPTER 5
Conclusions 151
Summary of Findings 152
Perceptions of Success 154
Academic Quality 156
Academy Organization and Culture 158
Implications for Practice 159
Recommendations for Future Research 162
Conclusion 165
Post Script 166

REFERENCES 169

APPENDICES
APPENDIX A TABLE 5: PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVES
RELATING TO HOMELAND SECURITY 179
APPENDIX B: INFORMATION/FACTS SHEET FOR
NON-MEDICAL RESEARCH 182
APPENDIX C: ACADEMY FACULTY AND STAFF
INTERVIEW PROTOCOL 184
APPENDIX D: ACADEMY ALUMNI CADET INTERVIEW
PROTOCOL 185
APPENDIX E: ACADEMY CADET INTERVIEW PROTOCOLS 186
APPENDIX F: CHIEFS OF POLICE INTERVIEW
PROTOCOLS 187
APPENDIX G TABLE 6: CODING THEMES FOR
REFRAMING WITH A FOUR-FRAME MODEL 188
APPENDIX H TABLE 7: CODING THEMES FOR
ORGANIZATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS VS.
PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTICS IN
AGREEMENT OF REASONS FOR SUCCESS 189
APPENDIX I: CASE STUDY EVALUATION LOGIC MODEL 192
APPENDIX J: PUBLIC SAFETY ORGANIZATIONAL
CHART 193
APPENDIX K FIGURE 3: POLICE ACADEMY
ORGANIZATIONAL CHART 194

vi
LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Key Areas of Exploration 62

Table 2: Population Interviewed and Key Areas of Exploration 63

Table 3: Interview Matrix 74

Table 4: Variable Relationships Formula 85

Appendix A Table 5: Presidential Directives Relating To
Homeland Security 179

Appendix G Table 6: Coding Themes for Reframing with a Four-
Frame Model 188

Appendix H Table 7: Coding Themes for Organizational Characteristics
vs. Personality Characteristics 189
vii
LIST OF FIGURES

Appendix I Figure 1: Case Study Evaluation Logic Model 192

Appendix J Figure 2: Public Safety Organizational Chart 193

Appendix K Figure 3: Police Academy Organizational Chart 194

viii
ABSTRACT
The noted lack of professionalism within the law enforcement community
along with new performance standards has created a need for law enforcement
agencies to identify means to improve training programs that satisfy local, state and
federal training and readiness requirements. The September 11, 2001 terrorist
attacks, growing demographic diversity and a general realization of professional
ethics saw the end of the city-centric mission for municipal law enforcement
agencies. As law enforcement agencies struggled to change from a reactive
performance model to a proactive performance model, the need for better trained law
enforcement officer was apparent in the literature. Research highlighted two areas in
need of reform: training and leadership.
As a result, reorganization of law enforcement training was touted by
researchers, especially for the large law enforcement agencies serving diverse
metropolitan areas. Research on law enforcement training has examined the
matching of organizational leadership and basic training requirements to the actual
roles and responsibilities of contemporary law enforcement officers in the field.
Literature has consistently looked at the subject of training from the position that
training of law enforcement officers is controlled solely by law enforcement
agencies. Unfortunately, the focus of the existing research on law enforcement
training is missing the element of theoretical and empirical investigation of the
impact that community colleges have on law enforcement training. The idea that
community colleges have an influence on law enforcement training is significant,
ix
especially considering that in California, 19 of the 39 California Commission on
Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) certified police academies are
operated by community colleges.
The purpose of this research was to examine the impact a community college
operated law enforcement academy has on training and continuing development of
law enforcement officers. This qualitative study examined an award winning
community college operated police academy serving a large metropolitan area in
California. This research was expected to take the initial step in broadening the
knowledge base of the community college impact on law enforcement training.
This study primarily explored the question: What are the staff and faculty
perceptions of the Academy‟s success indicators; and, can these successes indicators
be shared with other training centers? This question was explored qualitatively by
conducting a case study of a community college‟s Police Academy using the
organizational framing theory of Bolman and Deal (2008). This theoretical approach
to evaluating the program considered how the four frames -- structural, human
resource, political and symbolic -- combined to illustrate the organizational picture
of the research site and how that organization impacted law enforcement training.

1

CHAPTER 1
Overview of the Study
Unquestionably the law enforcement community faced many challenges as
the first decade of the 21
st
century came to an end (Raymond, Hickman, Miller &
Wong, 2005; Hickman & Reaves, 2006). Key among the challenges is the issue of
training (Raymond, Hickman, Miller, & Wong, 2008). Modern law enforcement
training encompasses subjects that include responses to man-made and natural
disasters, terrorism, integrity and professionalism (Raymond, et al., 2008). The
former law enforcement paradigm of waiting to be dispatched to calls for service
have changed into a new paradigm that requires law enforcement officers to be
proactive in protecting the communities that they serve (Raymond, et al., 2005).
A sea of change came to law enforcement after the September 11, 2001
(9/11) terrorist attacks (9/11 Commission, 2004). Prior to the infamous terrorist
attacks on American soil, local law enforcement was detached from the national
strategy and was concerned primarily with calls to service and not with responses to
terrorist attacks (9/11 Commission, 2004). Expectation of police capabilities by
communities across the nation grew exponentially as the American consciousness
comprehended its vulnerabilities of trust, openness and transparency in society
(Raymond, et al., 2005). The public now expects the law enforcement community to
be part of a larger effort to protect the nation (Raymond, et al., 2005).
Training, preparation, and readiness are the foundation that supports all law
enforcement capability (J. S. Chastain, personal communication, December 17,
2

2008). Responsibility for law enforcement training has routinely fallen to either
individual agencies (Glenn, et al., 2008) or professional programs taught in
community colleges (American Association of Community Colleges [AACC],
2006). Training requirements for law enforcement personnel took a new direction
after 9/11 (Raymond, et al., 2008). Many community colleges were on the front line
of implementing the new post 9/11 training requirements as part of their career
technical education programs (Gose, 2005). However, the role of the community
colleges has been absent in major studies discussing post 9/11 law enforcement
training (Raymond, et al., 2008; Glenn, et al., 2008; Ridgeway, Lim, Gifford, Koper,
Matthies, Hajimiri & Huynh, 2008). This study explored the effects of one
community college law enforcement training program, the Academy, has on law
enforcement training. The focus of the study was on the organizational relationships
that are credited by the Academy‟s faculty and staff for the success of the Academy.
Background
To properly understand the contemporary challenges to law enforcement
training the development of the idea of homeland security must first be appreciated.
Homeland security in its short addition to the English lexicon has transformed from
preparing and responding to terrorist attacks to the additional inclusion of preparing
and responding to natural disasters (Bush, G. W., 2001; 2001a; 2003; 2003a).
Homeland security, in it current use encompasses all man-made and natural threats
and hazards to the U.S., its territories, population and infrastructure (Bush, G. W.,
2001; 2001a; 2003; 2003a).
3

The scope of law enforcement training and related challenges can be
appreciated when viewed through the lens of funding and personnel management
(Government Accounting Office [GAO], 2003; Department of Homeland Security
[DHS], 2009). With the creation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
came a new appreciation for the overarching group of professionals called first-
responders. A first responder is any occupation that initially responds to an
emergency incident (9/11 Commission, 2004). At the basic level of training for first-
responders, that includes law enforcement personnel, are training in short-term
courses and at the advanced level graduate programs under the Department of
Homeland Security, like the Masters of Homeland Security degree program at the
Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California (Center for Homeland Defense
and Security [CHDS], 2008) or the Department of Defense‟s think tank, the Asia
Pacific Center for Security Studies, in Honolulu, Hawaii [APCSS] (2008). Naturally,
all this training requires people. Nationally, there are 633,710 people in law
enforcement (US Bureau of Labor Statistics [USBLS], 2009) and in California there
are currently 61,300 people employed in law enforcement with an estimated increase
to 72,200 people expected by the year 2016 (Employment Development Department
[EDD], 2007).
Prior to 9/11 law enforcement training focused primarily on enforcing civil
laws and responding to calls for service (Glenn, et al., 2008). Current trends in law
enforcement training addressing the expanded duties of homeland security is a result
of Al‟ Qaeda‟s terrorist attacks against American interests in 2000 and 2001,
4

especially the attacks of 9/11 (Roth, Greenburg & Wille, 2004). Immediately after
the attacks, the Department of Defense spent $38 billion dollars from 2001 to 2003
to combat terrorism (Roth, et al, 2004). This amount is significant when compared to
the original $500,000 investment Al' Qaeda made to fund the 9/11 attacks (Roth, et
al., 2004). With the formation of the Department of Homeland Security in 2002,
federal funding channels were created to provide training of state and municipal law
enforcement agencies under the Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) (GAO,
2007). In 2006, $1.7 billion dollars were provided to states, localities and territories
to prevent and respond to terrorist attacks (GAO, 2007).
With the funding came recommendations on how to conduct law enforcement
operations in response to acts of terrorism (GAO, 2004). Law enforcement agencies
also received an influx of new military-related equipment used in response to acts of
terrorism (GAO, 2004). The operational recommendations and new equipment often
required training to make the intended capabilities effective (GAO, 2005; Raymond,
et al., 2005). Law enforcement training however has many masters to answer to as
evidenced by the 114 Congressional commissions that provided 59 recommendations
on the National Strategy for Homeland Security (GAO, 2004). Among the GAO
recommendations for the critical mission area of emergency preparedness and
response were recommendations prescribing training for civil communities (GAO,
2004). Just as important were recommendations eliminating duplicative training
requirements for law enforcement agencies that were established by state and/or
federal regulations (GAO, 2004). The GAO (2004) study emphasized the
5

consolidation of training delivery and coordination of training effort as a solution to
these problems.
Leading studies of the law enforcement community have recommended the
need to examine the outcomes of all sources of law enforcement training to improve
preparedness and response capabilities (AACC, 2006; Gose, 2006; Altizer,
Bradshaw, Courtney, Hill & Jilani, 2006; Glenn, et al., 2008). Leveraging knowledge
from existing programs prevents the proverbial reinvention of the wheel (GAO,
2004). This trend was pointed out in the Naval Postgraduate School‟s Center for
Homeland Defense and Security‟s (CHDS) University and Agency Partnership
Initiative (UAPI) program that willingly shares its curriculum on homeland security
studies to member institutions, colleges and universities (CHDS, 2008). Raymond‟s
research team provided an alternative saying that if law enforcement agencies are to
continue protecting the public within the ever-growing framework of public safety,
law enforcement officers must be properly trained to fulfill their duties (Raymond, et
al., 2005). Altizer et al. (2006) further stressed that professional training for law
enforcement needs to include higher education as a resource of meeting this goal.
Evolution of Law Enforcement Training
The threats law enforcement officers are faced with now include chemical,
biological, radiological or nuclear weapons in addition to every form of natural
disaster (GAO, 2005; Ridgeway, et al., 2008). Training for these circumstances had
once been the realm of the military and now needed to find a suitable segue to the
civilian law enforcement community (9/11 Commission, 2004). The questions asked
6

by law enforcement researchers seemed to be consistent in looking at emerging law
enforcement training challenges as a parochial concern (Raymond, et al., 2005;
Glenn, et al., 2008; Ridgeway, et al., 2008) and not considering the potential of
collaborating with the experience of the community college vocational training
systems (AACC, 2006; Altizer, et al., 2006).
Formal law enforcement training was unheard of seventy years ago (Walker,
1999). The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) established the Police Training
School at their Quantico, Virginia training center in 1935 (FBI, 2009). The purpose
of the school was to train law enforcement leaders in the emerging science of
investigative techniques, management principles and weapons training (FBI, 2009).
The Police Training School eventually transitioned into the current FBI National
Academy, and is considered the premier center for law enforcement training and
research (FBI, 2009). The National Academy continues to train senior level law
enforcement officers in management principles and police science (FBI, 2009).
Prior to this period, municipal law enforcement training consisted of on the
job training under the tutelage of a mentor, usually a senior officer who had seen it
all (Walker, 1999). California led the way in formalized police training for municipal
agencies by chartering the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and
Training (POST) in 1959 as the first state agency responsible establishing training
and hiring standards in law enforcement (POST, 2008). POST has since maintained
its lead in conducting research and establishing professional guidelines for police
officers, deputy sheriffs, correctional officers and state police officers (POST,
7

http://www.post.ca.gov). Since 1959, almost every state in America has created a
similar organization (POST, 2008).
While POST and the FBI are recognized as leaders in law enforcement
training (POST, 2008; FBI, 2009), contemporary studies were clear that the current
training requirements are beyond the scope of the standards dictated by these two
organizations (GAO, 2004; Raymond, et al., 2004; Glenn, et al., 2008; Ridgeway, et
al., 2008). Researchers agree law enforcement training is in need of reform at the
organizational, curricular and delivery levels (9/11 Commission, 2004; GAO, 2005;
GAO, 2007; Raymond, et al., 2005; Ridgeway, et al., 2008; Glenn, et al., 2008). The
recognized gap between what is taught in police academies and what actually takes
place on the streets is a cause for concern by law enforcement administrators that
have to answer to the citizens they are charged to protect (Bradford & Pynes, 1999).
As an example law enforcement personnel are now required to know about
responding to terrorist attacks, natural disasters, and intelligence gathering (GAO,
2004; Raymond, et al., 2004; Glenn, et al., 2008; Ridgeway, et al., 2008). The
organizational performance problems consisting of instructors not following the
curriculum; revision of testing and recruiting standards; and instilling an
understanding of professional duty of the San Diego and Los Angeles Police
Departments were directly related to study recommendations calling for the
reforming of the departments' training programs (Glenn, et al., 2008; Ridgeway, et
al., 2008). The roots of the problems illustrated by the San Diego and Los Angeles
Police Departments studies were further linked to leadership and agency
8

organizational shortcomings (National Institute of Justice [NIJ], 2005; Glenn, et al.,
2008; Ridgeway, et al., 2008).
As a direct response to these needs, state and federal policy directives have
been implemented in an effort to bring law enforcement training more in line with
the actual patrol duties and responsibilities of peace officers (GAO, 2005; Glenn, et
al., 2008; POST, 2008). Primary among training reforms at the federal level are the
emphasis on homeland security (GAO, 2005; 2007) maintaining ethical standards for
law enforcement officers (Gonzales, Schofield & Schmitt, 2005), and community
oriented policing (COPS) (Bradford & Pynes, 1999). The California Commission on
Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) has emphasized development of
similar direction in the validation of contemporary training requirements (NCWP,
2003; 2003a; POST, 2006), organizational leadership (Glenn, et al, 2008; Ridgeway,
et al., 2008), and emergency response procedures (POST, 2006). These focal points
form a web of interconnected issues that need all actors in law enforcement training
to work together to solve the training challenges facing the law enforcement
community (AACC, 2006; Glenn, et al., 2008).
The American Association of Community College study (2006) emphasized
other researchers that the training paradigm for first responders, law enforcement
included, needs to include the recognized benefits of community colleges as an actor
in law enforcement training, not just as a venue to recruit police officers (Gose,
2006; Ridgeway, et al., 2008). The community college role in law enforcement
training has been as a source of revenue to the college or agency working in
9

collaboration with a college (Program Review, 2009). The college also can provide
access to a population that many agencies are mandated to recruit (AACC, 2006;
Glenn et al, 2008). A good example of including community colleges as partners in
law enforcement training is POST's history of working with community colleges
since its inception (POST, 2008). This working relationship has had the benefit of
adding an academic influence to the training within the law enforcement community
(POST, 2008).
The challenges to law enforcement come in many forms, from federal to state
level influences. The challenges are so diverse that each challenge needs to be
viewed separately. The following sections will provide a unique lens for each
challenge and how it has or is affecting law enforcement agencies throughout the
U.S.
Homeland Security
Driving emerging law enforcement expectations on the federal level are
various documents that form the foundation of the nation's national security plan
(Raymond, et al., 2005). Prior to 9/11 the term homeland security was not used in
U.S. policy making or mentioned in national strategies (Bush, G. H., 1992; Clinton,
2000). After the terrorist attacks of 9/11 the concept of homeland security was a
driving force in the development of the U.S. national security plan (9/11, 2004). The
National Strategy for Homeland Security (DHS, 2007) defined homeland security as:
"Homeland Security is a concerted national effort to prevent terrorist
attacks within the United States, reduce America's vulnerability to
10

terrorism, and minimize the damage and recover from
attacks that do occur." (p. 3)
This definition was based on the real and psychological damage to the United
States on September 11, 2001 (DHS, 2007). This event was soon followed by the
devastation of Hurricane Katrina that crippled New Orleans (DHS, 2007). Response
to these two types of emergencies revealed similarities in the national response
strategy developed by the White House (Bush, G. W., 2003). All hazards, was coined
to cover all threats, natural and man-made (Bush, G.W., 2003). All hazards response
encompassed the community of first responders that included law enforcement as
major actors in homeland security planning, preparation and response (9/11
Commission, 2004: Raymond, et al., 2005; DHS, 2007).
Pre 9/11 attempts to strengthen law enforcement capabilities on a national
scale were revisited under the umbrella of homeland security (Bush, G. H., 1992;
Clinton, 2000; 9/11 Commission, 2004). At the highest level of the nation's policy
making mechanism, the presidents of the United States have issued presidential
directives to guide the nation‟s security plans (9/11 Commission, 2004; Bush, G.W.,
2001; 2001a; 2001b; 2002; 2002a; 2003; 2003a; 2003b; 2004; 2004a; 2004b; 2005;
2007; 2007a; 2007b; Obama, 2009). These directives set in motion training and
education requirements for federal, state and municipal law enforcement agencies
(9/11 Commission, 2004). The line between military and law enforcement duties and
capabilities became fuzzy as both groups formed teams to protect the U.S. Homeland
(9/11 Commission, 2004). Appendix A depicts unclassified presidential directives
11

promulgated throughout the years that affected law enforcement's expected
capabilities and capacity to protect the nation.
Together these presidential directives have guided the national strategy in
responding to threats against the U.S. (DHS, 2007). Moreover, the directives in
Appendix A are the genesis of mandating capabilities for the law enforcement
community, capabilities that often required new or revised training methods. Though
post 9/11 presidential directives included law enforcement agencies in the national
strategy, and established training and readiness requirements, the directives lacked
clear guidance on how or where to obtain the training required to meet the directives'
intended capabilities (J. S. Chastain, personal communications, December 17, 2008).
The United States had been attacked by terrorists prior to 9/11 (DOS, 2004).
The World Trade Center was first attacked in 1993 (DOS, 2004). There were six
more attacks against American interests between the first attack on the World Trade
Center in 1993 and the multiple attacks of 9/11 (DOS, 2004; 9/11 Commission,
2004). The difference in the two World Trade Center attacks were the coordination
of the attacks, the scale of damage and the loss of life (9/11 Commission, 2004;
DOS, 2004). Between these two attacks, national planning concentrated primarily on
a military response to terrorism (DOS, 2000).
Terrorism remained part of the military strategy even after the bombing of
the Murrah Federal Building by U.S. citizens on April 19, 1995 (Rohrabacher, 2006).
The Rohrabacher report (2006) criticized the FBI response for not properly searching
the residence of Terry Nichols, one of the two convicted bombers. A second, much
12

later, search found additional explosives under the floorboards of Nichols‟ residence
(Rohrabacher, 2006). Rohrabacher (2006) concluded that the federal law
enforcements agencies involved in responding to and investigating the bombing
thought of all non-FBI entities as a nuisance. Rohrabacher (2006) further highlighted
that the training of law enforcement people prior to the Murrah bombing had not
concentrated on terrorists in the U.S., especially homegrown terrorists. The 9/11
Commission‟s (2004) recommendations on working across jurisdictions and having
the proper training might have resulted in additional information being shared across
the spectrum of law enforcement agencies that responded to the Oklahoma City
bombing (Rohrabacher, 2006).
Suddenly, after 9/11, law enforcement officers were expected to know about
intelligence operations, counter-surveillance and responding to terrorist attacks (9/11
Commission, 2004). Hurricane Katrina added the operational mission of responding
to natural disasters under the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), an
agency that was absorbed by the Department of Homeland Security in 2002 (9/11
Commission, 2004; DHS, 2007). These trends made the selection and training of
qualified law enforcement officers a concern of administrators across the
governmental spectrum ranging from local to federal agencies as the duties for peace
officers expanded in the post 9/11 environment (POST, 2006).
The 9/11 attacks caused the formation of a new cabinet position within the
White House, called the Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
created by the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (DHS, 2008a). The emphasis on
13

forming the Department of Homeland Security was to coordinate intelligence, law
enforcement and emergency response efforts in a variety of federal agencies under
one umbrella organization as recommended by the 9/11 Commission (9/11
Commission, 2004). Added to the Department of Homeland Security's terrorist
concerns was the inadequate response by federal agencies in Hurricane Katrina
(Bush, G.W., 2003). Affected peoples in Hurricane Katrina naturally looked to the
most visible authority they saw, law enforcement officers (Rostker, Hix, & Wilson,
2007). Law enforcement officers saw themselves referred to more frequently as first
responders, civil servants responding to all hazards not just routine law enforcement
calls to service (GAO, 2005).
The purpose of the Department of Homeland Security was to have all public
safety related agencies enhance their responsibility and accountability for
preparedness of the nation in order to prevent and respond to threats, terrorist attacks
and large scale disasters (GAO, 2005). The direct impact of this charter created a
new industry in law enforcement training as higher education curricula was revised
to prepare homeland security professionals for the growing job market (Altizer, et
al., 2006). Training in homeland security has focused on programs at the community
colleges that are concerned with the career technical education arena (AACC, 2006)
to the graduate level for senior public safety officials (Gose, 2005). The curriculum
developed for these courses was said to be more concerned with using homeland
security in the certificate and degree programs (Altizer, et al., 2006; AACC, 2006)
than in responding to the requirements of the 9/11 commission (2004).
14

The need to be trained in the variety of homeland security capabilities led
various public safety agencies, law enforcement included, to compete for coveted
training dollars received from the national coffers under the Urban Area Security
Initiative (UASI) grants program (GAO, 2005). The UASI program was successful
in providing new equipment to public safety agencies but the training programs were
left up to the receiving agencies to develop and manage (DHS, 2009). Federal
funding for new training equipment did not often marry well with the idea of getting
trained (GAO, 2005). But as a former navy security officer responsible for law
enforcement training in California told this researcher, “It‟s one thing to get the toys
and another to get trained in how to use them” (J. Chastain personal
communications, August 24, 2008). Often the delivery of state-of-the-art equipment
came with little or no training, thus making the equipment practically useless (J.
Chastain personal communications, August 24, 2008). An interesting note on
competition for federal dollars is that the community colleges are not always
considered as eligible participants for funding (Gose, 2005). This would seem
strange when community colleges have claimed to prepare and train 85% of first
responders throughout the U.S. (Gose, 2005).
The growing functions of combating terrorism required law enforcement
agencies to start working with the law enforcement agencies in foreign countries
(GAO, 2007). Working through embassies around the world, a multitude of federal,
state and municipal agencies sought to assist foreign governments often in the form
of technical assistance, police training and legal reformation (DOS, 2003; GAO,
15

2007). Often, United States law enforcement agencies received push-back from
foreign authorities as Americans were seen as impertinent (GAO, 2007). This point
of view was personally experienced by the researcher when a Sri Lankan law
enforcement officer attending the Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies, a
Department of Defense think tank, told this researcher: “You [United States] get
attacked once and now you think you are the experts. Well, let me tell you
something, we have been doing this for a lifetime and I think it is us who can teach
you a thing or two about terrorism” (D. Zylva personal communications September,
2004). This comment echoes what a GOA team emphasized when it warned that
despite all good intentions the national strategic plan lacks key components for
international collaboration in training for terrorism (GAO, 2007).
The largest impact on the expanding role of law enforcement functions since
9/11 has been the idea of homeland security (Gordon, 2004; Raymond, et al., 2005).
Besides the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, the idea of what
homeland security actually is has yet to be fully comprehended in the law
enforcement community and the public (Altizer, et al., 2006). The new duties for
municipal law enforcement agencies cover many functions that previously fell within
the realm of military duties and capabilities (9/11 Commission, 2004). Studies have
shown that there are many recommendations on needed capabilities yet the funding
to support training for these capabilities has not kept up with the recommendations
(GAO, 2005; Raymond, et al., 2008). Homeland security training has been victim of
policies created without forethought or planning (GAO, 2005).
16

While homeland security degree programs do not focus on any one job
discipline, most degree programs center on the fields of criminal justice,
transportation, intelligence operations and emergency management (Altizer, et al.,
2006). Although Altizer and his associates (2006) highlighted higher education‟s
benefit to homeland security in their article, the emphasis was on educating behind-
the-desk analysts instead of on-the-street peace officers. The director for Program
Outreach at the Naval Postgraduate School‟s Center for Homeland Defense and
Security summed up the emerging cottage-industry best by highlighting the glut of
training providers that want nothing more than to receive money for providing new
and innovative homeland security related training (V. Doherty, personal
communications, November 10, 2008). One possible solution to marrying these
training needs to requirements is within the vocational programs of the community
colleges (Gose, 2005).
POST
Law enforcement training in California falls under the guidance of the
Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) (POST, 2006). POST
was established 1959 with the mission of establishing minimum selection and
training standards for California law enforcement officers (POST, 2008). POST
operates under the direction of an Executive Director appointed by the Commission
(POST, 2008). POST has been a recognized as both a national and international
leader in national police training since its inception (POST, 2008).
17

Agency compliance with POST regulations is voluntary and incentive-based
(POST, 2008). By agreeing to follow POST regulations, more than 600 agencies in
California are eligible to receive the Commission's services and benefits (POST,
2008). These benefits include research and guidance on employment related
assessment tools, improved officer selection standards, management counseling,
curriculum development, reimbursement for POST mandated training, and
leadership training programs (POST, 2008). POST also awards professional
certificates that recognize law enforcement officers‟ achievement, qualifications and
proficiency in selected topics (POST, 2008).
POST controls the basic training requirements for law enforcement cadets via
forty-three learning domains (LD) (POST, 2006a). A law enforcement cadet must
successfully pass all forty-three LDs to graduate from an academy class (POST,
2001; 2006a). Training curriculum is developed in partnership with input from all
constituent law enforcement agencies, and directors of the law enforcement training
centers via the California Academy Directors Association (CADA) (POST, 2001).
The forty-three LDs consist of 664 hours of required training (POST, 2001). Law
enforcement training centers must deliver these 664 hours of training though they
may deliver more training hours and in different subject areas as the respective
training centers see fit (POST, 2001). In 2007, POST added the federal and
corresponding state requirements for emergency management along with an updated
examination for physical skills and a new graded examination for scenario
demonstration (POST, 2006; POST, 2008).
18

POST works in a fashion where the training curriculum for the Basic Course
is controlled by POST (POST, 2006; 2008). Law enforcement agencies and
community college law enforcement training centers are considered presenters of the
POST program (POST, 2006; 2008). This structure was developed in an effort for
POST to standardize the training and capabilities of law enforcement officers
throughout the state (POST, 2006; 2008).
Despite the efforts of POST, studies of the San Diego Police Department
found that POST mandated training was criticized for being unrealistic and not
meeting the training requirements of police officers on the streets (Ridgeway, et al.,
2008). One example is the initial physical abilities requirements placed on cadets
which have no bearing on the expected performance of police officers once they
leave the academy (Lonsway, 2003). The National Center for Women & Policing
(2003a) came to the same conclusion. Lonsway (2003) also argued that the skewed
physical abilities requirements of law enforcement training deny law enforcement
agencies quality recruits who perform outstandingly well in all other training areas.
Such research highlights practices that seem to create more problems for law
enforcement leaders than they fix (Lonsway, 2003; NCWP, 2003a).
Community College Connections
The link between the California community college system and POST is
significant (POST, 2008). Of the 39 POST certified law enforcement training
centers, 49% of the training centers are operated by community colleges (POST,
2008). Of the remaining 20 law enforcement training centers, they all have
19

articulation agreements with community colleges that are based on the awarding of
credit and revenue sharing agreements. This statistic provides a strong argument for
Altizer, et al.‟s (2006), and Gose‟s (2005) position that community colleges can
address training shortfalls in professional performance in addition to meeting the
demands of homeland security training requirements.
Nationally, the community colleges have also been significant providers of
education for first responders as reported by the American Association of
Community Colleges in their survey on first responder programs (2006). Gose
(2005) and Altizer, et al. (2006) provide descriptions of the forgotten role of the
community colleges in training law enforcement that refute the AACC claim. The
research of community colleges in law enforcement training does not match with the
fact that over 80% of the law enforcement officers are trained by community
colleges (AACC, 2006). Training in the community college law enforcement
training programs could provide answers to many training issues faced by the law
enforcement community (Chappell, 2008).
Although systemic problems in professional performance of law enforcement
officers have resulted in court interventions, many of the remedies are found in the
revision of training programs (NCWP, 2002A; 2003; Wimshurst & Ransley, 2007;
Glenn, et al., 2008). There is little in U. S. research that connects higher education to
police training (Wimshurst & Ransley, 2007). This is peculiar as the international
law enforcement community often looks to the U. S. as the standard of how to
address their own problems (Wimshurst & Ransley, 2007). The American experience
20

of integrating higher education and law enforcement has been at the individual level
of the law enforcement officer and not systemically at the institutional level of law
enforcement preparation (GAO, 2000). Wimshurst and Ransley (2007) explored the
systemic influence of mandatory higher education on basic police training in
Australia. Their findings were less than commendable in regards to the mixing of
higher education and police training (Wimshurst & Ransley, 2007).
Wimshurst‟s and Ransley‟s study (2007) found that the intentions of the
Australian government‟s mandate to improve police professionalism and ethical
practices by placing police academies in four-year university programs was a failure.
The police training did not fit well with contemporary law enforcement training in
curriculum or practice (Wimshurst & Ransley, 2007). The expected outcome of
professionalizing the police forces in Australia by exposing them to a liberal
university environment was flawed by design (Wimshurst & Ransley, 2007). The
sought after benefits of the university experience were not realized because the
police academies were isolated from the main campus (Wimshurst & Ransley, 2007).
In addition, the program was built around a certificate program that saw more
attention drawn to maintaining traditional academy culture and experiences than
professionalizing the police organization as part of a true university experience
(Wimshurst & Ransley, 2007).
There was also a failed American attempt to provide an educated police force
during the early 21
st
century that offered funded education for law enforcement
officers through a federal grant program called the Police Corps program (GAO,
21

2000). This program was victim to inadequate organizational leadership (GAO,
2000). The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) took the reins of the floundering Police
Corps Program from the Office of the Police Corps after it failed to deliver an
educated corps of police officers (GAO, 2000). A GAO study (2000) found that the
majority of the funds for fully funding individual police officers for up to four years
of university education were unused. This program was similar to the benefits a
person received through the G.I. Bill after serving a minimum of four years of active
military service (GAO, 2000). The OJP faulted the program‟s lack of participation
on the inability to have a dedicated staff to manage the program (GAO, 2000). Lack
of funding for recruiting and administrative costs were also cited as a cause for the
program‟s ineffectiveness (GAO, 2000). Despite the OJP‟s administration of the
program, only 19 officers took advantage of the program and graduated from a
college in 2003 (OJP Press Release, 2003). The efforts, though grand, were flawed
from the beginning (GAO, 2000). An OJP information officer noted that the Police
Corps Program was not considered a success (K. Jenkins personal communications
March 6, 2009). Here was an opportunity for law enforcement officers to receive a
college education and the cost was only four years of service as a law enforcement
officer anywhere in the United States after graduation. The program‟s outcomes
never lived up to the original expectations of the Violent Crime Control and Law
Enforcement Act of 1994 that sought to fight violent crime through an educated
police force (GAO, 2000). In fact, the ideas that established the Police Corps
program were reaffirmed by the 9/11 Commission when they recommended one of
22

the solutions to terrorism was the creation of a better educated cadre of law
enforcement officers (9/11 Commission, 2004).
Unfortunately, for too long the paradigm among many law enforcement
officers was that professional training was accepted whereas formal education was
rarely desired or accepted within a serious context (National University, 2007).
Gonzales, Chief of Police for National City, confirmed this belief when he
commented on higher education, declaring that formal education was once
considered a liability for promotion (National University, 2007). This opinion is
further demonstrated in the California Education Code‟s requirements for
community college instructors of law enforcement to be exempt from possessing the
mandatory Masters level degree that other instructors must possess to teach non-
vocational subjects (California Education Code, 2009).
Higher education has experienced minimal recognition for its role in
preparing and recruiting people for law enforcement careers (Gose, 2005; Altizer,
2006; Wimshurst & Ransley, 2007). This peculiarity is considered substantial by
criminal justice researchers (Wimshurst & Ransley, 2007; Ridgeway, et al., 2008;
Glenn, et al., 2008) since, as discussed earlier, higher education, community colleges
specifically, have been charged by state educational programs with preparing a
viable career technical workforce through vocational education (California
Community Colleges Chancellor‟s Office [CCCCO], 2008).
The California Governor‟s Office established the Commission on Peace
Officer Standards and Training (POST) in 1959 to provide oversight, standardization
23

and certification of law enforcement training in California (POST, 2008). As
previously mentioned in this study, it is notable that 19 POST certified law
enforcement training centers are operated by community colleges with the remaining
20 being affiliated or working in collaboration with a community college (POST,
2008). Law enforcement operated training academies affiliate with community
colleges so cadets can be awarded college credit for their courses as well as enter
into revenue sharing agreements between the two organizations (R. Bond, personal
communications, October 10, 2006). 48% of the POST certified training academies
are managed by a community college (POST, 2008).This detail points to the possible
impact and importance of studying the community college operated police academies
as part of law enforcement research (G. Ridgeway, personal communications,
February 20, 2009).
In California the career technical education (CTE) functions primarily fall
under the direction of the California community college system (CCCCO, 2008).
The CCCCO has 110 community colleges throughout the state and all of these
colleges offer criminal or administration of justice degree programs or have law
enforcement training programs (CCCCO, 2008). Nineteen of the 110 community
colleges operate POST certified regional law enforcement and/or correctional officer
training programs (POST, 2008). Nationally, the role of training first responders has
fallen to the community colleges‟ mission to train the work force (AACC, 2006). Yet
the college connection is often disregarded in research as in the Ridgeway report on
the San Diego Police Department (Ridgeway, et al., 2008) discussed elsewhere.
24

Community college relevance to training in homeland security careers is further
recognized by the articulation agreement between the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) and Frederick Community College (FCC) in
Maryland (FEMA, 2008; Frederick Community College, 2009). FEMA independent
study courses are accepted by Frederick Community College and can be used for
their Emergency Management Program, Associates of Applied Sciences degree
(FCC, 2009).
Higher education, especially community colleges, has a recognized role in
training the law enforcement community in the United States (AACC, 2006). Despite
this knowledge, academic researchers have neglected to seriously investigate the
impact that community colleges have on law enforcement training in California. This
study will attempt to address this question by conducting research on a California
community college operated law enforcement training center.
Organizational Framing
As corporate leaders continually find themselves in the headlines for
questionable business practices and or decisions that question their ethical behavior,
the public has started to look at public servant professions like law enforcement
(Mac Donald, 2000; NCWP, 2003). Good behavior of public employees can no
longer be assumed to be inherent in an individual because of his or her profession
(National Institute of Justice [NIJ], 2005). It must be taught to the people; or in the
case of this research – taught to the law enforcement officer (Mac Donald, 2000;
POST, 2006; 2006a). The integrity expected of a law enforcement officer demands
25

that the officer not only report the offenses of the public but also of fellow officers
(NIJ, 2005).
Law enforcement leaders are faced with challenges besides those created by
the events of 9/11 (Raymond, et al., 2005). This century began with a noted loss of
public confidence in law enforcement leadership due to scandals and unprofessional
behavior of peace officers throughout the nation (National Center for Women &
Policing [NCWP], 2003a). This public distrust was partially responsible for the
RAND report of the Los Angeles Police Department (Glenn et al., 2008). As part of
the consent decree the Los Angeles Police Department was ordered to become more
professional and ethical in its practices (Glenn, et al., 2008).
Community oriented policing (COPS) is one program that brings the public
and law enforcement together in a working relationship (Mac Donald, 2000). The
focus on community oriented policing has resulted in studies that view training as a
means of properly preparing law enforcement officers for this emerging focus on
proactive and community collaborative policing (NIJ, 2005; Raymond, et al., 2005;
Glenn et al., 2008). The idea behind community oriented policing is for law
enforcement officers to be part of the community and not just an authoritative figure
that is disconnected from the human element of the environment (Raymond, et al.,
2005). Community oriented policing has been credited with collaboratively
controlling crime in a partnership with the public (Chappell, 2008). Working with
the community as active partners requires law enforcement curriculum to consider
the civilian population as a member of the law enforcement team (Chappell, 2008).
26

Law enforcement administrators have also been urged to change how they
select recruits (NCWP, 2003; 2003a; Ridgeway, et al., 2008). Advocates of equality
(NCWP, 2004) have said many agencies are "testing for the 'wrong things'" when
looking for new recruits (p. 63). Though research primarily focused on women issues
of inequality in law enforcement recruiting and retention, the National Center for
Women & Policing report (2004) highlighted several points that law enforcement
leaders could learn from by seeking non-traditional type recruits into their
organizations. Women recruits might be less prone to use excessive force (NCWP,
2002a), or could have better reasoning and communication skills than the traditional
paramilitary type recruit (NCWP, 2003a).
Glenn and his associates (2008) directly linked their approach to
professionalizing the Los Angeles Police Department through proper leadership.
Leadership is recognized by industry experts as being different from management
(Bolman & Deal, 2008). Understanding this difference can lead research to discover
not only problems in organizations but also to identify best practices (Bolman and
Deal, 2008). Identifying the successes of an organization‟s structure and leadership
can add to the body of literature on the training law enforcement personnel.
According to Bolman and Deal (2008) leaders are one factor in an organization.
Leaders operate within four frames, either singularly or in combination. The frames
are structural, human resource, political and symbolic (Bolman & Deal, 2008).
Understanding which frame or frames administrators are working in can be
beneficial in assisting people being leaders and not merely managers (Bolman and
27

Deal, 2003). Without leadership, the organization is missing an important factor of
the organization‟s culture (Deal, 1985). The other factor is the culture of the
organization that works in a symbiotic relationship where the four frames work
through a need to recognize the organization‟s mission, the needs of the people, the
power relationships and symbols of the environment (Bolman & Deal, 2008).
The leadership orientations of an organization can be evaluated either
parochially from the perspective of the leader, or more generally by assessing the
organizational leadership from the perspective of the subordinates (Bolman & Deal,
2008). Knowing what frames are in play provides an understanding of the
organization either to improve or maintain the current organizational posture
(Bolman & Deal, 2008). The Bolman and Deal (2008) organizational framing theory
can be used to triangulate research when used in conjunction with the investigative
techniques of the case study process (Holliday, 2002).
Statement of the Problem
Studies by the Government Accounting Office (2005; 2007), RAND‟s
Institute for Civil Justice (Raymond, et al., 2005; Glenn, et al., 2008; Ridgeway, et
al., 2008) and the National Center for Women & Policing (2002; 2002a; 2003;
2003a) all point to the expanded roles for contemporary peace officers not being met
by current organizational structures or leadership. These studies have inspired law
enforcement administrators to explore different ways to train their recruits in an
effort to increase peace officer achievement (Glenn, et al., 2008; Ridgeway, et al.,
2008).
28

The public expects law enforcement agencies to fulfill their unique roles as
protectors of the public (Ridgeway, et al., 2008). Research is needed to explore how
law enforcement training centers can improve the instruction of cadets as well as
how these cadets will perform their later roles as officers (Ridgeway, et al., 2008).
By the time cadets complete their basic training they are supposed to be ready to
operate on the streets as qualified peace officers (POST, 2006). Nevertheless,
research has found that peace officers do not always possess the requisite knowledge
or experience to perform duties in concert with the community‟s expectations
(Chappell, 2009). Law enforcement officers are also expected to work with state and
or national agencies during all-hazards and emergencies (Raymond, et al., 2005;
Ridgeway, et al., 2008). Research is needed to ascertain if the organizational
structure and leadership of a law enforcement training center can have a positive
impact on cadet achievement (Chappell, 2008). Research literature has shown that
there is also a need to explore the successes of community colleges in training law
enforcement personnel and other first responders (AACC, 2006).
Law enforcement training centers are influenced by many factors (Raymond,
et al., 2005). These factors include funding, state and federal regulations, and the job
market (Raymond, et al., 2008). Since exploration of all factors affecting the training
of law enforcement is beyond the scope of any one study, this study will concentrate
on the areas that have been recommended in previous studies looking at
organizational structure and training (Glenn, et al., 2008; Raymond, et al., 2005).

29

Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study is to add to the body of knowledge on law
enforcement training by exploring the impact a community college law enforcement
training center has on program effectiveness and officer preparation and
achievement. The study will measure the impact via qualitative methodology using
the organizational theory of Bolman and Deal (2008) to see if the research site
supports program achievement through its organization and culture. Like Glenn and
his colleagues (2008), this study will also examine perceptions about the
organizational influences on the structure and leadership at the research site.
Research Questions
The research questions guiding this investigation are:
1. To what does the staff/faculty of the community college Police
Academy attribute their success?

a. To what extent is there agreement about the reasons for their
success?

b. To what extent do those areas in which they agree reflect
organizational characteristics versus personality characteristics?

c. To what extent do student experiences (alumni and current
students) validate faculty and staff perceptions of success?

d. To what extent do employers‟ experiences with graduates as
employees validate the faculty and staff perceptions of success?

2. To what extent does the staff/faculty see their success as being
replicable by other programs?

a. By non-community college operated programs?

b. By other community colleges operating an academy?
30

Organizational Theory
This study‟s theoretical approach to exploring the Academy is Bolman‟s and
Deal‟s (2008) organizational leadership theory that uses multi-framing to interpret
and guide the research. The research methodology was based in an iterative process
that will allow the researcher to move up and down the investigative spectrum to
draw the most from data analyzed (Creswell, 2003). Data was collected through
various data points and methods to give strength to the theory‟s four perspectives of
representing and analyzing an organization (Holliday, 2002; Bolman & Deal, 2008).
By using the Academy‟s institutional and department records, assessments, and
organizational marketing media, the study will draw from and overlap data to
address the research questions (Holliday, 2002).
Holliday, a noted qualitative researcher, (2002) holds that the validity of
qualitative study is that the academic rigor is imbedded in the research setting itself,
an argument that is supported by Creswell in his writings on research methodologies
(2003). These assertions concerning the qualitative approach to research supports
the use of reframing in investigating an organization with authority and assuredness
(Bolman & Deal, 2008). To further provide a check and balance procedure to this
methodology the investigation will juxtapose findings with those of a case study of
the research site. This dual approach will compliment the overall direction of the
intended research methodology.

31

Importance of the Study
The importance of this study is based on the idea that contemporary law
enforcement studies have not included the contribution of community colleges in the
training of law enforcement officers (Gose, 2005). This is a significant gap in the
literature since 19 of the 39 POST certified law enforcement training centers in
California are operated by community colleges (POST, 2008). The current pattern of
research has resulted in agency-centric studies of law enforcement training programs
(Raymond, et al., 2005; Glenn, et al., 2008; Ridgeway, et al., 2008). These studies
have found little in the way of positive results for law enforcement organizations to
meet the myriad training requirements imposed on them by outside influences
(Raymond, et al., 2005; Glenn, et al., 2008; Ridgeway, et al., 2008).
Changes are taking place in law enforcement training but the research
community has overlooked a major actor in the training phenomena, that of the
community college (Gose, 2005). Study of a community college law enforcement
training center could prove valuable to the research community (Gose, 2005; AACC,
2006). By framing the factors of the organization, the study will look at the faculty
and staff perceptions of the Academy‟s success.
Limitations and Delimitations
Since the primary question of this study was to investigate the faculty and
staff perceptions of success at the Academy, this study was limited by the research
design to investigating one law enforcement training center. The methodological
approach of evaluating one training center is not expected to generate generalizable
32

findings. However, the findings provide some direction for future inquiry to the
greater law enforcement community specifically for training administrators.
The delimitations of this study are that the research does not consider other
law enforcement training centers in the analysis of the research questions. The
researcher controlled for the bias inherent in the relationship of the researcher to the
research site. Analysis and examination were conducted with the understanding that
the researcher was employed at the research site which could have affected the
participation and response of people interviewed in conjunction with this study.
Assumptions
The proposed study was conducted with the following assumptions. The
primary assumption is centered on the relationship between the researcher and the
study. In keeping with Holliday‟s (2002) arguments for qualitative research the
qualitative researcher must be familiar with the language and culture of the research.
The researcher for this study was directly involved in the Academy and law
enforcement. The researcher is an administrator at the academy and has retired from
a career in naval law enforcement. The next assumption was that law enforcement
training centers would welcome and use information discovered in this study. The
study finally assumes that data considered in the course of research was collected
with the belief that data were accurate and well-documented.

33

Definition of Terms
Affiliated Cadet. A cadet in a police academy that is sponsored by and/or
hired by a law enforcement agency. Also referred to as an In-Service Cadet (POST,
2006; Switzer 2006).
Antecedent variable. Non-program characteristics of a program that influence
outputs and outcomes of the program (Creswell, 2003).
Barriers. Anything that prevents the participation of or impedes the choice of
a person in a career field (Creswell, 2003).
CADA. California Academy Directors‟ Association. Consortium of POST
certified academy directors and coordinators. They meet as an independent body and
provide advice and assistance to POST on matters of law enforcement training and
education (B. J. Keith personal communications, 14 June 2006).
Cadet. Student in a basic training curriculum at a police academy (POST,
2006; Switzer, 2006).
Chinese Wall. A strong barrier; a rule prohibiting exchange of confidential
information between different departments of an organization, typically a financial
institution, to prevent its use in illegal gain (Answers.com, 2008).
First Responder. Those professions that are first to respond to a natural
and/or man-made disaster or emergency. They can be but are not limited to police,
fire, paramedics, medical, public works, etc. (AACC, 2006).
GAO. Government Accounting Office (GAO, 2000).
34

Hermeneutic. The theory of interpretation, concerned with general problems
of understanding the meanings of texts; asks, „Irrespective of its context, what can
this tell us now?‟ (Answers.com, 2008).
Homeland Security. The system of protecting the nation, its people and
infrastructure. After September 11, 2001 this idea took on a larger definition that
includes military, federal, state and municipal, and civilian entities dealing with
responders to natural and man-made disasters and threats (9/11 Commission, 2004).
Law enforcement. The career field where a person is sworn to uphold and
defend the law; police, sheriff, rangers, special agents, investigators, etc. Law
enforcement officer is used synonymously with police and peace officer (Ridgeway
et al., 2008).
Mediating variable. Internal characteristics of a program that affect the
program (Creswell, 2003).
Non-affiliated Cadet. A cadet that is self-sponsoring and pays their own way
through the academy. Also known as Pre-service cadet (POST, 2006).
Nontraditional Career. A career filed where a select population‟s
participation is notably lower in comparison to males in the same work force
(NCWP, 2003).
Police Academy. A training site that delivers basic training as described by
POST (POST, 2006).
35

POST. Acronym for the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards
and Training. POST is used to refer to the organization that has oversight over law
enforcement training and standards (POST, 2008).
Regional Law Enforcement Training Center. A training center that delivers
basic and advanced law enforcement training (POST, 2008).
Underrepresented. A situation in a work place where fewer women are
employed even though their availability is not restricted by laws, polices or statures
(NCWP, 2003).
Organization of the Study
This study is organized into five chapters. The first chapter provides an
introduction and background of the problem: we do not know the impact of
community college operated law enforcement training centers on police training. The
aim of this study is to discover what is not known about the effects of a community
college law enforcement training center. Identifying the success indicators that a
community college training center could have on law enforcement training is
significant.
Chapter 2 provides a literature review of the problem. It describes why there
is a problem with training in law enforcement. The chapter also covers significant
research on the problem and what recommendations were made to improve training
in law enforcement agencies. Since the role of the community college in this
problem has not been adequately studied in the past, the literature review will
36

provide a description of the role of community colleges have in training vocational
education programs.
Chapter 3 discusses the qualitative methods used to collect and interpret data.
Previous research recommendations were coded for the qualitative values that
support the traditions of organizational theory using Bolman‟s and Deal‟s (1990;
2008) version of reframing an organization through the lens of structural, human
resource, political and symbolic frames. The purpose of the methodology was to
extract, through framing the organizational factors associated with the Academy‟s
law enforcement training program.
Chapter 4 provides analysis of the research conducted and addresses the basic
question proposed by this study. Findings are discussed with an explanation how the
findings work within organizational theory to answer the question of how does the
organizational configuration of the Academy impact the quality of a law enforcement
training program. Analysis of the organizational framing is through Bolman‟s and
Deal‟s organizational orientations (Bolman & Deal, 2008).
Chapter 4 also details the findings of the researcher‟s case study evaluation
of the research site. The case study evaluation was based on two sources of data. The
first source was comprised the researcher‟s personal observations and the second
source was drawn from Police Academy internal documents.
The final chapter provides an overview of the study and the conclusions of
the research. Recommendations are presented for future research in the field of law
enforcement training. It is posited that findings can be used within the law
37

enforcement community vis a vi participation of community college law
enforcement training centers.
38

CHAPTER 2
Literature Review
Overview
Law enforcement training has traditionally been delivered by either a law
enforcement agency (Glenn, et al., 2008) or by community colleges (AACC, 2006).
Yet, little research has been directed at exploring the environment of the community
college law enforcement training centers (Altizer, et al., 2006). Since in depth studies
on the impact of community colleges on law enforcement training are absent in the
literature, this study will explore what is known about the role of community
colleges in vocational and professional training. The review of this literature was
juxtaposed to what is known about the contemporary challenges in law enforcement
training. These two themes form the foundation from which to conduct this study
with the purpose of answering the research questions proposed by this researcher.
Factors that Create Effective Law Enforcement Training
The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC, 2006) conducted
a study reporting on the role of community colleges in homeland security training
programs. Their survey, First Responders: Community Colleges on the Front Line of
Security, was based on a survey of 760 community colleges throughout the U.S.
(AACC, 2006). The AACC report (2006) was short in its findings as it reported out
in 15 pages on input from 760 responses to a survey instrument on homeland
security programs offered at each college. The research concentrated on program
delivery and institutional capability in relation to the training and education of first
39

responder related careers (AACC, 2006). The AACC (2006) recognized that “the
community nature of community colleges suggests that they are in and of their
communities” (p. vii). This unique standing in society gives license to the
community colleges to sit as an equal among the agencies and organizations
responsible for the training and readiness of law enforcement assets in response to
post 9/11 security requirements.
RAND has completed many contemporary and valuable post-9/11 studies of
law enforcement through their Center on Quality Policing (RAND, 2008). Recent
among them was an in-depth study looking at strategies for improving officer
recruitment in the San Diego Police Department (Ridgeway et al., 2008). In
describing the organizational structure of the San Diego Police Department, the
report (2008) neglected to point out the unique relationship the department had with
the San Diego Community College District (Miramar College, 2008). From personal
experience as a law enforcement training administrator, this researcher is aware that
the San Diego Police Academy is an integral part of Miramar College, a community
college located in the San Diego Community College District (Miramar College,
2008). Regardless of this oversight, Ridgeway and his companions (2008) declared
that the quality of training officers received was linked to retention in the San Diego
Police Department.
Recommendations for the marketing strategies in the Ridgeway et al. report
(2008) could have explored how Miramar College as a co-operator of the Police
Academy could leverage federal funds through the Perkins Vocational, Technical
40

Education Act (VTEA) for recruiting efforts such as production of posters and video
(DVD and mini-CDs) as Palomar College (Palomar College DVD, 2006) and Rio
Hondo College did for their recruiting programs (Rio Hondo College DVD, 2007).
Recruiting DVDs from the Palomar and Rio Hondo Police Academies, two
community college operated law enforcement academies, were reviewed as part of
this research noting that the recruiting videos served the dual purpose of attracting
students not only to the college programs but also to the law enforcement career field
(Palomar College DVD, 2006; Rio Hondo College DVD, 2007). VTEA funded
programs are also specifically designed to target express populations, the same under
represented populations that many police departments are trying to entice into their
ranks (POST, 2006; Switzer, 2006).
Another point raised by Ridgeway‟s research team (2008) was related to law
enforcement managers preparing cadets for the physical rigors of an academy
program. In identifying efforts to help candidates prepare for physical-fitness
programs the role of the Miramar College's physical education department was
overlooked as a viable solution to preparing candidates for the academy. In noted
partnerships with community colleges, POST Special Consultant for Physical
Training lauded pre-academy fitness programs that were delivered by community
colleges (M. Catlin personal communications June 15, 2006). Catlin concluded that
community college programs were advantageous by being affordable, taught by
certified college instructors, emphasized the rigors of academy fitness and developed
healthy lifestyles in the students (M. Catlin personal communications June 15, 2006).
41

Colleges were identified in the San Diego Police Department study as places
to recruit potential officers (Ridgeway, et al., 2008). The report could have looked
more closely into the collaborative relationship between Miramar College and the
San Diego Police Department. If so, the Ridgeway team (2008) might have
commented on the fact that community college operated academies, Miramar
College included, are supposed to admit all qualified students to the academy as pre-
service/non-affiliated cadets (Miramar College, 2008). This practice provides a pool
of partially or fully trained cadets ready for hire by any police agency within the state
of California and probably in most states in the U.S. (POST, 2008).
In another study involving the Los Angeles Police Department, RAND‟s
Public Safety and Justice Division (Glenn, et al., 2008) provided recommendations
that “. . . constitute[d] a core set of competencies that an ethical and effective police
officer will regularly employ in concert” (p. xv) in the performance of their duties.
Four of the five primary recommendations for the Los Angeles Police Department
specifically mentioned improving the department‟s training programs (p. xv). Unlike
the San Diego Police Department study (Ridgeway, et al., 2008), the Los Angeles
Police Department research team studied an academy that was completely owned
and operated by the host agency (Glenn, et al., 2008). This study was in response to a
consent decree between the Los Angeles Police Department and the Department of
Justice that mandated improving professionalism and ethical behavior (Glenn, et al.,
2008).
42

This study (Glenn, et al., 2008) placed heavy weight on the idea of
Corporateness in training, devoting an entire chapter to this concept. Corporateness
is the special sense of professional unity that separates a group from the common
layman (Huntington, 1957; Glenn, et al., 2008). Glenn‟s team of researchers (Glenn,
et al., 2008) used corporateness as one pillar of Samuel P. Huntington‟s definition of
professionalism (Huntington, 1957; Glenn, et al., 2008) which claims that
professionalism is based on the distinguishing characteristics of corporateness,
responsibility and expertise. Huntington‟s characteristics of professionalism were
used by Glenn‟s team to see if it fit with the career of law enforcement (Huntington,
1957; Glenn, et al., 2008). This same question can be applied to and explored by the
organizational leadership and structure of a community college police academy.
Huntington's version of professionalism centered on responsibility as a way to
benefit society; expertise is knowing a special knowledge; and corporateness as a
special belonging to a group (Huntington, 1957). The difference of not having
coporateness would be a group of people doing the same thing without having a
unique shared experience to identify with in relation to the job being done
(Huntington, 1957).
The Los Angeles Police Department study (Glenn, et al., 2008) also observed
that the training instructors did not always follow the established POST curriculum
or demonstrate quality instruction. In addition to complying with departmental
policies, the POST certified courses of instruction had to comply with POST
curriculum design (POST, 2006a). In an effort to add quality and professionalism to
43

instruction, POST established the instructor requirement in 2008 for all POST
courses to be taught by instructors who attended a POST Instructor Qualification
course (POST, 2008). These requirements could possibly add to the professionalism
of the Los Angeles Police Department training division.
The police academies operated by community colleges must submit their
courses for approval by the colleges‟ curriculum committees according to the
California Code of Regulations, Title 5 (California Department of Education, 2009).
These committees are comprised of faculty members from all disciplines within the
colleges (California Department of Education, 2009). Besides this academic approval
of curriculum, instructors must also be certificated or approved for instruction along
community college guidelines (CCCCO, 2008). This additional review and approval
might add to the quality of instruction over an academy that selects instructors or
develops curriculum without the benefit of higher education's curriculum process or
instructor certification (CCCCO, 2008).
A municipality training study by Jacobson, Rubin and Selden (2002) did not
specifically look at law enforcement training but it did provide a model in which the
community colleges‟ participation in law enforcement training could be of value to
police departments. After the initial or basic training is completed advanced training
serves two parts crucial to professional training programs (Jacobson, Rubin &
Selden, 2002). It teaches new skills while maintaining the fundamentals of the basic
skills learned in the initial training period (Jacobson, Rubin & Selden, 2002). This
model follows the training theme of POST programs that are structured around basic
44

training and advanced officer training (POST, 2008). This structured tier-level type
of training can and have been taught by community college vocational programs for
years (AACC, 2006).
Framing
This study focuses on the organizational elements of a community college
law enforcement training center, its leadership, policies and procedures that support
the study site in the training and preparation of law enforcement officers (Bolman &
Deal, 2008). Therefore the study‟s conceptual framework is an organizational theory
that views organizations through framing themes (Bolman & Deal, 2008). The
organizational leadership theory was pioneered by Bolman and Deal (1990) as a
means to investigate organizations using the four frames of structure, human
resource, political, and symbolic orientations.
In recent research on framing, a controversial issue has been whether
academic investigation through the lens of framing causes tunnel vision of
participants and researchers (Wright & Goodwin, 2002). Wright and Goodwin
(2002) claim the stagnate views of framing can be corrected for via protocols that
force all involved in the research to think outside a specific train of thought. Bolman
and Deal (2008) corrected for this tunnel vision by providing the researcher with four
frames through which one can observe an organization. Depending on leadership
orientation or organizational culture the frames operate along a spectrum that allow
all frames to operate separately or in tandem (Bolman and Deal, 2008).
45

Structural Frame
The structure of an organization is comprised of those factors that make it a
machine (Bolman & Deal, 2008). Some of the factors are the rules, goals, and
polices (Bolman & Deal, 2008). Others are the social architecture and the
organization's size and its relationship to the environment (Bolman & Deal, 2008).
Bolman and Deal (2008) posit that problems are caused by structural deficiencies in
an organization‟s goals and environment (Bolman & Deal, 2008). Aligning the
primary causes among the tensions created in an organization is how the
organization deals with the twin challenges of work allocation and the coordinating
of diverse organizational efforts (Bolman & Deal, 2008). Further, the structure of an
organization is a representation of the balancing between internal and external
interests (Bolman & Deal, 2008).
Human Resource Frame
The human resource frame in organizational theory focuses on the
relationship between the organization and the people (Bolman & Deal, 2008). This
frame is best represented by the metaphor of the organization as the family. Bolman
and Deal (2008) argue that even though human needs are hard to define with
certainty, people can be incorporated into an organization's operational strategy and
still have the organization make a profit (Bolman & Deal, 2008). The human
component of an organization is concerned with people's needs, skills, feelings and
personal limitations (Bolman & Deal, 2008). Leaders empower their employees or
align the workforce so that optimum performance is a result of the synergy between
46

organizational goals and the talents of the people (Bolman & Deal, 2008). People are
an important part of the organization's resources and ignoring this detail can affect
the short and long term condition of the organization (Bolman & Deal, 2008).
Political Frame
The political frame views the organization as an arena where competition is
the norm (Bolman & Deal, 2008). In order to survive, the organization is comprised
of coalitions that work together (Bolman & Deal, 2008). The coalitions however, are
based on loose allegiances as each person is interested in their own personal gain
above those of their co-workers (Bolman & Deal, 2008). According to Bolman and
Deal (2008), the power exercised within an organization goes beyond the traditional
idea that authority lies only with management. Instead, authority can come from
almost any position within the organization as each function is a possible source of
power (Bolman & Deal, 2008). Controlling the power within the organization is part
of understanding the political bounds of the organization (Bolman & Deal, 2008).
Competition, negotiation and bargaining are not flaws in an organization (Bolman &
Deal, 2008). Rather, conflict is part of the normal world of living collectively in
communities (Bolman & Deal, 2008). Conflict though is a double edged sword
(Bolman & Deal, 2008). Conflict can create innovation through competition as much
as it can cause stagnation as actors learn how best to survive in the organization
(Bolman & Deal, 2008).
47

Symbolic Frame
The symbolic frame perceives the organization as an entity (Bolman & Deal,
2008). It has a culture and possesses values and myths (Bolman & Deal, 2008).
Moreover, the organization's culture is what bonds the organization together
(Bolman & Deal, 2008). The stories of the organization provide a rich history of
where the organization has been as well as provide legitimacy to those actors
associated with the organization (Bolman & Deal, 2008). The symbolic frame
provides a visual impression of the organization (Bolman & Deal, 2008). Heroes,
rituals and stories help an organization communicate who it is by developing a brand
that is unique to the organization (Bolman & Deal, 2008). Lastly, symbolic framing
recognizes that people need symbols to link the organizational events of yesterday to
those of tomorrow (Bolman & Deal, 2008).
Defining Successful Training Programs
The fact that something is made into policy does not necessarily make it part
of a reality. This has been evident in the literature reviewed as the most compelling
part of understanding the problems with law enforcement training is that training is a
much larger phenomenon than simple "you will do" policy statements (Wimshurdt &
Ransley, 2007). Training is part of the larger educational system in the U.S. that is
made up of primary schools, secondary schools, higher education and professional
schools. Therefore, if the training environment is not studied in detail, training is
doomed to be viewed through a lens that is tarnished with incomplete theories. Since
48

the focus of this study is on law enforcement training, only training circumstances of
the literature were considered.
The Community College as a Professional Training Organization
The American Association of Community Colleges (2006) was clear that
community colleges are actors in law enforcement training as they provide the
majority of the post 9/11 training to first responders. This sentiment was echoed by
Gose (2005) when he argued that community colleges lead the way in providing
professional and vocational training for first responders. Gose (2005) further argued
for community colleges to receive more of the homeland security funding made
available by the Department of Homeland Security. This disconnect between the
funding for training and the provision of training begs the question: are community
college law enforcement training centers successfully preparing cadets for future
roles as peace officers? This question asks us to look at the foundation of training
programs by making further inquiry into the quality of community college law
enforcement training programs. What we need to know is, are the community college
training centers meeting the needs of the law enforcement community as a business
partner? Are the training centers being properly managed? Is the rigor of the program
satisfactory to meet the industry's professional standards and culture? Is the
curriculum satisfactory? Are instructors qualified?
Recent studies have shed light on the successes of community colleges within
our society (Gose, 2005; AACC, 2006). First, community colleges have to be viewed
as complex organizations with various stakeholders as described by Birnbaum
49

(1988) in his seminal work on the structure and operation of higher education.
Birnbaum (1988) also viewed the community college as an organization that is
vested in the community as a partner. This partnership concept is demonstrated by
the various professional advisory groups that are formally linked to the vocational
programs at two-year colleges (Birnbaum, 1988). One benefit among the vocational
education programs is the federal funding community colleges receive under the
Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act (VTEA) (U.S. Congress, 2006).
This Act could help fund training programs, saving agencies valued fiscal recourses
(Birnbaum, 1988; Dowd, 2003).
Additionally, community colleges have an advantage by virtue of their
smaller campuses (Hillygus, 2005). The close-knit environment of community
colleges helps to establish budding social networks that can prove advantageous later
in life (Hillygus, 2005). Hillygus (2005) elaborated on this idea saying the
connection between higher education and community participation could lead to
business and community support activities long after students have graduated.
Programs with smaller career-related cohorts have the potential to form even tighter
and longer lasting social networks (Hillygus, 2005). This phenomenon develops part
of the professional corporateness that Glenn (2008) discussed in his study of the Los
Angeles Police Department.
The esprit de corps of professional military training is partially based on
small learning communities within the military where training is conducted in career
based schools (Huntington, 1957). Many of the community college training centers
50

have mimicked this concept through their designation as regional law enforcement
training centers by POST (POST, 2008). These regional centers deliver more than
just the basic course for cadets (POST, 2008). These small school programs within
the larger schools establish career based learning environments that can add to the
professional image and prestige of the programs and their graduates (Huntington,
1957). The small schools or academies have their power in delivering short term
terminal qualification courses for a variety of law enforcement fields. Examples of
these would be POST certified academies for emergency dispatchers, emergency
vehicle operators, reserve officer academies and instructor qualification (POST,
2008).
Discovering if a community college law enforcement training center can
create factors that make up Huntington‟s (1957) professional needs can serve a
measure of effectiveness. Huntington's study (1957) of the military as professionals
is closely related to the paramilitary constrict of law enforcement training centers.
Huntington (1957) claimed that corporateness could be verified by observing if the
population being studied derived value in their experiences. Symbols of the training
center would support both Huntington (1957) and Bolman‟s and Deal‟s (2008)
requirements for organizational framing. Another example of this value could be
demonstrated by interpreting how a law enforcement officer credentials himself (Van
Maanen, 1988), such as how law enforcement officers insert into their introductory
conversations questions such as; what academy did you go to, or what class were you
51

in. The validation between officers in this conversation would establish a special
social standing not experienced by the common citizen (Huntington, 1957).
The entrepreneurial nature of community colleges has placed emphasis on the
mission of the two-year college as being one of meeting the needs of local industry
than providing access to four-year institutions (Dowd, 2003). Dowd (2003)
questioned this practice in her research that stated community colleges had to
become business like in structure and operation to address the influences of funding,
performance and expected outcomes. Dowd (2003) maintained that the initial
democratic mission of the community college to provide access has been exchanged
for workforce development as modern industries have changed their workforce
paradigm from using a physical labor force to one where an educated labor force
capable of working with technology on a daily basis is desired.
While this rings with a harsh truth for those concerned with affordable access
to higher education (Dowd, 2003), the converse argument is that well qualified
people are being trained to meet the broader mission of homeland security (AACC,
2006). In the post 9/11 world, the community colleges were the logical choice for
training first responders as many vocational training programs were already in place
(AACU, 2006). The initial response from community colleges to support the new
mission of homeland security was met with minor modification to existing programs
(Gose, 2005; AACC, 2006). A means for meeting the challenges of training a nation
in homeland security (Raymond, et al., 2005) was identified by the AACU (2006)
when it declared “Community colleges have an important role to play in the
52

development of effective systems to handle disasters. They are indeed on the front
lines of the nation‟s efforts to cope with human-made and natural disaster” (15).
The AACC's (2006) claim that community colleges are answering the call to
train law enforcement within their vocational training programs has yet to be
investigated in depth. Huddleston and Oh's (2004) approach to placing emphasis on
work-related learning in higher education supports the vocational nature of preparing
people to meet the demands of the complex law enforcement working world.
Chappell (2008) reminds us of how important curriculum is to law
enforcement training. Curriculum establishes more than what is being taught in the
classroom, it also establishes what cadets will do once they become law enforcement
officers (Chappell, 2008). Although all POST law enforcement training centers meet
the accreditation standards established by the POST Commission (POST, 2008),
each organization has its own inherent character and culture (Deal, 1985; Boleman &
Deal, 2008). These cultures influence the way curriculum is developed and
delivered. California community colleges that operate a POST certified law
enforcement training center have to meet not only the curriculum guidelines of
POST (POST, 2008), they also have to meet the curriculum requirements of the
Chancellor's office (CCCCO, 2008). What we do not know is, are the dual influences
of POST and the California Chancellor's office complimenting law enforcement
curriculum or deterring from it?
The community colleges are distinctive in not only how but also who they
train (Dowd, 2003). Many are adult learners are not seeking a path to a higher degree
53

but rather a path to immediate employment (Dowd, 2003). This observation of
preparation for the workforce is supported by Huddleston and Oh (2004) that claim
curriculum based work experience is the strongest form of preparation for actual
employment. This fits well with the nature of law enforcement agencies that desire
cadets to be at least 21 years old when hired, though most are in their mid to late
twenties (POST, 2006; Switzer, 2006).
The community college law enforcement cadet is enrolled in a vocational
career certificate program that will allow them to work as a professional peace
officer in a world where they will have authority over others in their society
(Switzer, 2006). Feinstein and Hammond (2004) focused their research on adult
learning and how it impacted health and social capital. Adult learning was
disaggregated into the following categories; academic accredited courses; vocational
accredited courses; and employer-provided courses. While all types of learning
provided value, the academic courses provided the most in social and political
benefits (Feinstein & Hammond, 2004). Feinstein and Hammond‟s (2004) arguments
for learning find support for community college law enforcement training centers
that can provide all three types of learning at one single location (AACC, 2006).
Adding to the potential of the community college setting are Gregson's and
Sturko's (2007) position that teachers, as adult learning professionals, were capable
of making complex changes to their professions if they studied with other like
professionals. As POST requires a training center's instructional staff to attend
regular POST courses of instruction, workshops and seminars (POST,
54

http:www.post.ca.gov), the teachers can avoid the stagnation of their respective
subject matter expertise (Gregson & Sturko, 2007). Community college training
centers further add to the quality of career technical instructors through certification
of academic credentials (Zinser, 2003).
What has been demonstrated is that law enforcement training centers
operated by community colleges may be in a better position than agency operated
law enforcement training centers because the community college training centers are
responsive to an entire community versus one organization or chain of command
(AACC, 2006). This breadth and depth of collaborative partnerships fulfills the basic
educational charter of the community colleges to work with the community, provide
career technical education, answering industry training needs, and providing access
to four-year institutions (Feinstein & Hammond, 2004). Thus, the community college
training centers for law enforcement provide the community with an investment few
would argue against (Zinser, 2003).
In summary, analysis of the literature has established that vocational and
professional training has long been in the realm of community colleges (Dowd,
2003). Additionally, community colleges may be in the best position to take the lead
in training first responders for missions and capabilities required by the emerging
homeland security umbrella (Gose, 2005; AACC, 2006). The community colleges
are also in a position to add to the professionalism of law enforcement training by
bringing the element of academia to the training table (Zinser, 2003).

55

Summary
The function of training needs to be discussed with the understanding that
higher education can positively affect the future of law enforcement (Altizer, et al.,
2006). The Criminal Justice Institute of RAND conducted four influential studies of
law enforcement agencies that captured the challenges of training and operating in
the 21st century (Raymond, et al., 2005; Rostker, et al., 2007; Ridgeway, et al., 2008;
Glenn, et al., 2008). Rostker, Glenn and Ridgeway‟s teams framed proposed
measures to reform the agencies studied through a path concentrating on training,
recruitment and retention (Rostker, et al., 2007; Glenn, et al., 2008; Ridgeway, et al.,
2008). Ridgeway (2008) qualified his team‟s findings highlighting that contemporary
problems with training were rooted in outdated law enforcement paradigms
concerning recruiting, training and leadership. The findings of Glenn and his
associates (2008) based their recommendations on enhanced training. The primary
themes running throughout the literature reviewed is that further research needs to be
completed on law enforcement training and, that a community colleges need to be
part of this research.
Observing a law enforcement training center that has not only received
recognition for outstanding performance but also is operated by a community
college, the study can identify success indicators that could possibly be shared with
other law enforcement training centers. Recognizing that a training center is made up
of various parts the study can explore how the population at the Academy responds
to specific questions concerning Academy performance. The investigation can
56

disaggregate the Academy population into the three distinct groups of the Academy.
First, are the faculty and staff, members that are employed at the Academy and see to
its daily operation and administration. Second, are the students, or cadets, that train
for careers in law enforcement. Last, are the end-users of the Academy‟s product; the
police chiefs that hire the trained cadets. Each group would have a singular and
unique perspective on their experience with the Academy; an experience that can
possibly flush out success indicators through interviews and rich dialogue. An in-
depth observation of the Academy through records, reports and personal observation
can additionally add to data gained from interviews of potential participants.
Together the approaches to inquiry are intended to discover “the what” of successful
law enforcement training that contemporary studies have not yet captured.

57

CHAPTER 3
Methodology
The purpose of this study was to explore community college law enforcement
training centers. Specifically, an award-winning community college law enforcement
training center was examined via the perceptions of its faculty and staff. The
research site is referred to as the Academy in this study. Exploration of the Academy
was completed using the four frames of Bolman's and Deal‟s (2008) organizational
theory to explore faculty and staff perceptions regarding the success of their
Academy.
The research questions that formed the central framework for this study were:
1. To what does the faculty and staff of the community college Police
Academy attribute their success?

a. To what extent is there agreement about the reasons for their
success?

b. To what extent do those areas in which they agree reflect
organizational characteristics versus personality characteristics?

c. To what extent do student experiences (alumni and current
students) validate faculty and staff perceptions of success?

d. To what extent do employers‟ experiences with graduates as
employees validate the faculty and staff perceptions of success?

2. To what extent does the faculty and staff see their success as being
replicable by other programs?

a. By non-community college operated programs?

b. By other community colleges operating an academy?

58

Research Method and Design
Inquiry of the research questions was conducted through a case study
approach. Creswell stated the most effective means of inquiry for a case study is best
done with a qualitative approach that allows the researcher to observe the entire
research site (2003). The qualitative approach to this study provided a reliable
methodology for exploring the perceptions the Academy faculty and staff had
pertaining to the Academy's success as an organization (Holliday, 2002).
Qualitative methods are often used in descriptive exploration studies such as
this. While studies have been conducted that speak to law enforcement training, this
researcher did not find any comprehensive studies conducted on the experiences of a
law enforcement training program that was operated by a community college,
especially through qualitative research. Thus, this research topic was determined to
be noticeably unexplored, establishing this study as a possible launch pad for
subsequent quantitative studies. The use of qualitative research has been recognized
as being as an accepted progressive step into the investigation of new topic areas by
educational researchers (Creswell, 1998; Holliday, 2002).
Conversely, the objective of the quantitative research is a rigidly structured
approach to inquiry that relies on classification and statistical models to explain the
research conducted (Creswell, 2003). Further, quantitative methodology is limited in
that it relies on carefully designed constructs before data is collected (Creswell,
2003). The numerically based quantitative approach would not have allowed for the
59

unique research designed for this study; an approach that required flexibility during
inquiry (Creswell, 2003).
This qualitative approach to law enforcement training is harmonious with
other leading studies on law enforcement‟s successes and failures in training (Glenn,
et al., 2008: Ridgeway, et al., 2008). Case study has been the standard bearer of
research methodology for examining law enforcement agencies and programs in
contemporary literature (Eisenhardt, 1989). The qualitative research design selected
was built around a case study of the Academy. The purpose of the research was
particularly suited to this research tradition as the methodology sought an
understanding of someone else‟s experience in understanding “the what” of the
research questions guiding the study (Holliday, 2002).
Qualitative methodology required the researcher to employ an interpretive
form of inquiry that permitted the researcher to interpret and fill in gaps of data that
could have been left out of a purely quantitative research methodology (Creswell,
2003). Interpretation of the data was grounded in the purpose of understanding not
only the knowledge represented, but also of the experiences lived (Creswell, 1998;
Holliday 2002). Balfour and Mesaros (1994) posited that the key to studying social
phenomena lay in a hermeneutic approach of qualitative inquiry. Hermeneutic
inquiry provided the best approach to studying other public organizations when the
analysis required a deeper description and explanation beyond the stiffness of
quantitative methods (Balfour & Mesaros, 1994). Therefore the hermeneutic
approach to this study provided the researcher with the means to be interpretative
60

while maintaining the rigor and quality of research by looking beyond the surface
context of data to discover what the data really had to say (Balfour & Mesaros,
1994).
Site Selection
The research site for this study is referred to anonymously as the “Academy.”
The Academy was selected for the study because it met the following criteria: first,
the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office referenced the Academy as
part of a diverse community college located in Southern California (CCCO, 2008).
Second, the college and the Academy are well established in its community and have
very strong vocational and career technical education programs (M. Slavich,
personal communication, October 27, 2009). The Academy has a comprehensive
public safety training program that is recognized throughout the nation as a Top 100
provider of degrees and certificates for criminal justice and protective services
degree programs (Community College Week [CCW], 2009). Third, part of the
Academy's program is the POST certified Regional Law Enforcement Training
Center (POST, 2008). Fourth, the Academy offers basic and advanced officer
training programs that have received two awards from POST for Outstanding
Organizational Achievement within the last decade (POST, 2008). Fifth, the
Academy conducts 5 police academies a year (POST, 2008). In 2009 the Academy
graduated 240 cadets (Academy Program Review, 2008) making it the largest
community college operated police academy in California and a leading provider of
law enforcement training surpassed only by the California Highway Patrol, the Los
61

Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sherriff‟s Department
(POST, 2008).
The Academy's program review (2008) stated the Academy was unique in
that the Academy is managed and operated entirely by college faculty and staff and
has no direct oversight or operational decision-making from outside law enforcement
agencies. The Academy is funded by the host college district as an academic
department of the college (Academy Program Review, 2008). The Academy has
been in operation for 45 years and has accepted students as both in-service and pre-
service cadets throughout its history (Academy Program Review, 2008). The
Academy is regularly used by over 80 law enforcement agencies to provide basic and
advanced law enforcement training required by POST or other governing authorities
(Academy Program Plan, 2009).
Study Participants
The researcher wanted a cross section of people associated with the Academy
for interviewing. Perspectives were needed from each key constituent group
associated with the Academy. A purposeful sampling strategy was used to invite
participants from the faculty and staff, the current cadets, alumni cadets, and chiefs
of police. This study originally planned for a sample of 10 participants from the
faculty and staff, five participants from the current cadets, five participants from the
alumni, and five participants from the chiefs of police.
The Academy is influenced by various actors in the academic as well as law
enforcement communities. The population groups that best illustrated the Academy
62

were those that were closest to the administration and operation of the POST Basic
Course, or more commonly known as the police academy. Four of these Academy
related groups formed the target population invited to participate in the research
study.
Key areas for exploration from the literature were Huntington's (1957) idea of
corporateness, the credentials of instructors (Bogue-Feinour, 2008), compliance with
POST (POST, 2006a), and academic oversight (Birnbaum, 1988). These measures of
effectiveness were likewise married to the four frames of Bolman and Deal (2008)
that provided the lens through which the research was interpreted. The matrix in
Table 1 illustrates the relationship between the key areas of exploration and the four
frames of Bolman and Deal (2008).
Table 1: Key Areas of Exploration

The key areas of exploration provided an association to the Academy's elements of
effectiveness through participants' interviews. The elements of effectiveness were the
operation of the academy, the cadet experience and finally, the value of the cadet
after graduation. Table 2 illustrates the relationship between participants and the
elements of effectiveness.
Structural Human
Resource
Political Symbolic
Corporateness X X
Credentials of
Instructors
X X X X
POST
Compliance
X X X
Academic
Oversight
X X X
63

Table 2: Population Interviewed & Key Areas of Exploration
Academy Cadets & Alumni Chiefs of Police
Administrators
Faculty Program
Coordinators
Faculty (Adjunct
included)
Classified Staff
Tactical Staff
(Academy Drill Sergeants)
Current Cadets in a
basic Academy Course
Cadets that have
graduated and been employed
in law enforcement for at least
6 months
Current Chiefs
of Police from a
California Law
Enforcement Agency that
have either sent cadets to
or hired cadets from the
Academy
Participants Targeted for
Study: 10
Participants Targeted for
Study: Current Cadets 5;
Alumni Cadets 5
Participants Targeted for
Study: 5
Faculty and Staff
Participants Interviewed: 10
Current Cadet Participants
Interviewed: 5
Alumni Participants
Interviewed: 2
Chiefs of Police
Participants Interviewed:
7
Operation of Academy Cadet Experiences Value of an Academy
Cadet

The operation of the Academy was learned from the Academy's faculty and
staff members. This population is responsible for the curriculum as well as the daily
operation of the Academy. The student or cadet experience was gained from two
groups of students; current cadets and alumni from the Academy. These populations
were singular in their shared experiences as a product of the Academy because they
were either living or had lived in the Academy's unique paramilitary culture. The
value of an Academy cadet was evaluated from the perspective of the employer via
POST certified chiefs of police within California. This population was unique in that
the chiefs of police either sent their hired and untrained officers to the Academy for
the POST Basic Course or they had hired a pre-service cadet.
Participants from these populations were targeted for interviews that formed
analysis points in triangulating the data for validity. The population selection as
64

depicted in Table 2 was purposeful in order that the perceptions of success within the
Academy could be identified via identified key areas of exploration. The deliberate
selection of the population sample was consistent with the theories supporting a case
study processes (Eisenhardt, 1989).
Academy Personnel
The population studied at the Academy consisted of the faculty (full-time and
adjunct); the classified staff; and hourly-as-needed employees that were employed at
the Academy as either instructors or as tactical officers (drill sergeants). The
Academy is part of the California Community College system located in a
community college serving a diverse community as well as 80 law enforcement
agencies throughout the southern region of the state (POST, 2008).
Within the host college, the Academy is unique in that it is the only academic
division that has full-time clerks for each major program within the department
specifically, three administrative clerks, a finance clerk, an admissions and record
clerk, two learning assistance centers with learning assistants, three weapons range
staff, and an academic counselor (Academy Program Review, 2008). Within the
previous five years the Academy has been reported to have generated approximately
1/4 to 1/3 of the college's FTES for each academic year (CCCO, 2008). An FTES is
the primary apportionment standard used by the California Chancellor‟s Office to
distribute funding to community colleges. FTES stands for Full-Time Equivalent
Student which is based on a student load of 12 semester hours of course work for
each semester (CCCO, 2008). A search of other POST certified academies within the
65

state did not reveal any other similar academies with a similar structure, support or
performance model (CCCO, 2008; POST, 2008).
This study proposed to produce a sample of 10 participants from the faculty
and staff members of the Academy. The population sample targeted full time and
part time faculty and staff. The goal was to produce a sample of at least 10
participants in order to complete this study. The researcher sent emails inviting 36
people to the study. Ten faculty and staff volunteered to be participants in the study.
Academy faculty members are credentialed under the guidelines of the
California Chancellor‟s Office for teaching in the field of Criminal Justice or Law
Enforcement (Bogue-Feinour, 2008). There are fourteen full time faculty members at
the Academy‟s host department. Ten of these faculty members are assigned to the
Administration of Justice division. Two of these faculty members have a Bachelor of
Science degree, six have a Master‟s degree and two have Doctoral degrees
(Academy Catalog, 2009). Faculty members are assigned to teach either traditional
academic classes or Academy classes that are certified by POST (Academy Catalog,
2009). All faculty members have had careers in the law enforcement community as
either a municipal, state or federal officers (Academy Program Review, 2008). The
Academy's POST classes are taught primarily from a pool of 350 adjunct staff that
serve as subject matter expert instructors or tactical staff officers that drill the cadets
(Academy Program Review, 2008).
Academy classified staff members are all wage earning employees of the
college. Administrative clerks and range staff are not required to have academic
66

degrees for employment though the secretary, finance clerk, and instructional
assistants are required to have an associate level degree. Classified staff members
work solely for the Academy and are part of the California State Employees
Association. Full time classified staff do not teach in the Academy or college
(Academy Program Review, 2008).
Participant criteria were established to support the intended research with
consistent experiences of the faculty and staff that are part of the Academy's
organization. Permanency of employment had the potential to provide the best
understanding of the Academy programs, culture, philosophy and operating
procedures (Holliday, 2002). Faculty and staff viewpoints were strengthened by
juxtaposing perceptions with other research participants.
The selected experiences of the faculty were contrasted with the experiences
of other research participants in order to establish a viewpoint of the people who
know of the Academy experience, but who do not work for the Academy. This non-
Academy lens provided an apex of the triangulation that supported the qualitative
inquiry and research validity (Creswell, 2003).
Cadets and Alumni
The population of non-Academy participants that experienced the academy as
students was formed from current cadets or alumni that had graduated from the
Academy‟s POST certified Basic Course (Police Academy). This population was
distinctive in that the sample was either a cadet in an ongoing Basic Academy class
or had experienced the initial mandated training requirements of the POST Basic
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Course and then was hired by a law enforcement agency (POST, 2008). The Basic
Course at the Academy includes the mandatory POST requirement of 664 hours of
training plus an additional 316 hours of training established by the Academy
leadership (Academy Program Review, 2008).
The cadet participants were invited from two specific populations associated
with the Academy. The first sample population was current cadets. The second
targeted population was comprised of graduates from the Academy‟s POST certified
Basic Course, better known as the Police Academy class. For the current cadet
sample the researcher addressed the entire class of cadets from the only class in
session at the Academy when the study was being conducted. There were 42 cadets
in the class. Five cadets agreed to participate in the study. The cadets asked if they
could be interviewed in groups so that it would limit interference with their class
schedule. The researcher accommodated their request and conducted two interview
sessions. The first interview had two cadets and the second interview had three
cadets. All five cadets were pre-service cadets though all were in background
investigations for potential hiring by different law enforcement agencies.
Potential alumni participants were invited from graduates of the Basic
Courses that had completed training within the past three years but no less than six
months and were actively employed in a law enforcement career. This sampling
criteria was established to provide a sample of participants with the characteristics
determined to best represent the population comprising Academy graduates
employed in law enforcement. The purposefulness of this sampling was
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recommended by the hermeneutical approach of Balfour & Mesaros (1994) that
predicted the graduate sample would provide rich and unique experiences of the
Academy's human product that could not easily be replicated through other research
methodologies (Holliday, 2002).
The criteria for selecting potential study participants had the minimum
criteria of being a graduate of the Academy‟s Basic Course. This population would
as a result of the graduation be certified to work in California as law enforcement
officers, Police I, qualified [the ability to enforce laws and carry a weapon in the
performance of these duties (POST, 2008)]. The criterion for having at least six
months of employment ensured the sample had experienced law enforcement
responsibilities as part of their employment. This employment should have provided
an experience against which the Academy‟s training could be measured.
Additionally, the criterion was intended to attract participants who had left the
rigidness of the Academy‟s “boot camp” environment but still maintained the fresh
perspectives of a cadet experience. The three year limit was intended to ensure the
alumni still maintained a quality recollection of their academy experiences and how
they related to their current employment as a law enforcement officer.
The researcher contacted two classes via phone using contact information on
file at the Academy. The study was designed to solicit 5 participants from Academy
alumni. Two police officers volunteered to participate in the study. The participants
were working at the same police department though the officers came from different
69

classes. The participants also asked to be interviewed together because of their work
schedules. The researcher agreed to their request.
The researcher had to stop soliciting participants from this sub-population
because of an internal investigation that began at the Academy during the time
interviews were being conducted. The researcher discussed potential participation in
the research with Alumni and it was apparent the ongoing investigation had a
negative impact on Alumni perceptions. The researcher determined it was in the best
interest of the study to cease soliciting other Alumni for interviews. The researcher
felt the ongoing Academy investigation would have jaundiced Alumni perspectives
beyond the intended scope of this research.
Police Chiefs
The final sample of participants was comprised of chiefs of police from
southern California region. This targeted population was comprised of POST
certified chiefs of police administering a POST certified law enforcement agency.
The rationale for including chiefs of police was to draw data from leaders in law
enforcement that used the Academy‟s graduates as law enforcement officers within
their agencies.
Study participants were required to have the minimum criterion of being an
active chief of police in the state of California. The researcher invited via email all
47 chiefs of police from southern California that were active participants in the
Academy‟s advisory board to be participants in the study. The researcher was
looking for a target of 5 volunteer participants. Seven chiefs of police volunteered to
70

be participants. One volunteer chief received a new job and was not able to be
interviewed for the study. The remaining six chiefs participated in interviews.
This population was further comprised of people who are POST certified law
enforcement officers. This population also has had to have either sent their cadets to
the Academy or hired a pre-service cadet from the Academy. The rationale for
having POST certified chiefs of police was to ensure the sample had experience with
the leadership and management of Academy cadets as their lens to answer interview
questions. This criterion established a voice for the customer of the Academy‟s
training center.
Assurance of Participant Rights
The researcher complied with all the requirements of the University of
Southern California‟s Institutional Review Board. The researcher did not collect data
from participants until they were informed of the study via the study-based
Information/Facts Sheet for Non-medical Research form (Appendix B). This form
explained the purpose of the research, as well as potential risks and benefits of the
study. The participants‟ confidentiality was maintained by observing the strict
protocol of omitting identifying information from the body of the dissertation in
either name or singular identifying reference (Creswell, 2003). Access to the names
of participants was and will not be shared with anyone. Transcription of interviews
was done by the researcher to maintain participant confidentiality. Transcripts and
electronic interview files have been stored in a secure location that will only be
accessible to the researcher. The research site will also remain anonymous in the text
71

to further strengthen confidentiality. All data (in all media) associated with this study
will be secured by the researcher for a period of three years. At that point the data
will be destroyed so that it may not be retrieved, reconstructed or reused by another
person.
Data Collection
Two strategies were used in collecting data for this study. The first was the
conducting interviews with volunteer participants. The second was document review
and analysis. Interview protocols were designed to draw from the participants
experiences that could answer the research questions driving the study. Interviews
were transcribed and then interpreted as part of the document review process.
Examination of the interview texts, reports and other records included methods that
took advantage of the researcher's background in understanding the nuances of the
law enforcement and educational communities studied.
The organizational theory of framing leadership orientations was selected as
the primary conceptual framework because it had the potential of identifying key
leadership orientations in the award winning Academy that could be applied to other
law enforcement training organizations. The research design contained a multi-prong
approach to complete the case study‟s evaluation of the Academy via observations,
interviews with various populations associated with the Academy, and review of
organizational documents. The tradition of case study research was particularly
suited to this study on law enforcement because its methodology focused on the
experiences of the entire organization.
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The multiple levels of investigation using the methods of Bolman and Deal
(2008), Eisenhardt (1989) and Balfour and Mesaros (1994) were used to explore the
experiences of the faculty and staff at the Academy. Cadets, alumni and chiefs of
police were invited to participate so that their unique experiences could add to the
body of the data collected as well as validate the perceptions of the faculty and staff
members of the Academy. Research questions were used to explore the Academy
within the context of identifying the range of interpretations of personal experiences
and provided insight into the relationship between the Academy‟s organization and
its marked success.
During the interview process three specific populations were interviewed.
The first sample comprised of faculty and staff members of the Academy. The
second sample population was comprised of current cadets at the Academy and cadet
alumni from the Academy's POST Basic Course, better known as graduates of the
Police Academy. The last sample invited to participate from the proposed population
were chiefs of police departments from cities in southern California. It was planned
to obtain at least 5 participants from each sample population described above with
the exception of Academy faculty and staff that was to interview 10 participants. The
actual number of participants interviewed was 10 people for the faculty and staff
participants; 5 people for the current cadet participants; 2 people for the alumni cadet
participants; and 6 people for the chiefs of police participants. Interviews were
offered to be conducted in person, by telephone or by live video conferencing using
skype software (Skype, 2009).
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All participants agreed to have their interview sessions recorded as well as
agreeing to let the researcher take notes during the interview. While it was planned
for each interview to take from 45 minutes to one hour per interview the average
length of interviews was just over 41 minutes. Faculty and staff members were
interviewed individually and their interviews averaged 67 minutes per interview. The
current cadet interviews were conducted in groups of two and three participants. The
cadets averaged 70 minutes per interview. The two alumni participants were
interviewed together and their interview lasted 70 minutes. The chiefs of police were
interviewed individually and their average interview lasted a little over 50 minutes.
All 19 recorded interview sessions were transcribed by the researcher for analysis
and then the electronic voice files were transferred to a CD ROM and stored in a
locked file cabinet by the researcher.
Participants were interviewed individually, in a group of two or a group of
three participants. Interviews were conducted in person for the faculty and staff
participants, current cadet participants and for the alumni cadet participants. The
chiefs of police were interviewed individually. One chief was interviewed in person
and the remaining five chiefs of police were interviewed by telephone. The faculty
and staff participants were all interviewed individually. The current cadet
participants were interviewed in mini-focus groups, at their request. The first group
had two participants and the second group had three cadets. The two alumni cadet
participants were interviewed in a group. All participants were interviewed without
any incident. Table 3 reflects the interview matrix.
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Table 3: Interview Matrix
N Cadets Alumni Chiefs Faculty/Staff
In Person 5 2 1 10
Phone 0 0 5 0
Alone 0 0 6 10
Groups 2 1 0 0
Participants in
Group
2 and 3 2 0 0
Male 5 1 6 9
Female 0 1 0 1

Participants' identities were protected by in this study using pseudonym
codes. Faculty and staff participants were coded as FS-A through FS-H, then FS-J
and FS-Z. Cadet participants were coded as C-K through C-O. Alumni participants
were coded as AC-P and AC-Q. Chiefs of Police participants were coded as CP-U
through CP-Y and CP-AB.
Interviews
Academy faculty and staff were asked open-ended questions intended to
extract perceptions of the participants‟ experiences of the Academy‟s success
(Appendix C). Participants were also encouraged to define the roles of employee
classifications in relation to the Academy‟s successes. Protocols were intended to
provide data to answer both research questions: (1) to what does the faculty and staff
75

of the community college Police Academy attribute their success? And: (2) to what
extent does the faculty and staff see their success as being replicable by other
programs?
Faculty and staff questions 1, 2 and 5 were designed to identify success
indicators in training discussed by Glenn, et al. (2008). This is similar to Ridgeway,
et al.'s study on recruitment and retention that linked training as an important
variable in maintaining quality police officers. Question 3, 4 and 5 were designed
look at the higher education and law enforcement training co-existing in one
organization. This mirrored the efforts of Wimshurdt's and Ransley's Australian
study with the exception the research site for this study had an established higher
education-law enforcement relationship before the study took place. Besides
establishing the feasibility of higher education and law enforcement working in
collaboration these questions flushed out the variables of curricula discussed by
Chappell (2008), and the importance of quality of instructors as discussed by Dowd
(2003).
Academy cadets and alumni were asked open-ended questions intended to
obtain the participants‟ perspective on the Academy's success as a cadet-customer
(Appendices D and E). The cadet and alumni perceptions were juxtaposed to the
responses of the Academy faculty and staff to see if the Academy employees and
alumni had the same perceptions of success. Protocols were intended to answer the
first research question: (1) to what does the faculty and staff of the community
college Police Academy attribute their success; along with the sub-question 1 (c), to
76

what extent do student experiences (alumni and current students) validate faculty and
staff perceptions of success?
The cadet questions were designed to capture the perceptions of the cadets'
experiences in or at the Academy. Cadets were interviewed as either a current cadet
(Appendix E) or an alumni cadet (Appendix D). This approach reflected the inquiry
used by Chappell (2008) that used cadets to explore his investigation of curricula at a
police academy. Questions 1 through 4 of the alumni protocols (Appendix D) and
questions 1 through 4 of the current cadets protocols (Appendix E) were designed to
validate the faculty and staff perceptions of the Academy concerning research
questions 1 and 2 that explored perceptions of success and the possibility of sharing
identified success indicators to other law enforcement training centers.
Chiefs of Police were asked open-ended questions to obtain their perceptions
of what identifies a successful academy graduate (Appendix F). Protocols were
intended to answer the first research question: (1) to what does the faculty and staff
of the community college Police Academy attribute their success; along with the
sub-question 1 (d) To what extent do employers‟ experiences with graduates as
employees validate the faculty and staff perceptions of success? Protocols were
intended to answer research sub-questions of research question 2: to what extent
does the faculty and staff see their success as being replicable by other programs?
(2a) by non-community college operated programs? And: (2b) by other community
colleges operating an academy. The chiefs of police perceptions were juxtaposed to
the responses of the Academy faculty and staff to see if the Academy employees and
77

chiefs of police had the same perceptions of success and the ability to share
identified successful practices.
The chiefs of police protocols were designed to elicit from the chiefs, as
employers of Academy cadets, the quality of the cadet by exploring the quality of the
Academy experience. Law enforcement leaders were used in a similar fashion to
gauge departmental training and readiness in the studies of Glenn, et al. (2008) and
Ridgeway, et al. (2008). Question 1 was designed to validate the view of faculty and
staff perceptions on the success of the Academy. Questions 2 through 4 explored the
ability to replicate successful practices from the Academy to other law enforcement
training centers.
Artifacts
The study was conducted through a document review. Academy documents
were used to triangulate perception data. The primary research questions drove the
analysis of the Academy data. Triangulation of data was a systematic way of
objectively measuring the performance of the Academy (GAO, 2002). Research of
the Academy measured if the expectations of the program were met or not. Using
McNamara‟s (2002) approach to analysis described effective factors in the program
that could possibly be replicated elsewhere. The processes of this evaluation was
constructive in that they were intended to portray to the reader of this study how the
Academy actually operates within the four frames of Bolman and Deal
organizational theory (2008).
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The design process allowed the researcher to understand the program from
the perspectives of the Academy‟s constituents (Harrell, Burt, Hatry, Rossman, Roth
& Sabol, n.d.). The evaluation process required the development of a logic model as
an initial step in the evaluation process (GAO, 2002; Harrell, et al., n.d.). Antecedent
variables were those factors influencing the Academy that are not part of the
Academy's program organization or structure (Harrell, et al., n.d.). Those
characteristics and conditions within the organization that affect the program are
mediating variables (Harrell, et al., n.d.). The framework for the review followed the
logic model illustrated in appendix G. This logic model was used in conjunction with
the thematic framework matrix in Appendix I and Agreement Coding in Appendix J.
The thematic framework matrix was designed to capture the organizational framing
themes of Bolman's and Deal's four frames of structural, human resource, political
and symbolic (2008). The researcher used the search function of the Microsoft Word
software to find themes identified in the thematic framework matrix. Themes
identified in the thematic framework matrix were first searched within the documents
reviewed to reveal themes. The texts were then interpreted by the researcher to
develop the clearest meaning of the text so that the themes could be given energy.
The interpretation guarded against taking the text analyzed out of context of the
document's original purpose and intention by carefully reviewing the text in the
context it was produced.

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Data Collection
Background preparation for this study was conducted by the researcher as
part of his normal employment at the Academy by attending POST academy
directors consortiums, POST related working groups and formal and informal talks
with contemporary managers of law enforcement training programs. In accordance
with the research design data was collected from the Academy and the host college
records and documents. The POST website was used to collect data on POST
doctrine, policies and procedures (POST, 2008). The California Community College
Chancellor‟s Office website was used to obtain institutional and program
information on the Academy (CCCC, 2008). Lastly, interviews were obtained from
volunteer participants. Participants were interviewed by the researcher in conjunction
with the qualitative nature of this study. Interview sessions were guided by the
researcher and consisted of open ended questions to allow the participant the
opportunity to provide a body of rich information to the researcher. Depending on
the participant responses to the base questions, the researcher remained flexible in
order to explore in detail certain aspects of the participant‟s knowledge of the
Academy culture. Focus groups were not originally considered as part of the research
design however; at the request of cadet and alumni participants the researcher
interviewed participants in small two or three person focus groups. This approach to
interviewing participants maintained the researcher‟s intended result of providing in-
depth data about the participants‟ experiences at the Academy. Additionally, while it
was thought that focus groups would not allow participants to be as candid as a one-
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to-one interview (Creswell, 1998) the shared experience of the current cadets in the
Academy as well as the shared experiences of the alumni cadets allowed for very
truthful and candid responses by all participants interviewed in the mini-focus
groups. The interviews were conducted by the researcher in person or by telephone.
Interviews ranged in time from 17 minutes and 59 seconds for a chief of police to
one hour, 14 minutes and 12 seconds for a faculty member. All 23 participants
agreed to have their interviews recorded on a digital voice recorder. Only one faculty
and staff participant asked to have the recorder turned off while the participant
requested to talk off the record. This participant then completed the remainder of the
interview while being recorded. There were no issues brought up by the participants
concerning the interview or how the results of the interviews would be used as part
of this study.
The Academy made the following documents available to the researcher
along with free access to the research site, faculty, staff and cadets. Certification
reports included the POST Basic Course Certification Review report for the years
2005 and 2008; and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Association of
Junior Colleges and Community Colleges (WASC/AJCCC) 2008 Accreditation
report for the college. From the college the following documents were reviewed:
Academy Unit Plans for 2008 and 2009; Academy, Administration of Justice 2-Year
Career Technical Education Program Review for 2008; and the Academy,
Administration of Justice 5-Year Academic Program Review for the Advanced
Officer Training Program for 2008.
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Controls for Researcher Bias
Recognizing the need for research in a community college law enforcement
academy, the researcher initiated the proposed study with the understanding that he
would guard against personal bias as a result of also working at the Academy. The
study was supported by the administration, faculty and staff of the Academy.
Participants of the study understood that the research conducted was intended to
examine the staff and faculty perceptions of the success of the Academy.
Data Analysis
Bolman and Deal (2008) asserted that an organization could be studied
through the four frames of structure, human resource, political and symbolic. These
framing principals were used to provide a framework for coding and direction of this
research. Creswell (1998; 2003) and Holiday (2002) sustained that the development
of stronger theories through research is possible if there are several data collection
methods as were in this design.
The data described in the previous section was collected and maintained by
the researcher. Data that could not be taken from the research site remained in the
Academy‟s files and was retrieved when required. Data was collected, reviewed and
analyzed according to the research questions. The primary method of data analysis
was via the four organizational frames of Bolman and Deal (2008). Analysis of data
according to Creswell (2003) is the most difficult part of a case study‟s evaluation
and review process. The process of conducting an ongoing analysis of data collected
while conducting interviews aided the researcher in reviewing a vast amount of data.
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This analytic approach also allowed the researcher to validate preliminary findings of
the study as well as adjusting how the four frames of Bolman and Deal (2008) fit
into the evolving research design. The research data was studied carefully looking
for unique patterns in the data before making generalizations or conclusions
(Holliday, 2002). To avoid what Eisenhardt (1989) claimed about people being poor
processors of information the researcher cautioned against premature or false
conclusions by contrasting interviews to Academy documents.
The primary research questions were intended to be answered by two tandem
processes in this study. The first process was the interviews of the four different
participant groups. The questions asked of each participant group were designed so
that the participant responses would focus on addressing the primary research
questions. The second process was the analysis of the Academy‟s documents. These
two processes were selected as they are analytical techniques commonly used in
qualitative research. This dual evaluation complemented the all data being analyzed.
To give a qualitative authority to the voices of the participants, analysis of the
transcripts was coded indentifying themes that would strengthen the data collected.
The transcripts were coded using the coding-themes used for analysis used in the
thematic framework matrix illustrated in Appendix G. This thematic framework
provided a matrix designed to capture the organizational framing assessments of
Bolman's and Deal's four frames of structural, human resource, political and
symbolism. An additional framing matrix for coding was used to flush out the
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organizational characteristics versus the personality characteristics in the transcripts
and documents of the Academy (Appendix H).
The researcher used the search function of the Microsoft Word software to
find themes identified in the thematic framework matrix. After the coding was
completed the text of the interviews was then interpreted by the researcher to
develop the clearest meaning of the participants‟ experiences so that the meaning of
the participants‟ words could be given life. The researcher guarded against taking the
text analyzed out of context of the respective participant‟s response to interview
protocols by matching participant responses to those of the other participant sub-
populations. To gain the deepest meaning and understanding of the interviews the
researcher reinforced his appreciation of each interview conducted by first personally
transcribing each interview. The researcher then coded each interview followed by a
detailed analysis of each interview to give the coded themes character and life.
Finally the results of the combined interview analyses were juxtaposed by sub-group
population to answer the research questions.
Coding
The researcher used the search function of the Microsoft Word software to
find themes identified in the thematic framework matrix. After the coding was
completed the text of the interviews was then interrupted by the researcher to
develop the clearest meaning of the participants‟‟ experiences so that the meaning of
the participants‟ words could be given life. The researcher guarded against taking the
text analyzed out of context of the respective participant‟s response to interview
84

protocols by matching participant responses to those of the other participant sub-
populations. To gain the deepest meaning and understanding of the interviews the
researcher reinforced his appreciation of each interview conducted by first personally
transcribing each interview. The researcher then coded each interview followed by a
detailed analysis of each interview to give the coded themes character and life.
Finally the results of the combined interview analyses were juxtaposed by sub-group
population to answer the research questions.
Interpreting the complementary parts of the differing perceptions of the
participants was controlled for and disaggregated by coding key words, phrases and
ideas according to the four frames of Bolman and Deal (2008). In a kaleidoscope
fashion, the coding made it possible for one or more of the four frames of Bolman
and Deal to be used simultaneously in interpreting the data (Bolman & Deal, 2008).
The interactions of the frames allowed for the continuous process of interpretation
and reflection required in qualitative research when exploring the variables of the
training phenomenon (Holliday, 2004).
The initial coded words or phrases were developed by the researcher when
reviewing the literature described in chapter 2. These coded words were then married
to the coding themes in Bolman and Deal (2008) and reflected in Appendices G and
H, which described coding themes for this study.
Variable Relationships
The literature reviewed showed that there were several variables that had an
effect on law enforcement training. Interviews and coding in the document review
85

process was designed to flush out the variables from the data collected. These
variables were categorized into antecedent variables and mediating variables. An
illustration of the variable relationships is depicted in the evaluation logic model,
Appendix G. An antecedent variable was a variable that occurred before the
independent variable, which is the Academy experience. The dependent variable was
the Academy's success. The mediating variables clarified the nature of the
relationship between the independent and dependent variables (MacKinnon, 2008).
For this study the variable relationships formula is illustrated in Table 4.
Table 4: Variable Relationships Formula

Antecedent variables discussed by Wimshurdt and Ransley (2007) talked
about the relationship between accrediting bodies for higher education and law
enforcement. The California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training
(POST, 1998, 2001, 2006, 2006a; Switzer, 2006) established doctrine on hiring and
training requirements for law enforcement agencies in California. These policies
were further covered in detail in RAND studies of the Los Angeles Police
Department (Glenn, et al., 2008) and the San Diego Police Department (Ridgeway,
Antecedent
Variable
Independent
Variable
Dependent
Variable
Mediating
Variable
86

et al., 2008). Federal regulations were illustrated by the Government Accounting
Office reports (2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2007) that revealed the challenges of
law enforcement agencies meeting the many federal requirements falling under the
umbrella of homeland security. Finally the influence and power of community
perceptions of law enforcement was demonstrated in the study of the Los Angeles
Police Department (Glenn, et al., 2008). The inconsistencies in training requirements
was studied by Lonsway (2003) and the National Center for Women & Policing
(2002a, 2003, and 2003a). Ethical standards were studied by the National Institute of
Justice (2005) and Glenn and his associates at the Los Angeles Police Department
(2008).
Mediating variables of this study were those variables that concerned how
training centers were utilized as well as the curriculum used in the academy
(Chappell, 2008). Management failures of law enforcement training centers by
higher education were discussed by Wimshurdt and Ransley (2007). The quality of
instruction in law enforcement training was studied by POST (2006), Chappell
(2008), and the National Institute of Justice (2005). These variables established the
link between the Academy organization and the Academy‟s performance.
Instrumentation
Following a qualitative tradition, the primary instrument used during the
research was the researcher (Holliday, 2002). The researcher conducted all
interviews associated with this study. The researcher used his unique relationship in
law enforcement training to form an investigative lens to interpret the text of each
87

interview. This lens included the distinct cultural and historical perspectives that the
researcher had experienced while collecting data at the Academy (Creswell, 1998). It
must be acknowledged straight away that the researcher shared similar experiences
to the participants in background and experience.
In order to prevent the possibility of contaminating data the researcher
established a self-imposed Chinese-Wall between his personal views and opinions
when he conducted and interpreted the participant interviews (Holliday, 2002). This
technique was accomplished by the researcher assessing data as if it were being
assessed for the first time. The researcher has used this investigative method as a
former naval criminal investigator and legal officer as part of his 27-year military
career. This Chinese-Wall was not intended to limit the researcher in his quest to
understand and appreciate the experiences of the participants but, instead prevented
the researcher from contaminating interpretation with his personal views and beliefs.
The Chinese-Wall approach was strengthened by the researcher conducting
interviews in a style that was consistent with the designed protocols as well as
remaining neutral during the interview process. The researcher‟s experience in law
enforcement and education allowed him to speak the language of the participants
which avoided unnecessary explanations of phrases or concepts that could have
taken the interviews in a different direction than originally intended by the research
design. The neutrality of the researcher was maintained by not leading the
participants in the interview or disagreeing with participant perceptions of the
Academy.
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Descriptive Overview of the Academy
The Academy has been in constant operation since 1964 and has a long
history of training according to POST regulations (Academy Program Review,
2008). The Academy is located on property owned by a California community
college (Academy Program Review, 2008). The current Academy was constructed in
1974 (Academy Program Review, 2008). While research was being conducted for
this study construction began on a new Academy building that is due to be
completed in the first quarter of 2011 (Y. V. Flores, personal observations, February
18, 2010). The current and future Academy facilities are dedicated single-department
facilities located approximately ¼ mile from the main campus facilities (Y. V.
Flores, personal observations, February 18, 2010). The academy program is a part of
the college curriculum having full regional and POST accreditation (Academy
Program Review, 2008). The Academy Basic Course or the police academy, offers
24 semester units upon satisfactory completion of the entire academy curriculum
(Academy Program Review, 2008). The academy curriculum consists of 42 separate
learning domains (LD) of which 25 are tested with POST controlled written exams
and one with POST developed scenario testing (Y. V. Flores, personal observations,
February 18, 2010).
There are two classifications of students attending the Academy. The first is
an in-service cadet (Academy Program Review, 2008). Approximately 40 police
agencies in the Southern California area regularly use the Academy for the training
of newly hired police officers (Academy Program Review, 2008). The other student
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is referred to as a pre-service cadet, indicating they are not currently employed by a
police department (Academy Program Review, 2008). During the course of the
academy, recruiters from agencies in and out of California visit the academy
regularly with the objective of hiring pre-service students (Y. V. Flores, personal
observations, February 18, 2010). This practice though has declined because of the
current economy. It is expected for the in-academy recruiting to resume to its
previous levels when the economy becomes stronger (Academy Program Plan,
2009).
The current Academy facility has three classrooms, administrative offices, a
gymnasium, and a fully operational firing range (Y. V. Flores, personal observations,
February 18, 2010). The academy also has 4 Law Enforcement Driving Simulators
(LEDS) and one Force Options Simulator (FOS) available for both police recruit
training and for continuing professional training (Y. V. Flores, personal
observations, February 18, 2010). The Academy is expecting to receive 6 more
driving simulators from POST by the end of 2010 (Academy Program Plan, 2009).
The new Academy facilities will be located in a three-story 32,000 square
foot building (Academy Program Plan, 2009). Over two-thirds of the building will be
dedicated to training police cadets in the Basic Course (Academy Program Plan,
2009). The remainder of the building will be for regular academic classes held under
the Academy‟s host department that provides instruction in the administration of
justice, corrections, forensics, fire technology and emergency medical technician
programs (Academy Program Plan, 2009). The new Academy will house a full sized
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gym, eight classrooms, a learning assistance center, and offices to house all staff and
faculty personnel (Academy Program Plan, 2009).
The Academy offers four intensive Basic Course academies and one
extended format academy each year consisting of 935 hours of instruction (Academy
Program Review, 2008). The Academy is the largest community college based police
training program in the state of California graduating over 200 cadets a year
(Academy Program Review, 2008). In March of 2002, the Academy started its first
Reserve Modular Academy in an extended format (Academy Program Review,
2008). In June 2003, the Academy began offering the Basic Course Requalification
which is a three week program designed for persons whose police certifications have
expired after being out of law enforcement for three consecutive years (Academy
Program Review, 2008). The Academy facilities are used for training seven days a
week during both daytime and evening hours (Y. V. Flores, personal observations,
February 18, 2010).
In January of 2001, the Academy Chiefs‟ Advisory Committee voted to
change the name of the Academy to include the name of a southern California police
chiefs‟ association (Academy Program Review, 2008). This change reflected the
close working association with the chiefs‟ association comprised of at least 46 chiefs
of police. In July of 2001, the Academy‟s host College Board of Trustees voted to
approve the name change (Academy Program Review, 2008).

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Managerial Organization
A paramilitary atmosphere sets the Academy apart from the rest of the
college. Students are referred to as cadets instead of students (Y. V. Flores, personal
observations, February 18, 2010). The cadets wear khaki colored uniforms. Academy
training officers wear a marine Corps-like uniform consisting of green pants and
khaki shirts (Y. V. Flores, personal observations, February 18, 2010). A majority of
the remaining staff personnel wear organizational clothing with the Academy‟s logo
on it (Y. V. Flores, personal observations, February 18, 2010). “Yes sir” and “Yes
ma‟am” are part of the regular speech heard around this part of the college‟s campus
(Y. V. Flores, personal observations, February 18, 2010). It is easy to mistake the
Academy for a training center located at a regimented law enforcement agency.
The Academy is part of an academic department under the Dean of Public
Safety (Academy Program Plan, 2009). The Dean reports directly to the Vice
President for Academic Affairs (Academy Program Plan, 2009). Under the Dean is
the Director of Public Safety (Academy Program Plan, 2009). Both the Dean and
Director are academic salaried managers (Academy Program Plan, 2009). POST
requires that the Dean and Director be POST certified as an Academy Director
within one year of employment (POST, 2006). A departmental organizational chart
is shown in Appendix J. The department has two main programs, the Administration
of Justice and Fire Technology. The findings of this study will concentrate on the
organization and operation of the Police Academy Program (Appendix K). The Dean
is a retired chief of police from a municipality in Los Angeles County (Academy
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Program Plan, 2009). He has over 30 years of law enforcement experience. The
Director is a retired naval officer with over 30 years of law enforcement experience
(Academy Program Plan, 2009). The Director is a member in good standing with the
California Academy Directors Association (CADA) (Y. V. Flores, personal
observations, February 18, 2010).
The Academy operations are overseen by a faculty coordinator on full
release-time from the normal instructional workload. POST requires that the
Academy Coordinator be POST certified as an Academy Director within one year of
employment. The Academy Coordinator is designated as a “special assigned
personnel” per the college-faculty collective bargaining agreement. The Academy
Coordinator is a retired police sergeant from a local municipality in Los Angeles
County. The Academy Coordinator has two masters degrees and over 30 years of
law enforcement experience and 20 years of community college teaching experience.
The Academy Coordinator is a member in good standing with CADA.
The Coordinator is assisted by several lead training officers. The majority of
the lead training officers are retired law enforcement officers (Academy Program
Review, 2008). There is a Senior Training Officer who assists the Coordinator and
lead training officers for the following programs: scenario training, weapons
training, arrest and control techniques, emergency vehicle operations, and the reserve
academy (Y. V. Flores, personal observations, February 18, 2010). The physical
training and life fitness program is run by a qualified instructor of physical fitness
(Academy Program Review, 2008). Additional training officers are assigned to
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monitor and mentor the cadets throughout the day (Y. V. Flores, personal
observations, February 18, 2010). Academy classes and cadets are monitored
throughout their entire day at the Academy (Academy Program Review, 2008).
The Academy support positions fall under the supervision of the Dean and
Director (Academy Program Review, 2008). These positions are classified positions
and perform duties that support the entire department (Academy Program Review,
2008). The Academy is unique at its host college for having a full support staff that
mirrors the college‟s regular student support services (Academy Program Review,
2008). These positions are described below.
Academy Faculty and Staff
Full time faculty are academic employees and are members of the College
Faculty Association/California Teachers Association (Academy Program Review,
2008). The faculty ranks are instructor, assistant professor, associate professor, and
professor (Academy Program Review, 2008). Adjunct faculty are hired on a per-
class contract (Academy Program Review, 2008). Adjunct faculty are also members
of the College Faculty Association/California Teachers Association. Additional
instructors are hired on an hourly-as-needed basis and instruct specific subjects as
needed in the Academy (Academy Program Review, 2008). The Academy has one
full-time educational counselor assigned to the department. The counselor is a full-
time faculty member (Academy Program Review, 2008).
Academy support staff members are classified employees (Academy Program
Review, 2008). Classified employees are members of the California School
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Employees Association (Academy Program Review, 2008). The full-time classified
positions are headed by a senior secretary that supports the Dean and Director in
routine correspondence and scheduling of classes and meetings (Academy Program
Review, 2008). There are five clerks that develop course schedules for their areas as
well as take registrations for short term courses (Academy Program Review, 2008).
These areas are the Academy POST testing and records keeping; advanced officer
training; and finance and budget (Academy Program Review, 2008).
The Admissions and Records Department has a permanently assigned clerk
to the Academy who supports the entire Public Safety Department (Academy
Program Review, 2008). The fifth clerk supports the fire academy (Academy
Program Review, 2008). There are two instructional assistants who work from
learning assistance centers at each academy (Academy Program Review, 2008). The
instructional assistants proctor tests, assist cadets with study habits and research (Y.
V. Flores, personal observations, February 18, 2010). Hourly-as-needed classified
positions for the Academy perform the duties of Academy counselors and operations
specialists (Academy Program Review, 2008). These positions are commonly
referred to as Tac Staff. Tac staff perform similar duties of drill sergeants in a
military boot camp (Y. V. Flores, personal observations, February 18, 2010).
The Academy has one full-time range master who oversees a full-service
range that is capable of handling all small arms, .50 caliber and below (Academy
Program Review, 2008). The range master is assisted by two half-time assistant
range masters (Academy Program Review, 2008). These three positions stagger their
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hours to cover the range seven days a week (Academy Program Review, 2008).
There is also one part-time range technician who assists with cleaning weapons and
performing maintenance on range equipment (Academy Program Review, 2008).
Weapons instruction for the Academy is conducted by a pool of hourly-as-needed
range instructors (Academy Program Review, 2008).
Program Summary
The Academy prepares cadets for careers in law enforcement. The Basic
Course is designed so that the 24 semester hours of credit are transferable to college
certificate and degree programs, four-year colleges or universities, or job oriented
training and education, depending on student need (Academy Program Review,
2008). The law enforcement career field is unique in that specific federal, state and
municipal codes regulate entry into and continuation of the career based on personal
behavior (POST, 2006; FBI, 2009). While each law enforcement agency establishes
its own hiring criteria, the Academy, pursuant to Section 11311.5 of the California
Penal Code, enforces the prerequisite for students taking specified courses in
firearms instruction to submit written certification from the California Department of
Justice certifying no criminal history background which would disqualify the student
pursuant to Section 13511.5 P.C. (POST, 2006).
The Academy program is unique in the delivery of the Basic Course in that it
schedules academy classes year-round and at the request of law enforcement
agencies, advisory committees or by trends and requirements of local, state and
federal regulations (Academy Program Review, 2008). This ability provides the host
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college with a distinctive option within their enrollment strategy. Unlike standard
semester length courses at the college, Academy classes can start and end as desired
(Academy Program Review, 2008).
Program Certification
The Academy programs are certified by the California Commission on Peace
Officer Standards and Training (POST) every three calendar years by a POST
sponsored Basic Course Certification Review (BCCR) Team (POST, 2006;
(Academy Program Review, 2008). The BCCR Team is comprised of four POST
Senior Consultants and/or auditors, a Director of a Police Academy from California,
and a Chief of Police from the serviced region of the academy being certified
(Academy Program Review, 2008). The in-depth review process is governed by state
and federal legislation and regulates the administration, operation and delivery of the
law enforcement training and educational programs (Academy Program Review,
2008).
The Academy successfully completed a BCCR in 2008 and received several
commendations on the program administration, curriculum and course delivery
(Academy Program Review, 2008). Recommendations by the BCCR Team
concentrated on the management of test remediation on the range, facility
improvement and classroom space in relation to the number of students serviced
(Academy Program Review, 2008). There were no major findings from the BCCR
team (Academy Program Review, 2008).
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The Academy, as part of the college also participates in the Western
Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) Accrediting Commission for
Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) accreditation process (Academy Program
Review, 2008). During the WASC/ACCJC visit in 2008 the college was placed on
Warning (Academy Program Review, 2008). The Academy, however, was singled
out in the four commendations the college received for best practices by the ACCJC
accrediting team (2008), stating: “[College] is to be commended for their Public
Safety Academy‟s performance, success and community connections” (Academy
Program Review, 2008).
Curriculum
All Academy course curricula are approved by the host college‟s curriculum
committee (Academy Program Review, 2008). Academy classes are provided in
three main subject areas. The main courses pertaining to the Basic Course are Police
Academy Courses (PAC) (Academy Program Review, 2008). PAC course curricula
are additionally approved by POST (Academy Program Review, 2008). There are
100 PAC courses that are active (Academy Program Review, 2008). The Academy‟s
host division also has 18 courses in the Administration of Justice (AJ) and 26 in
Corrections (CORR) (Academy Program Review, 2008). College curriculum is
updated every five years and POST updates its curriculum every three years
(Academy Program Review, 2008). Courses that have not been revised within five
years are evaluated to see if course delivery is required by the college or industry
requirements (Academy Program Review, 2008). Courses that are not needed by a
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specific program or industry needs will either be deleted or placed in an inactive
status (Academy Program Review, 2008).
Revenue Generation
Community colleges receive apportionment from the California Chancellor‟s
Office (Academy Program Review, 2008). Apportionment is drawn from the fees
they collect from students. Student enrollment is recorded by a formula based on the
courses a full-time student would take in a semester (Academy Program Review,
2008). This student-based formula is called a Full-Time Equivalent Student, or
FTES. FTES and enrollment have been used as a measure of program success as it
represents students in attendance as well as revenue generation for the college
(Academy Program Review, 2008).
The college hosting the Academy recently installed a new management
information system (MIS) (Academy Program Review, 2008). Prior to this, the
management information system contained many flaws in data collection and
reporting (Academy Program Review, 2008). Allowing for the known difficulties of
obtaining accurate data that could be cross referenced from various internal and
external sources at the college concerning FTES, the following assumptions are
accepted by the Academy: Due to the Academy offering classes year round and
across semesters, many classes get recorded late in the MIS that results in FTES
being collected and or processed late (Academy Program Review, 2008). The
Academy calculated that the FTES for the Public Safety Department, when fully
recorded can increase the FTES by approximately 200-300 FTES a year (Academy
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Program Review, 2008). Depending on the FTES rate for the college, this could
result in unaccounted for funds in excess of one million dollars in standard reporting
(Academy Program Review, 2008). A review of the operational costs and FTES
generated by the overall Department of Public Safety revealed that the department
has consistently generated FTES that saw a profit margin of nearly twice the
operational costs of running the department (Academy Program Review, 2008).
Program Effectiveness
The Academy serves the district as well as the neighboring counties of
Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, and San Diego (Academy Program Review,
2008). As one of the largest college-based public safety programs in the state, the
Academy delivers a variety of programs and courses that meet state academic
requirements in addition to the requirements of the California Commission on Peace
Officer Standards and Training (POST) (Academy Program Review, 2008). During
the Spring 2008 semester, the Academy‟s host college‟s curriculum committee
recognized the educational benefits and rigor of the Basic Courses program by
increasing the academic credit awarded for the certificate program from 16 semester
hours to 24 semester hours of credit (Academy Program Plan, 2009). Additionally,
the Curriculum Committee recognized the superior physical training requirements of
the POST program and waived the 2 credit physical education requirement for
graduates of the Police and Fire Academies (Academy Program Plan, 2009).
The Academy program has consistently been recognized by The Community
College Week’s Top 100 Associate Degree Producers by consistently being ranked
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for delivering certificate and Associate Degrees in Security and Protective Services,
and Criminal Justice programs (Academy Program Review, 2008). Within the last
five years the Academy was awarded Best in Excellence, Organizational
Achievement, by POST for the annual POST Excellence in Training awards
(Academy Program Review, 2008). Prior to this the Academy was awarded the first
runner-up in POST‟s for the Organizational Achievement Category for the annual
POST Excellence in Training awards (Academy Program Review, 2008). The
professional reputation of the Academy has resulted in the program being used to
film documentaries, news interviews and family entertainment programs (Academy
Program Review, 2008).
The Academy has used Carl D. Perkins Vocational Technical Education Act
(VTEA) grant funding to start or expand training programs (Academy Program
Review, 2008). VTEA funds were either used solely or matched with district funds
for procurement (Academy Program Review, 2008). The Academy used VTEA
funds to purchase a computerized disaster management simulation system, housing it
in a limousine bus for mobile training; an automated weapons target system; and
recruitment and information campaign on the Police and Fire training programs
(Academy Program Review, 2008). The result has been the delivery of the first
disaster simulation training system on the west coast of California, and expansion of
the weapons range capabilities and a coordinated collection of media that included
CDs, mini-CDs, Web Page links to video, posters, pamphlets and information flyers
on the Academy programs (Academy Program Review, 2008). Municipal partners in
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the Academy‟s area have linked the Academy‟s recruitment video to their city and
agency web pages in at least 7 jurisdictions and one public access TV station
(Academy Program Review, 2008).
Academy Outlook and Expectations
The Academy recently expanded into new areas of training and instruction
that have had a positive benefit for the Academy and its host college (Academy
Program Review, 2008). Primary among the new programs was the establishment of
a California Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) certified
Regional Skills Training Center (RSTC) (Academy Program Review, 2008). The
RSTC is a specialized training program that delivers mandatory recurring POST
training for peace officers in the vital perishable skills of force options and driving
(Academy Program Review, 2008).
Driver training for officers operating emergency vehicles is delivered using
state-of-the-art computer based simulators (Academy Program Review, 2008). The
Academy currently has four driving simulators provided by POST (Academy
Program Review, 2008). Before the end of this calendar year the Academy is
expected to receive six next-generation driving simulators from POST (Academy
Program Review, 2008). POST will additionally house two of the new simulators in
a mobile trailer so the Academy can start a mobile training program for the
perishable skill of driving emergency vehicles (Academy Program Review, 2008).
Training in force options is delivered using a computer based inter-active
program that uses multi-option scenarios to train officers in decision making when
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confronted in potentially violent situations (Academy Program Review, 2008). The
scenarios can be manipulated by a training facilitator based on the decisions of the
officer performing in the scenario (Y. V. Flores, personal observations, February 18,
2010). The options an officer can use in using force include a taser, handguns,
shotguns and rifles (Y. V. Flores, personal observations, February 18, 2010). The
force options simulators also provide a shoot-back option providing a realistic
simulation for officers being shot (Y. V. Flores, personal observations, February 18,
2010). The Academy has two force options simulators. One is housed in a permanent
classroom and the other in a towed trailer for mobile training (Y. V. Flores, personal
observations, February 18, 2010).
Peace Officers are required by the state to receive perishable skills training
every two years (POST, 2006). POST has certified 27 training facilities as RSTCs
(POST, 2008). In two years from establishing an RSTC, the Academy has become
the largest contract training provider for perishable skills to POST (Academy
Program Review, 2008). Though the Academy is primarily responsible for RSTC
training in its particular county, the Academy provides training to agencies in
surrounding counties as well (Academy Program Review, 2008).
Another venture of the Academy was the establishment of Instructional
Service Agreements (ISA) with federal, municipal law enforcement and fire service
agencies, civilian security services and the American Red Cross (Academy Program
Review, 2008). These agreements extended the presence of the college beyond their
campus borders to law enforcement students throughout the region (Academy
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Program Review, 2008). This endeavor was a result of the Academy responding to
the needed training and skills attainment of regional law enforcement agencies
(Academy Program Review, 2008). The ISAs were created through collaborative
relationships to meet law enforcement training needs (Academy Program Review,
2008). The ISA, were in effect an empowerment of the Academy to project training
under its academic umbrella directly to law enforcement agencies. Besides the
valuable training received, the ISA agencies and the Academy also developed a
structure where revenue gained from the ISAs was shared between the Academy and
the contracted ISA agency (Academy Program Review, 2008).
The largest expansion the Academy has undertaken is the creation of a
Regional Homeland Security Training Center (RHTC) (Academy Program Review,
2008). As part of a community college, the Academy is not eligible to receive direct
funds under the federal Urban Areas Security Initiatives (UASI), a program that
provides funding for training in homeland security (Academy Program Review,
2008). The Academy partnered with a local fire department and created the RHTC
(Academy Program Review, 2008). The Academy‟s host college leased-to-own
approximately 3 acres of land adjacent to the Academy‟s sister Fire Academy
located at an offsite campus facility (Academy Program Review, 2008). The leased
land is also adjacent to the partner city fire department. The primary props and
training equipment were donated to the Academy by a group of regional fire services
leaders (Academy Program Review, 2008). The funds, over $500,000 were secured
through a partnership with the local fire department via the Urban Areas Security
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Initiative (UASI) Grants program (Academy Program Review, 2008). The training
courses planned for implementation will be centered on training first responders to
take action in a variety of hazards (Academy Program Review, 2008). This training
and education will include what is referred to as advanced officer training (AOT) for
a joint community of public safety professionals including police, fire, EMT, city
services responders and city and state planners (Academy Program Review, 2008).
In 2006 the Academy received federal appropriations to purchase a
technology-based training system to train first responders in disaster preparedness
and response (Academy Program Review, 2008). The Academy purchased a
customized limousine bus converted into a classroom to house the training system
(Academy Program Review, 2008). The system uses some of the latest simulation
technology on the market (Academy Program Review, 2008). The mobile classroom
can also be used as a mobile Emergency Operations Center (Academy Program
Review, 2008). Funding for the combined purchase of the disaster simulation system
and bus was provided by a combination of federal appropriations funds from the
COPS Technology Grant program and complementary district funds (Academy
Program Review, 2008). This program has added to the recognition the college has
for state-of-the-art simulator training in driver and pursuit training for police and
other civil workers; and force options decision training for law enforcement officers
(Academy Program Review, 2008). POST representatives have lauded the Academy
for managing a delivery program that averages the highest “up-status” for the
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simulators out of all the RSTC training sites in California (Academy Program
Review, 2008).

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CHAPTER 4
Overview
This study explored the perceptions of the Academy's success from the
perspective of the Academy's faculty and staff participants. Inquiry was conducted
through the use interviews, document analysis, and personal observations of the
Academy. The perspectives of success were explored by asking participants the
research questions of this study. Data was analyzed through the four organizational
frames of Bolman's and Deal's (2008) -- structural, human resource, political and
symbolic.
The research conducted and the findings were driven by the two primary
research questions of this study. Specifically, they were:
1. To what does the faculty and staff of the community college Police
Academy attribute their success?
2. To what extent does the faculty and staff see their success as being
replicable by other programs?
These questions were analyzed using the four organizational frames of Bolman and
Deal (2008). Recurrent themes in the data analysis were coded using Bolman‟s and
Deal‟s (2008) organizational framing theory to examine what the Academy faculty
and staff perceived as their success indicators. The investigative framework also
explored if the identified success of the Academy was due to either personal or
organizational characteristics; or, a mixture of both characteristics.
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Participants for this study volunteered from four different populations. All
populations are associated with the Academy as either an employee, a student –
cadet, an alumnus of the Academy, or as a chief of police. The faculty and staff
participants were employed at the Academy as either faculty or classified personnel.
The customer-client populations of the Academy were comprised of students or
current cadets, alumnus cadets working in law enforcement, and chiefs of police.
Academy faculty and staff were asked open-ended questions intended to
extract perceptions of the participants‟ experiences of the Academy‟s success
(Appendix C). The protocols were designed to provide data to answer the research
questions: (1) to what does the faculty and staff of the community college Police
Academy attribute their success? And: (2) to what extent does the faculty and staff
see their success as being replicable by other programs?
Research Question 1
The primary research question guiding the qualitative study was research
question 1: To what do the faculty and staff of the community college Police
Academy attribute their success? The Academy faculty and staff served as the
primary source for this research question. The initial findings to research question 1
are reported followed by the findings of the supporting sub-questions. After this
analysis a general overview of the question‟s findings will conclude this section.

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Findings for Research Question 1
The faculty and staff participants believed the success of the Academy was
based on the two central themes of academic quality and the culture of the Academy.
This belief was strongly represented among all the faculty and staff participants
interviewed. Yet, in the middle of this confident outlook of the Academy there
existed among the faculty participants a word of warning. A warning that the
Academy was living in the midst of a decline; specifically a declining sense of
quality along with a declining reputation. This perspective was juxtaposed against
that of alumni cadets, cadets in a current Academy class, and finally that of the chiefs
of police.
The alumni participants were limited to two participants, less than the
intended target of 5 participants. However, the interviews they provided were in
depth and provided a clear illustration of their respective experiences while at the
Academy. Overall the alumni participants concurred with the faculty and staff
perceptions of why the Academy was successful. This perception was based on the
generic perception that they graduated and were able to enter a law enforcement
career. The alumni participant responses highlighted what the alumni perceived as
flaws in the Academy training. The alumni participants thought some instructors and
the training they provided were outdated. This was considered significant because
the outdated instruction received at the Academy was considered to have put the
alumni participants in a vulnerable position when they entered the law enforcement
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career. This experience was what the faculty participants had predicted in their
interview responses to the dangers of outdated training.
The cadet participant responses were very favorable to the Academy and
supported the faculty and staff perceptions of why the Academy was successful. The
cadet participants were all pre-service cadets so their collective experiences were
absent the personal security that might have been provided by an in-service cadet.
The cadet participants' exposure to the Academy culture was restricted to that which
the participants could see from the chairs in their classroom. The cadets confirmed
that the faculty and staff's perception of the Academy having a strong reputation did
exist in a network of people looking at law enforcement for a career. Internal to the
Academy the cadet participants' opinion of the TAC officers was one of great
admiration.
The chiefs of police participants agreed with the faculty and staff perceptions
that the Academy was successful. The chiefs attributed the success to the academic
quality of the Academy as well as the Academy's high stress environment. The
positive outlook the chief participants had of the Academy was primarily based on
their perception of how ready a cadet was for the FTO program. This preparation
was based on the chief participants' idea that the cadets from the Academy had
participated in a program in which the cadets graduated with the basic knowledge to
start police work. The chief participants' also noted how the Academy possessed the
traditions of going beyond the curriculum to provide a service for the cadets and in
turn the chiefs.
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Research Sub-Question 1a
The first sub-question of research question 1 asked: To what extent is there
agreement about the reasons for their success? The purpose of this question was to
discover what factors faculty and staff members of the Academy felt were
responsible for their success as a law enforcement training academy. Faculty and
staff protocol 1, 2 and 5 were designed to identify success indicators in the Academy
program (Appendix C). Faculty and staff protocol 1 asked: This program has been
called “successful” by various groups. What does this mean in your opinion?
Faculty and staff protocol 2 asked: From your knowledge, what impact does the
college organization have on the police academy? Faculty and staff protocol 5
asked: What advice would you give another program wanting to be as successful as
yours? What should they do or work on? The predominant themes responsible for
success at the Academy were attributed to academic quality and the culture of the
Academy.
Academic quality. Academic quality was mentioned by 100% of the ten
faculty and staff participants interviewed for faculty and staff protocols 1, 2 and 5
(Appendix C). These percentages were the largest percentages of responses for
academic quality in the protocols analyzed. One hundred percent of the combined
fulltime and adjunct faculty interviewed discussed that the academic quality of the
Academy was a key factor in the Academy‟s success. The academic quality was
demonstrated by faculty and staff participant FS-F that declared the Academy did
“meet and exceed standards, from outside agencies or organizations.” FS-F
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continued providing his saying support of the Academy's academic quality saying:
“Academic rigor is important. You don‟t want to be a mill where you are just giving
this stuff out. ”
Despite of this overall positive viewpoint, 75% the faculty participants also
warned that the quality of the program was in jeopardy because the Academy portion
of the Public Safety Department practiced a culture that promoted program
stagnation. These sentiments were represented by faculty participant FS-B who
responded to the researcher saying that an explanation for the deteriorating quality at
the academy was “. . . that the people teaching in our academy program are old and
outdated.” The Academy's curriculum was vulnerable to dated methods that were not
considered either current or relevant to contemporary law enforcement. Faculty
participant FS-E concurred with FS-B saying of the Academy's perceived dilemma:
“That what we have right now will chip away. It will chip away from what we have
done.”
The two classified staff participants did not make any comments in the
interview that would support the majority faculty opinion of negative academic
quality emerging at the Academy. The classified participants did limit their
perspectives to their specific areas of employment as faculty and staff participant FS-
A pointed out: “I don‟t know if I can answer that because there are a lot of different
factors that go into something like that . . . I can only speak for the [FS-A‟s
program]).” This self-imposed limit to their knowledge of the Academy‟s academic
quality did not detract from the majority finding that the academic quality of the
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academy was in possibly heading into shoal waters. FS-A highlighted the non-
faculty perspective of the Academy's success saying generically of factors
responsible for success: “I would say the instructors.”
The sub-populations of cadets, alumni and chiefs of police provided
information which was used to validate the perceptions of the Academy‟s faculty and
staff participants. The cadet participants were still active students at the time of their
interviews and were under the influence of the paramilitary structure of the Academy
culture. The alumni participants had been employed as active law enforcement
officers for not more than four years. They had enough experience in the field to
provide a valuable critique of their academy experience as compared to the
curriculum they experienced while cadets at the Academy. Finally, the chiefs of
police participants had all hired at least one cadet from the Academy and provided a
chief‟s perspective of the cadets as a product of the Academy. Some of the chiefs
had also used other academies and provided a comparative analysis of cadets from
the Academy as opposed to agency academies.
Alumni perspectives. Questions 1 through 4 of the alumni protocols
(Appendix D) were designed to validate the faculty and staff perceptions of the
Academy concerning research question 1. The alumni participants agreed with
faculty and staff participants that the Academy provided academic rigor as alumni
participant AC-Q said: “I think that overall the academy did a pretty good job of
preparing it [Academy training]. And with just a few minor tweaks here and there [to
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curriculum] it can do well. But I mean there was a reason why it was ranked as high
as it is. It is a good academy.”
The alumni participants also agreed with the majority of the faculty
participants who thought the culture of the Academy was negatively impacting the
academic quality by not having a progressive curriculum as alumni participant AC-Q
pointed out in a comment about a scenario training instructor: “Well, it's so outdated,
so outdated it was. He was outdated with the new technology that is coming out and
the new techniques for searching and you know . . . that was a problem for me.” This
perception of curriculum that did not support a law enforcement officer in the field
was supported by alumni participant AC-P who commented on the arrest and control
techniques taught at the Academy saying: “I mean you, you just don‟t do it, I mean
and it is unsafe.”
Cadet perspectives. Questions 1 through 4 of the current cadets protocols
(Appendix E) were designed to validate the faculty and staff perceptions of the
Academy concerning research question 1. The cadet participants agreed with the
faculty and staff participants that the Academy provided high academic standards.
All cadet participants responded favorably to the first four protocols that the
academic quality was high at the Academy as well as the Academy curriculum
making them FTO ready (Field Training Officer), a state of training and
preparedness in which a new officer completes the final stage to being fully certified
as a law enforcement officer by POST. Cadet participant C-L commented about his
own training declaring: “I think I am ready to . . . begin the field training portion . . .
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[to] become a police officer.” The cadets did not mention any significant negative
aspects to the quality of the Academy academics other than wanting more training in
the practical exercises. This was supported by cadet participant C-N who said of
scenario training: “I mean if we could integrate more scenario practices and
situations into it I think it would be beneficial to everybody.” The cadets‟
understanding of the training provided at the Academy is best summarized by what
was told to cadet participant C-N by a police officer during a ride along: “constantly
[the Academy] is putting out the top cadets.”
Chiefs of police perspectives. Questions 1 through 4 of the chiefs of police
protocols were designed to validate the faculty and staff perceptions of the Academy
concerning research question 1. All of the chiefs of police participants agreed with
the faculty and staff that the Academy provided high academic standards. The metric
the chiefs used to establish the academic quality of the Academy cadets was how
prepared the cadets were prepared to enter the FTO phase of police training. This
unanimous perception was represented by chief of police participant COP-U who
said of cadets from the Academy: “We go right from this to a field patrol training
situation.” The performance of the cadets in the actual FTO phase though was not
actually known by the respective chief participants. They instead suggested that their
training officers be asked how the Academy cadets actually performed in the FTO
program. Chief participant COP-AB responded to the question of his cadet's
performance in the FTO program as: “That‟s probably a good question . . . I wish I
would have asked my FTO manager.”
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The majority of chiefs of police participants did not mention any current
significant negative aspects to the quality of the Academy academics. Five of the six
chief participants did mention that the cadets needed training in dealing and
communicating with the public. Chief participant COP-W made a general statement
of all cadets the chief had encountered saying he: “wish[ed] our cadets had more, a
little more life skills.” This was supported by chief participant COP-V who
commented on many younger officers saying the officers lacked communication
skills because: “they don‟t have that social interaction.” Although this skill set is not
part of the basic course curriculum it is something that deserves further study beyond
this dissertation.
The faculty perspective of the Academy losing some of its academic quality
was not reflected in the chiefs‟ interviews. Nonetheless, two chiefs did mention that
the academic quality of the Academy had been in question in the past. Chief
participants COP-AB and COP-X did mention that they had questioned or did not
use the Academy in the past because of a previous reputation for substandard
academics. Chief participant COP-X said: “Sometimes the cadets there have to . . .
work twice as hard as opposed to focusing on the goal of becoming a good
productive police officer and they are worrying about things that have no bearing on
what I feel is the most important stuff.” COP-AB said of the past overall quality of
the Academy: “it just seemed very inconsistent.” This observation, while dated
compared to this study, did reflect what the majority of the faculty warned about in
their concerns for the direction of the Academy's academic quality was headed.
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Academy culture. The unique culture of the Academy was mentioned by all
faculty and staff participants in their interviews. Primary among the factors
comprising the Academy culture was the Academy‟s reputation. Throughout all
responses to the faculty and staff protocols, 21 of the 76 cultural responses were
attributed to the Academy‟s reputation. The strength of the Academy‟s reputation
was demonstrated by faculty and staff participant FS-E who stated of the cadets
motivation: “they need to be successful in order to really live up to the reputation of
this academy.”
The reputation of the Academy added to two other factors that comprised the
theme of the Academy culture. The first factor included an unofficial recruiting
program that received 13 of 76 cultural themed responses from faculty and staff
participant responses to the protocols asked. Nine of the ten faculty and staff
mentioned cadets finding jobs or being ready to hire. Faculty participant FS-E
summed up the job market for law enforcement people saying: “the market is
extremely flooded.” Faculty and staff participant FS-G brought up the point that
many law enforcement leaders who attended the Academy would “. . . probably hire
from here before they hire from somebody else.”
Additionally, the unique culture of the college and how it impacted the
Academy was mentioned in 11 of the 76 responses from the faculty and staff
participants concerning the culture of the Academy. Faculty and staff participant FS-
C conveyed this idea in a statement concerning the staff qualifications as subject
matter experts saying: “they are either currently working in the field or if they are
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retired, they have a certain expertise on the field.” Faculty and staff participant FS-J
mentioned another aspect of the college's culture on the Academy relating: “each
academy can set whatever their standards are as long as they are not less than what
the POST minimum standards are.”
The Academy‟s cultural practices in how the program was officially
organized as opposed to how it was actually managed were credited by five of the
eight faculty participants interviewed, noting a decline in the program‟s
professionalism. The majority of faculty participants reported that a power shift had
occurred in the program from faculty and administrators making key decisions to
hourly-as-needed employees being empowered to make decisions critical to the
Academy program. Faculty participant FS-H said of this power dynamic that
academic freedom had been impinged by hourly-as-needed employees that enforced
a policy of: “My way or no way.” This same practice of empowering hourly-as-
needed employees was seen again in the practice of scheduling staff members for
work. Faculty participant FS- C said that practical instruction was controlled by an
hourly-as-needed staff member who dictated the use of outdated methods that were
recognized by other instructional staff. But that this person was not challenged
because “[redacted staff name] for instance, don‟t even think about telling him you
know, we really don‟t do it that way anymore. Don‟t even think about telling him
that, because you‟re gonna get blasted.” Two terms were flushed out in the faculty
participant interviews that allowed for this shadow chain of command to exist. The
first was mentioned by faculty participant FS-B who claimed that the culture had
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resulted in the “marginalization of permanent staff” and the second was mentioned
by faculty participant FS-G who claimed that the authority of the academy had been
abdicated to individual people, resulting in a breakdown of the chain of command.
Faculty participant FS-G asked: “How can you have 10 different departments when
there is only one department?”
Alumni perspectives. The alumni participants discussed cultural aspects of
the Academy that were good in idea but not so much in practice. Alumni participant
AC-Q said of the life fitness program: “I think the life fitness is a really good idea”
in light of what police officers normally practiced once they were on the street.
However, alumni participant AC-P said: “It was difficult to keep your body fueled
during the academy” because of the actual practice of limiting not only cadets‟ snack
breaks but also what cadets could eat. This practice led to what cadet participants
AC-Q and AC-P said caused them to eat in an unhealthy manner. This routine led
many cadets to do like cadet participant AC-Q who would: “. . . go home and eat a
huge cheese burger” or go with fellow cadets and: “. . . get a pizza afterwards with a
group of people and you will be eating the whole large by yourself because you are
so hungry.” The difference between the proposed and actual practices of the
Academy's life fitness program was negatively impacting cadets as cadet participant
AC-P said: “People nodding off falling asleep in class” from not eating a balanced
diet required of the stresses of the Academy life. Punctuating the alumni perspective
were observations about the TAC staff who practiced what alumni participant AC-P
said was a: “do as I say and not as I do” doctrine. This was in reference to TAC staff
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buying fast food and eating that for their lunches. The TAC staff did not necessarily
set an example worthy of emulation as Alumni participant AC-P related of
instructors' approach to team teaching: “as far as the instructors talking amongst
themselves about finding what maybe they think was the best option -- nah, that
never happened.”
Cadet perspectives. The cadet participants were stronger in their positive
outlook of the Academy's culture. The cadet participants were unanimous in their
agreement with the faculty and staff participants that the Academy culture was
strong in the cultural factors of reputation, accepting pre-service cadets and as a
place to get hired into law enforcement. Cadet participant C-M said that the
reputation of the Academy was the reason for choosing the Academy over other law
enforcement training academies. Cadet participant C-M chose the Academy even
though: “I have the [X] Academy which is significantly closer, [Y] Academy which
is significantly closer, [Z Academy]; all of those are a lot closer and a lot less
traffic.” Cadet participant C-O used the Academy‟s reputation as a means to benefit
as a pre-service cadet stating: “That the [A]cademy has such a high reputation that
once they graduate [agencies] are willing to accept [Academy] pre-service
graduates.” All of the cadet participants were pre-service yet they had all been
interviewed by several agencies at the time of the interviews. Cadet participant C-K
was in background checks with an out of state agency and cadet participant C-L was
in background checks with two law enforcement agencies in California.
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The cadet participants mentioned Academy practices they thought were
unnecessary and interfered with the Academy‟s pedagogy. The importance of
scenario training and testing was often subject to inconsistencies in scenario
management. Cadet participant C-O said of scenario training and testing: “I don't
think it is the realistic thing I think it is -- you are going to search this person, and
they say, okay you searched him; or you want to, you‟re talking to your evaluator
under the medical staff, and okay you have all my information.” Cadet participant
C-O agreed with cadet participant C-O saying the problem with scenarios had been
discussed by other cadets relating: “the big thing for me is I have heard other cadets
say their big issue is they have a hard time with the make believe.” Cadet participant
C-L provided a reason for a lack of learning scenarios to a low instructor to student
ratio saying: “there will be 50 or 60 of us out there with one instructor going over a
scenario.” This was important to the cadets because the cadet participants were
required to pass all of the scenario tests in order to pass the Academy. The worry was
that the scenario tests were subjective and grading was controlled by a single
evaluator.
Chiefs of police perspectives. The chiefs of police participants provided
responses to their protocols that focused on the Academy as a training center that
catered to municipal agencies. Chief participant COP-AB said the Academy's
success was attributed to “. . . the personalized service that the academy extends to
the individual agencies.” This point of view is important for the municipal chief who
does not have the ability to operate a police academy due to budgetary or operational
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constraints. On another positive reflection of the Academy‟s culture chief participant
COP-U said that the Academy was a place where “we like to come and recruit out of
the academy as much as possible.” Chief participant COP-U said part of the reason
was that the cadets had already shown a level of interest that would make the hiring
process smoother.
The positive points brought out by these chiefs were subtly blunted with the
comments of Chief participant COP-X who said “I don't like nit-picky bullshit stuff”
while talking about TAC staff who abused their positions over the cadets by making
the cadets perform tasks that were not part of the curriculum nor had a purpose in
shaping the cadets into a police officer. The perception of COP-X merited comment
because it revealed a possible connection to cultural practices that were not viewed
as beneficial to the cadet and that the practices had existed over a period of time.
This sentiment was reflected in cadet participant C-N's statement about a TAC staff
who overstepped the instructional line by wishing: “we could get a little bit of
revenge on [X] for all the shit she shoots at us.” This statement was made in
reference to cadets using non-lethal weapons for scenario training.
Research Sub-Question 1b
To what extent do those areas in which they agree reflect organizational
characteristics versus personality characteristics?
The question was asked to determine if the recorded success of the Academy
was the result of organizational factors or driven by a specific person or persons.
This question sought to distinguish if the Academy's success was a result of a
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leader's structure of the organization of the organization as an entity in itself (Bolman
& Deal, 2008). Answering this question was left mainly to the faculty and staff
participants.
The sub-populations of alumni, cadets and chiefs of police were not asked
questions that were designed to specifically answer sub-question 1b as the basis of
the sub-question pertained to the Academy participants‟ perceptions and experiences.
The researcher reviewed participant transcripts from the alumni, cadets and chiefs of
police and did not find statements that were significant enough to provide an in depth
understanding of the differences between organizational and personality
characteristics within the Academy. This section will also include the Academy's
documentation analysis in answering this question. The interviews of the faculty and
staff participants were weighed against the Academy's program review and
observations of the researcher (2008).
Organizational characteristics. The organization of the Academy according
to the Program Review (2008) resembles a paramilitary structure. The Academy is
what is known as a high stress academy or a military boot camp style academy.
Cadets wear uniforms and march from activity to activity. The Academy's daily
operation is managed by a faculty coordinator. The Academy coordinator reports to
the Academy's director. The director reports to the dean of the department. The
Program Review (2008) illustrates a clear chain of command that has the Academy
as one spoke of a multi-programmed wheel. This perspective of the intertwined
programs of the Public Safety Department was demonstrated by faculty and staff
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participant FS-F who responded to question 1 of the faculty and staff protocols
(Appendix C): “Which program specifically are you talking about?”
The organizational aspect of the Academy fit largely within the theme of the
Academy‟s culture. The reputation for the Academy includes the entire Public Safety
Division as the two are inseparable in how the department is perceived by faculty
and staff. An example of this was in the Academy‟s Program Plan (2008) that
covered the FTES generated over a three year period for the department. While the
department overall generated between 1,986 to 2,414 FTES from 2005 to 2008, the
credit has, as a matter of custom, been attributed to the Academy and not the
department as a whole for FTES generation. This practice was represented by faculty
and staff participant FS-B who said the Academy is not the money maker in the
department. An analysis of departmental financial records associated with the
Program Review (2008) revealed that the POST Basic Course of the Academy
actually made far less than the other departmental programs in terms of FTES
generation. The program that had the largest return on investment was the
Corrections online program. While the online program was the program that
generated the largest gains in revenue this point is lost in a tradition of crediting the
Academy with the generation of the FTES.
Faculty and staff participant FS-E related concerns for the direction the
organization was taking saying: “Because just as much as it is to be good and be one
of the best, then you have to be sensitive also, and realistic. And if we lose that, then
with that brand name we lose it because it will turn into, yes [the Academy] is a good
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academy, it‟s a strong stress academy too, [the Academy] is a police academy mill.
They just get the pre-service in, they get them out, no one gets employed.” Faculty
and staff participant FS-C added to the perception of the Academy turning out
quantity of cadets as a priority over quality of cadets. In reference to a participant
paraphrasing a field training officer's perception of Academy cadets, FS-C said: “the
FTO will say: What in the world are you doing? I don‟t care what you learned in the
[A]cademy this is how we do it.”
Partial responsibility for this organizational trend was buried in faculty and
staff participant FS-Z's comment about the Academy's relationship to the college
saying: “Matter of fact, we jokingly sometimes say we are a police academy with a
college attached to it, but that is an in-house kind of joke.” However, changing the
organizational culture to a point where the Academy is returned to the college is
prevented by a practice where hourly-as-needed personnel are perceived to run the
Academy. Faculty and staff participant FS-C said of the most influential person at
the Academy, a person who is hourly-as-needed: “He‟s just old school and there is
one way to do it, and it‟s [X's] way to do it.” The challenge of making a change
where the college interests direct the Academy‟s culture was recognized by faculty
and staff participant FS-E who said: “I would not want to be the individual that
would come in and began to replace others or to give it a fresh coat of paint . . . I
wouldn‟t have an issue if I were the manager saying this is what we need to do,
because that is what you do. But rather, the person I would bring in, or the people I
would began to bring in there, the ones that are going to gain this type of wrath or
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this type of cold shoulder treatment. But you know what, its necessary, its time it
needs a shaking out.”
The differences in how the Academy was represented in the Program Review
(2008) and how the faculty and staff participants viewed it in this study are
significant. These two versions of the Academy symbolize a flaw in the
organizational management. The administration had, according to the majority of
faculty participants allowed the organization to develop practices and traditions that
were opposed to the organizational mission and vision.
Personality characteristics. The faculty and staff participants referenced the
Academy‟s success being related to individual Academy administrators one time in
faculty and staff protocol question 1; four times in response to question 2; two times
in response to question 3; three times in response to question 4; and five times in
response to question 5; and three times in response to question 6. These faculty and
staff participant responses were valuable not only in what was said but also in what
was omitted in the interviews. Positive references to administrators was
predominantly in a generic forum such as faculty and staff participant FS-Z who
said: “We have always had really good leadership” or FS-J who said: “If you want to
have a successful program you have to look at your organization in terms of
leadership, in terms of selecting instructors.” The Academy's coordinator was
frequently referenced as an information source by faculty and staff participant FS-D
who could not answer specific questions about the Academy's daily operation.
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Faculty and staff participant FS-B touched on the characteristics influencing
the Academy by summarizing the Academy's operation saying: “The Academy will
function in automatic but it can be brought down by one person.” The impact of
personality characteristics on the Academy fit within the theme of the Academy‟s
academic quality. Faculty and staff participant FS-G described the declining quality
of the Academy as a result of one individual at the Academy who is not a permanent
employee saying: “All I can say, it‟s a power play” based on “the greediness” of the
individual. Faculty and staff participant FS-G warned of this individual influence
declaring: “I don‟t want to see the program get a black eye. And I make some
comments that I made to you earlier and that‟s the reason. I don‟t want the program
to get a black eye for that reason.” Faculty and staff Participants FS-B and FS-C
made similar comments about this same individual as a personality that was
detrimental to the Academy. Faculty and staff participant FS-C summarized the
individual influence of the specific hourly-as-needed employee coming to the
Academy because: “The pay here is off the charts.” Moreover, this individual was
perceived as controlling the TAC staff of the Academy. Faculty and staff participant
FS-C described the relationship other permanent and temporary staff members had
with this specific hourly-as-needed employee as: “don‟t even think about telling him
you know, we really don‟t do it that way anymore. Don‟t even think about telling
him that, because you‟re gonna get blasted.”
The perception of this one personality having such an influence over the
Academy was questioned by the researcher. Asking faculty and staff participant FS-
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C how this person could have such influence over the Academy as an hourly-as-
needed employee FS-C said: “I think he does for the most part a good job, I think
[senior administrator] has confidence in him.” This comment reflected how the
organizational leadership was perceived as enabling the hourly-as-needed employee
to impact the Academy. This outlook was reinforced by faculty and staff participant
FS-B who said of the administrator and hourly-as-needed employee relationship:
“[He] has abdicated his power to [hourly-as-needed employee] and marginalized the
fulltime employees.” Interestingly, a point that was not mentioned by the faculty and
staff participants in relation to the unique relationship of the empowered hourly-as-
needed person and the Academy was the issue of responsibility.
Research Sub-Question 1c
To what extent do student experiences (alumni and current students) validate
faculty perceptions of success?
Academic quality. Academic quality was mentioned by 100% of alumni and
cadet participants in all the first four substantive questions asked in their respective
protocols (Appendices D and E). As current and former students the participants
were concerned with having an experience that provided them with a “general basic
knowledge of what law enforcement is and some of the associated skills and tactics
that are needed for police work” (FS-P). Academic quality was comprised of the
Academy‟s curriculum, instructors and teaching methods.
Alumni perspectives. The alumni participants provided the singular
perspective of using their Academy training and education in actual field work.
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Faculty and staff participant FS-H identified the Academy's reason for success as
being that: “. . . the amount of information that‟s available here from police officers
that are still on duty, and retired officers that are bringing their life experiences into
the program.” This perspective of having current and retired TAC officers was seen
as a double edged sword by the alumni participants. The experience of alumni
participant AC-Q in response to the lead TAC officer teaching in scenarios was: “he
was outdated with the new technology that is coming out and the new techniques for
searching and, you know that was a problem for me.” Alumni participant AC-Q
commended the younger TAC officers who were still active law enforcement
officers. Alumni participant AC-Q said a few of these younger TAC officers assisted
in the instruction of the cadets relating how one TAC Officer tried to mediate the
presentation of out of date tactics and passed on information that was later found to
be valuable when going through the FTO program: “Like I said [TAC Officer Z], I
don't know if he is still here but he was really good about that, but he was also brand
new and he had just started so he was looking around and I think kind of going uh,
that‟s not really quite the same, so he would pull us aside and like, here is another
option, you might consider this.”
Alumni participant AC-P had similar experiences while going through the
Academy's Basic Course. Alumni participant AC-P was able to distinguish what was
essential to their training from what was required to pass the subjective grading of
lead TAC Officers who controlled the scenario testing process. Alumni participant
AC-P described this flaw in academic quality saying of the TAC Officers: “They
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would do that with us too [said in response to AC-Q's response above] and say, „I am
not going to say that their [referencing lead TAC Officers], what they said was
wrong, but what I've seen is this,‟ to give you a different perspective. But as far as
the instructors talking amongst themselves about finding what maybe they think was
the best option . . . nah, that never happened.”
The alumni participants placed great value on the scenario training as the
most influential part of the curriculum that related most to their actual duties as law
enforcement officers. Both Alumni participants AC-Q and AC-P appeared to be self-
motivated individuals in their interviews. This was reflected in alumni participant
AC-P's observation of the non-scenario based curriculum at the Academy:
“Ultimately I think you know, when it is time to study, they give us the time to
study. You can study on your breaks, you can study at home and, and barring that
you are not so out of shape that you are not going to make it physically. As long as
you have a level head on your shoulders and you have a little bit of study you know,
ability to study on your own, you will be fine as far as getting through. You may not
be the top of the class, but you will make it.” The academic quality of the Academy
did not seem to be as much as a challenge to the alumni participants as was
navigating from TAC Officer to TAC Officer. The experience the alumni
participants related during their interviews concerned going through the Academy
focused on passing the tests. When this was juxtaposed to their actual law
enforcement duties, in retrospect, they noted that the experience could have been
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better if the practical application of the learning domains had been more current with
contemporary policing practices.
Cadet perspectives. The five cadet participants were all pre-service cadets. Of
the fifty-five cadets who were in the targeted class of the Basic Course, 71% were
pre-service cadets. The cadet participants were able to provide the perspective of the
academic quality of the Academy from that of a current cadet undergoing the
physical and mental stresses of the Academy experience. These participants had the
additional pressure of having to look for employment while going through the
Academy.
Cadet participant C-L believed that the training the cadets were receiving was
superior to that of other academies throughout the state. Cadet C-L said: “The people
that are hired, the rate that they pass their FTO phase and the rate they are graded.
Departments get cadets from multiple agencies and they say they have a successful
rate with [the Academy]. That means that our training and experience we receive
here is better than others.” Cadet participant C-K agreed with cadet participant C-L‟s
metric of measuring the cadets by their capabilities upon graduation. Cadet
participant C-K said: “The cadets that are graduating from here are well rounded.
They are both physically and mentally capable of doing their job and they do they
job pretty well.” The cadet participants viewed academic quality from a perspective
that their chances of getting hired were better because of the experiences at the
Academy. Cadet participant C-K‟s father advised that it was better to go to the
Academy, but cadet participant C-K thought: “Personally before I entered the
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academy I looked down on the whole concept of going to a community college for a
police academy. I mean it just didn't sound adequate. It didn't sound right and . . . I
figured it would be more respected to actually go through an agency.” This
perception changed as cadet participant C-K later said of the academic preparation
that the cadets were receiving: “Definitely ready . . . ready to start the training [FTO
program with agency] because you can only do so much in an academy as opposed
to when you come into conflict with the real world.”
The cadet participants unanimously agreed that the Academy provided many
academic as well as physical challenges. The quality of the instructors was respected
as cadet participant C-L said of the instructional staff: “They never seem like they‟re
here just for a paycheck. They stay late to help, they come in early to help uh, and
you can really tell the amount of experience that a lot of the instructors have.” Being
students, the cadet participants‟ perspective ceased to go beyond that of their
instruction and their involvement with TAC Officers.
Academy culture. The culture of the Academy was important to both the
former and current cadet participants. Among the factors that formed the Academy's
culture was the Academy‟s reputation, daily routines and the paramilitary
organization of the Academy. The reputation of the Academy preceded the current
and former cadet participants' enrollment in the Academy. Faculty and staff
participant FS-E said that the reputation of the academy was also part of a
phenomenon in which; “there is this I guess unusual, or almost as I call it, fascinating
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network of those trying to get into law enforcement. Those in law enforcement or
those who want to be in law enforcement.”
Alumni perspectives. The alumni participants were from two different classes.
One was an in-service cadet while at the Academy and the other was a pre-service
cadet while at the Academy. Both cadets related how the demands of the Academy
as a high stress academy had caused a high attrition rate within their respective
classes. Alumni participants AC-Q said their class “started with 84 and I think we
ended with about 58” and alumni participant AC-P said: “I think ours was about 80
and I think leaving with a little less than 50.” Reasons for the attrition were related
by alumni participant AC-Q who said of those failing out of the Academy: “I think a
lot of it was people either just couldn't handle the academic rigor or they couldn‟t
handle the physical part of it.” The culture of the academics is unique in the
Academy in that the entire course is given one grade (Program Review, 2008). This
means that a cadet could theoretically get a 100% on all tested learning domains and
then fail the last test. The academic result would be a Fail for the entire course. This
would be reflected academically as a letter grade of “F” for 1 course of 24 semester
hours of credit.
The Academy also had a culture in which cadets were subject to the unique
practices of not discussing issues or not being allowed to question TAC officers.
When talking about the custom of frowning on fraternization between cadets, alumni
participant AC-P related: “I think it's frowned upon but it's one of those things you
just don't talk about it.” While this practice appears benign in a community college
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setting it was considered serious by the alumni participants. The alumni participants
provided a picture that took the: “You are more afraid to disappoint a lot of these
TAC officers . . . than messing up and getting punished” perspective of cadet
participant C-M to that of questioning the educational worth of the TAC Officer
experience. This was seen in alumni cadet participant‟s AC- P and cadet participant
AC-Q‟s description of a lead TAC Officer who had his teaching techniques
evaluated as: “He was just so slow.” This comment was made in unison, by alumni
from two different classes, a fact that strengthened their shared belief in how this
TAC Officer subtracted from their preparation for a law enforcement career.
The alumni participants mentioned the practice of making the cadets
purchase items in order to pass specific learning domains. Alumni participant AC-Q
related “One thing that kind of irritated me with the academy . . . [the TAC Officers]
would bring in vendors to talk to us and sell us stuff during the academy.” Alumni
participant AC-P verified this practice saying of these mandatory presentations:
“You feel obligated to buy.” The arrest and control techniques portion of the
Academy was one program in which cadets had to purchase specific batons and
study books that could only be obtained from the instructors in order to pass the final
examination. Alumni participant AC-P said: “It was a [system name] test and you
had to pass the [system name] test in order to pass the weaponless defense portion of
the academy.” The selling of equipment and books to pass a test was not as
surprising to the alumni participants as was the selling of “kettle bells” (AC-P) and
“financial planning programs” (AC-Q).
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The general culture of the Academy as revealed by the alumni participant
AC-Q‟s perception was: “Overall I think the academy was a pretty good experience.
It definitely taught you the basics, but it is a little out dated.” Beyond learning the
basics required of POST, the participants were irritated by Academy traditions that
allowed individual employees of the academy to personally profit from the cadets
who were “a captive audience” (AC-Q). Although, the practices cited in this section
were not part of the Academy‟s curriculum, the practices nevertheless impacted the
curriculum and the experiences of the alumni participants.
Cadet Perspectives. Faculty and staff participant FS-E said that the reputation
of the academy was also part of a phenomenon in which “there is this I guess
unusual, or almost as I call it, fascinating network of those trying to get into law
enforcement. Those in law enforcement; or those who want to be in law
enforcement.” Cadet participant C-M relayed how he came to link up with this
network saying: “Not only at oral interviews but just meeting the cadets who have
gone through other academies who, just talking to other people when you meet new
people and you tell them you are going through the police academy, it's kind of
awkward how I have gradually met more people who are in the police academy
versus without being here I would have never really met anyone.” This network of
information about law enforcement training helped cadet participant C-L decide to
come to the Academy. Cadet participant C-L said: “I have friends that have gone
through [X]PD academy who've you know said, I heard [the Academy] is way harder
than [X]PD. So, it is very well respected. Even though it is not a sheriff's academy or
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an [X]PD academy, an agency academy . . . it's very highly respected and that's why
I came here instead of [X Community College Academy].”
Cadet participant C-K said the high stress nature of the Academy allowed for
the instructional staff to: “ . . .give us plenty of opportunity to . . . take initiative then
we have our leadership roles; and what the leadership roles . . . it's . . . having us go
by the chain of command it's having us communicate with each other and getting to
know one another.” The practice of letting the cadets grow through the challenges
was part of what chief of police participant COP-X said about candidates: “that want
to get into our profession that are clearly not qualified. And part of the [Academy]
experience is, we want to weed them out.” The concept of failing in such a rigid
curriculum left cadet participant C-K thinking of the worst case scenario in reference
to his training and the reputation of the Academy. Cadet participant C-K asked:
“What if I can't adapt to this, then I fall back on my training that I had before and I
just tell myself, this is what I really want to do, this is my career so even if I fail this
I am coming back again.”
The cadet participants were consistent in their belief that the Academy
experience was the best they could have. This was significant since all five cadet
participants had entered the Academy as pre-service. They felt their changes at
getting hired by an agency were better at the Academy because of the Academy‟s
reputation not only as a stress academy but also as an Academy that took pre-service
cadets. Cadet participant C-O summed up the Academy‟s culture from the
perspective of a pre-service cadet saying: “I think the academy's success is not only
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the number of graduates that are able to meet the pain in the FTO program but, the
number of people that are actually hired after the boards, those that are pre-service.”
Research Sub-Question 1d
To what extent do employers’ experiences with graduates as employees
validate the faculty and staff perceptions of success?
Academic Quality. The majority of the chiefs of police, 86%, used the
Academy as their predominant training academy. This practice was in line with the
perception of faculty and staff participant FS-D who said people came to the
Academy: “Because of our reputation throughout the state.” There was one
dissimilar opinion of the Academy in years past. Chief participant, COP-AB, who
was not a frequent user of the Academy, related: “to be quite honest with you when I
came, came to [City Name] -- I have been here about 9 years -- I came here as a
captain and then as the chief. We weren‟t using [The Academy] because in years past
it didn‟t have the greatest reputation.” The remainder of the chiefs of police
participants did not share this former outlook on the Academy. The remaining five
chiefs of police participants felt strongly about the academic quality of the Academy.
Chief participant COP-V said: “When people from other departments ask me where I
train I tell them [the Academy] . . . I have no reason to change because I am very
pleased with the quality of the recruit we are getting from them.” Chief participant
COP-AB did conclude his summary of the one cadet he had trained at the Academy
saying: “Like I said we just happened to use them [the Academy] recently and I was
pleased.”
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The perception of quality at the Academy was strong in the area of
instructors. Chief participant COP-W related how instructors worked with cadets
beyond the classroom saying: “And I know [Person A], [Person B], [Person C] get
phone calls all the time from cadets asking questions about this or that. I know that . .
. most staff officers will pass out [their] phone numbers to cadets that have
graduated, to ones that have been hired and to ones that have not been hired.” This
habit of instructional staff working extra with the cadets also goes for working with
agencies too. Chief participant COP-U said: “If we send somebody through that is
already hired, by say [Agency X] and let‟s say [TAC Officer] knows that then [they]
will keep a particular [watch] on how that person is doing and will alert us if there is
a problem.”
Academy Culture. The chiefs of police perspective of the culture at the
Academy were one where a high stress environment was used to prepare the cadets
for a career in law enforcement. Chief participant COP-Y used this screening process
to especially select pre-service cadets stating: “You can assess their commitment
level by what they are willing to give up on their own.” Law enforcement careers
require that people develop “. . . from being lay people into . . . having the skill set
necessary to perform at the basic level [of law enforcement].” Chief participant
COP-Y concurred with the drive of the pre-service cadets at the Academy saying: “I
would say that . . . cadets start off as being self-sponsored there. Their level of
personal commitment to the academy may be a little different than that with
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sponsored by an agency because . . . [they are] fulfilling a need that ultimately [they]
are responsible for, not necessarily an agency.”
The high stress environment of the Academy was balanced with instructors
that added to the Academy experience by providing services that went beyond the
Academy's curriculum. Chief participant COP-W provided an example of an officer
that returned to the Academy for assistance relating: “I know that my officers refer
back to academy instructors when they ask for help. To give you an example. One of
my officers here was having some trouble with report writing. He contacted [an
Academy Instructor] and [he] spent some of his own time going over some report
writing stuff with him.” Chief participant COP-W felt this extra service provided a
crucial link between the Academy and its alumni. This pattern of service paralleled a
narrative provided by faculty and staff participant FS-D who related about people
coming to the Academy for specialized training to meet California POST training
standards. Faculty and staff participant FS-D disclosed how “often times if there is
not a classroom available, [the coordinator] has them come in here and listen to the
videos or whatever they need to do, and time and again I would say almost every
single time they‟ve praised how accommodating we are here as far as that, and that
they don‟t really have to pay for it.”
Research Question 2
The second research question guiding the qualitative study was to determine
if success indicators at the Academy could be replicated by other law enforcement
training academies. The research question asked: To what extent does the faculty and
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staff see their success as being replicable by other programs. The Academy faculty
and staff served as the anchor population to this research question. This question was
supported by two additional sub-questions. The initial findings to Research Question
2 are reported by first examining the supporting sub-questions. After this analysis a
general overview of the question‟s findings will conclude this section.
The sub-populations of alumni, cadets and chiefs of police were not asked
questions that were designed to specifically answer research question 2 and the
supporting sub-questions 2a and 2b. The foundation of research question 2 and the
related sub-questions were singular to the Academy participants‟ perceptions and
opinions. The researcher reviewed participant transcripts from the alumni, cadets and
chiefs of police and did not find statements that were significant enough to provide
an in depth awareness of replicating the success of the Academy at other law
enforcement agencies. The researcher used the Academy's Program Review (2008)
and observations of the Academy to validate the statements of the faculty and staff
participants concerning the possibility of replicating or as discovered throughout the
interview process of this study, avoid replicating certain aspects of the Academy's
practices.
Even though research question 2 had two supporting sub-questions the
faculty and staff participants did not provide any substantial differences in their
descriptions of advice for college and non-college law enforcement training centers.
Therefore this section will introduce the sub-questions followed by a generic
response that will address research question 2. Following the format of this chapter
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the research question is presented via the two thematic themes of academic quality
and the culture of the Academy.
Findings for Research Question 2
The faculty and staff participants believed the success of the Academy could
be replicated by other agencies, whether they were college or non-college law
enforcement training centers. The researcher found that the faculty and staff
participants provided advice to a notional law enforcement academy in the form of
what might be done at the Academy in order to prevent the perceived decline of their
own organization. This finding was based on faculty and staff participant responses
to faculty and staff protocol number 5 that asked what advice they would give to
another academy wanting to be as successful as their own. The advice covered what
the faculty participants had cautioned what was happening to the Academy.
In a strange twist of fate the advice the faculty participants gave to other
academies seemed to highlight the warnings of their own internal problems that were
eating away at the perception of their success. Using the two central themes of
academic quality and the culture of the Academy, faculty participants seemed to
offer advice to other law enforcement academies as if rhetorically addressing the
Academy's perceived problems. This voice of the faculty participants was actually
asking themselves: “If we fix these things, can we be successful again?”
Research Sub-Question 2a and 2b
The first sub-question asks the abiding question of: By non-community
college operated programs. The second sub-question asks the abiding question of:
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By other community colleges operating an Academy. The purpose of these questions
was to discover if the faculty and staff members of the Academy felt their success
could be replicated by other law enforcement training centers. Faculty and staff
protocols 2, 4 and 5 were designed to identify indicators in the Academy program
that could be replicated in other training centers (Appendix C). Faculty and staff
protocol 2 asked: From your knowledge, what impact does the college organization
have on the police academy? Faculty and staff protocol 4 asked: What sources
outside of the college impact the police academy program? Faculty and staff
protocol 5 asked: What advice would you give another program wanting to be as
successful as yours? What should they do or work on? The predominant themes
responsible for success at the Academy were attributed to academic quality and the
culture of the Academy.
Academic Quality. The feasibility of replicating the academic quality of the
Academy seen by faculty and staff participant FS-B as attracting the right kind of
student. Faculty and staff participant FS-B based this recommendation of replicating
the Academy's academic success on the quality of the incoming cadet saying: “There
really is not much advice you can give them other than it‟s the quality of the students
that come in. If you don‟t screen them or test them or find out who is going to be
successful and who‟s not going to be successful – academically before they come.”
The advice of faculty and staff participant FS-J concurs with the viewpoint as well as
provides a segue to the organizational factors that could be replicated when it was
stated: “Well, I think that you know, quality of performance equals quality cadets.
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That‟s you know if you want to have a successful program you have to look at your
organization in terms of leadership, in terms of selecting instructors, in terms of
selecting TAC staff, and in terms of supporting those cadets. Because you know,
you‟re program is only as good as the cadets that are going through and graduating
and finding employment.” The researcher had observed that Academy had recently
instituted a mandatory cut-score on the POST entry level battery (examination) as
well as with the physical abilities battery to register for the Basic Course. This
requirement was instituted because the economy has resulted in too many people
wanting to enter law enforcement. This idea of a safe career choice married with the
Academy's reputation for accepting pre-service cadets resulted in upwards of 120
people applying for 90 seats in each Academy class.
Along with quality cadets faculty and staff participant FS-C provided advice
to other academies to additionally pay attention to the quality of service provided to
agencies saying: “you know our performance is paramount because, if they don‟t like
us they‟ll go somewhere else. And we have lost [city in Los Angeles County], we
have lost a few agencies because something happened, something occurred, that they
didn‟t like so we lost them. Once you lose an agency, it‟s tough to get them back.”
Faculty and staff participant FS-H responded to the question of replicating
success emphasizing the quality of instructors pointing out: “Okay, the good side of
it I would definitely go ahead and find good people to work for you. Quality
instructors and administrators, quality administrators as well as quality instructors.”
Faculty and staff participant FS-H also warned that the most knowledgeable
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instructors were not always the best instructors stating: “One of the things I see up
here occasionally is that somebody probably has many good qualities right, but they
are reluctant to be a good team player.” The faculty and staff participants weighed
heavily on the quality of the incoming cadets as well as the quality of instructors to
be successful as a law enforcement training center.
Academy Culture. The perception of replicating the Academy's culture was
thought possible by faculty and staff participant FS-E who provided advice to other
academies saying: “They also need to be -- remain current in their skills. And when
we talk about successes then you can‟t talk about successes without talking about
failures or concerns. So, having said that, you have to care, you have to remain
current.” Faculty and staff participant FS-G provided advice to other academies by
counseling the listener to pay attention to the importance of organizational
collaboration saying: “We have lost basically what I think, my own opinion, we have
lost that cohesiveness as teamwork.” These faculty and staff participants brought out
important aspects of how important it is to keep the organization healthy by ensuring
the organization is on par with the contemporary practices and skills of the industry
in which they belong.
Faculty and staff participant FS-F took this outlook and extended it the
constituency that the Academy serves by stating: “I would tell people that in order to
be successful, you got to be willing to reach out to the community and reach out to
those people who are your customers and find out what they want.” Faculty and staff
participant FS-Z keyed on this aspect of working with the Academy's customers
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needs stating how important is was to work with the Academy's advisory board.
Faculty and staff participant said: “Well I think probably the key would be to start
with a strong advisory board and do a very detailed needs analysis. Find out exactly
what their service area needs in terms of a training program.” Faculty and staff
participant FS-Z went on to advise “Then once you have done the detailed needs
analysis then you can do an internal audit and basically answer the question; are we
in the best position to do that or is there another resource outside of our area that
would be better to come in and do the classes.”
According to the faculty and staff responses the culture of the Academy
could best be replicated by ensuring the Academy included in its way of operating a
mechanism to answer the needs of the customers. For the Academy the customers
represented at least 40 municipal agencies instead of one primary agency. This
organizational approach to providing a service was represented by the faculty and
staff participants' concept of success is the result of a culture that practices quality.
Predominant Themes
Analysis of the participant responses for faculty and staff members of the
Academy revealed that the predominant themes responsible for success at the
Academy were attributed to the academic quality of the Academy and the culture of
the Academy. These two themes were derived by measuring the responses each of
the ten participants had within the six questions of the faculty and staff protocols.
The themes were annotated by the researcher for each participant response to a
specific question within the protocols. The totals of the questions were then
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aggregated to determine which themes were predominant in the overall responses of
the faculty and staff participants.
The Academy‟s academic quality theme received 133 responses which was
40% of all coded responses. The next theme identified was the Academy‟s cultural
theme that received 113 participant responses which was 34% of all coded responses.
These two themes were found to impact the success of the Academy positively and
negatively. The remainder of the responses was spread over the sub-themes of
outside influences on the Academy.
The two predominant themes revealed a unique peculiarity in the interview
responses that saw a majority of the participants both praising the Academy while
adding to these laudatory comments with a strong however; a however that cautioned
of practices at the Academy that threatened the reputation of the Academy along
with the quality of the Academy. This dual perception was examined as each
research question was explored. While the initial intent of this study was to identify
success indicators of an award winning law enforcement academy the strong
negative responses were not originally expected. Nonetheless, these negative
responses still brought to life success indicators that could make or break the
Academy. The participants' sincere perception of success provided this researcher
with a stronger appreciation for the participants‟ perspective on what factors can lead
to or maintains a successful academy. Thus, the negative aspects of the Academy are
illustrated not to degrade the Academy but rather to identify factors that lead to
successful practices.
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Academic quality. Academic quality was the predominant theme discovered
that affected the perceived success of the Academy. Academic quality was
mentioned by 100% of the ten faculty and staff participants interviewed (Appendix
C). All of the eight combined fulltime and adjunct faculty interviewed discussed that
the academic quality of the Academy was a key factor in the Academy‟s success.
The theme of academic quality contained reference to the subjects of curriculum,
instruction, instructors, remediation, and cadets being ready for field training (FTO)
after graduation.
The perception of the Academy's success was clear in the response of faculty
and staff participant FS-E provided when asked why the Academy was successful.
Faculty and staff participant FS-E claimed: “[The Academy] . . . distinguishes itself
being able to prepare the students. So again, not only academically but in terms of
the real world that is waiting for them out there.” Faculty and staff participant FS-J
echoed this assessment saying in response to why the program is successful: “I think
our standards are higher than other academies.”
The however of the participant responses were that the faculty participants
also warned that the quality of the program was in jeopardy because the Academy
portion of the Public Safety Department practiced a culture that promoted program
stagnation and potential decay. These sentiments were represented by faculty and
staff participant FS-B that said: “So, even though you can be rated as the best
academy you can still be turning out an inferior product based on the fact you have
people teaching things, the hands-on stuff, that haven't been in the field for 20
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years.” Adding to the strength of this viewpoint was faculty and staff participant FS-
C's opinion that discussed the Academy's POST award for Best in Excellence,
stating: “Whatever POST looked at to award this was one thing and what's
happening is another thing. And there seems to be a big gap in there -- in what's
really happening and what's being recorded.”
Instructors emerged as a significant factor of academic quality. The
instructional sub-theme referenced faculty members, fulltime and adjunct, hourly-as-
needed instructors, and tactical officers – POST certified training officers used only
in the instruction of academy cadets. Instructors were specifically mentioned as a
majority of the participant responses by 80% the ten faculty and staff participants
interviewed for faculty and staff questions 2; and by 70% of the ten faculty and staff
members in faculty and staff question 5 (Appendix C). This finding was represented
by faculty and staff participant FS-D that was asked why the Academy was
successful. Faculty and staff participant FS-D claimed: “To me, I would say, our
quality of instructors.” The converse of this belief that all instructors were of quality
was voiced by faculty and staff participant FS-F that said: “I think it has been
brought up before that some of the instructors we have now were hired because they
wanted to fill a slot. They really didn't vet those instructors.”
Faculty members at the Academy have to meet the California state
requirements for teaching at a community college while tactical officers were hired
to perform an instructional role more parallel to that of a drill sergeant at a military
boot camp as understood by faculty and staff participant FS-B that brought to light a
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fallacy of the instructional system that declares the academy instructor a vocational
expert: “The problem is that a lot of our hourly staff were hired when they were in
their 30s and now they're in their 60s and they still have no education, and they make
no effort to get an education.” The reason for these instructors staying at the
academy was emphasized by faculty and staff participant FS-C that said: “The pay
here is off the charts. Nobody even can come close to what we make.”
This combined and diametrically opposed perspective of the Academy's
success was expressed as a warning by the majority of the faculty participants that
the Academy was in danger of failing. This warning was summed up by faculty
participant FS-E who advised that change was needed “In order to . . . maintain its
branding, in order to maintain its credibility.” FS-E added: “we‟re successful but
we‟re stagnant. And there is going to come a time [when] . . . that stagnation may in
fact be a detriment to us.”
Academy culture. The culture of the Academy was the second most
prominent theme that was credited for the Academy‟s success. Strongest among the
responses falling under the cultural theme was the Academy‟s reputation. The
importance of the Academy‟s reputation was seen by faculty and staff participant
FS-Z who said of the Academy's success: “I think we have a pretty good reputation
amongst the field.” Faculty and staff participant FS-E concurred with participant FS-
Z's perception of reputation asserting: “I think that's what makes [the Academy]
successful, or at least gives it the brand name of being successful.”
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Cultural practices that affected the Academy reflected distinctive
characteristics that have resulted in both positive and negative outcomes. Of the
faculty members interviewed a majority of 75% of the participants viewed some of
the cultural practices as negatively impacting the Academy. Some of the cultural
practices mentioned were the noted differences in disciplining staff members.
Faculty and staff participant FS-H said of an instructor that had committed offenses
and seemingly had no action taken against him “knowing that it happens and that
there are no repercussions for that individual, and he just kind of like keeps tripping
through the roses” had a negative impact on the Academy and its cadets. Faculty and
staff participant FS-C brought into his descriptive interview the perception that there
was a shadow chain of command that permeated throughout the Academy in which
one person negatively influenced the Academy with outdated practices. Faculty and
staff participant FS-C talked of this person saying: “His intentions are very, very
good. He's just old school and there is one way to do it, and it is the [X's] way to do
it.” These practices highlighted an illustration of what should not be practiced by
Academy instructors.
The remainder of this chapter is organized into sections describing the
findings by the research questions asked in this study. The primary research
questions are introduced followed by a narrative of each supporting sub-question.
Each sub-question will report the findings by the context in which they were
discovered. The findings will describe the predominant themes flushed out during
the interviews that were related to the Academy's success. These themes were
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academic quality and the Academy culture. The chapter will conclude with an
overall discussion of what the findings mean to the primary research questions and
what they meant to this study.
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CHAPTER 5
Conclusions
The law enforcement community is in need of examining all sources of law
enforcement training to improve preparedness and response capabilities within this
sector of the public safety community (AACC, 2006; Gose, 2006; Altizer, Bradshaw,
Courtney, Hill & Jilani, 2006; Glenn, et al., 2008). Leveraging knowledge from
existing programs prevents the law enforcement leaders from reinventing of the
wheel (GAO, 2004). If law enforcement agencies are to continue protecting the
public within the ever-growing framework of public safety, law enforcement officers
need to be properly trained to fulfill their ever demanding duties (Raymond, et al.,
2005; DHS, 2009). This study examined how higher education fit as a resource into
the realm of law enforcement training (Altizer, et al., 2006).
This study further examined what the faculty and staff perceptions of success
were of the Academy. Inquiry was conducted through the use of document analysis,
personal observation and individual interviews. The differing perspectives of success
were explored through the experiences of the participants as data was analyzed
through the four organizational frames of: structural, human resource, political and
symbolic (Bolman & Deal, 2008). The research was driven by two primary research
questions. Specifically, they were:
1. To what does the faculty and staff of the community college Police
Academy attribute their success?
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2. To what extent does the faculty and staff see their success as being
replicable by other programs?
These questions were analyzed using the four organizational frames of Bolman and
Deal (2008). Recurrent themes in the data analysis were coded using Bolman‟s and
Deal‟s (2008) organizational framing theory to examine what the Academy faculty
and staff perceived as indicators of their success. The investigative framework also
explored if the identified success of the Academy was due to either personal or
organizational characteristics; or, a mixture of both characteristics.
Participants for this study volunteered from four different populations. All
populations were associated with the Academy as either an employee of the
Academy; a student – cadet, an alumnus of the Academy; or as a chief of police that
used the Academy for training their personnel. The study's anchor populations of
faculty and staff participants were employed at the Academy in the following
positions: administrators, faculty, or classified positions. The secondary customer-
client populations of the Academy comprised the following participant groups:
students or current cadets; alumnus cadets working in law enforcement; and chiefs of
police.
Summary of Findings
In an ironic twist of outcomes this study began with the intention of
identifying factors at the Academy, an award winning law enforcement training
center, which led to its success; however, as this study matured factors leading to
success were represented in a pejorative context to the actual operation and
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administration of the Academy. Factors leading to success were being employed in a
manner that was actually eroding the acclaimed successes of the Academy. This
phenomenon of misapplied principles in organizational management (Bolman &
Deal, 2008) was understood by the majority of the faculty participants interviewed in
this study. Consequently, the strongest evidence supporting the findings below were
based on faculty participant perceptions of what the Academy should do instead of
what it has done. Therefore factors leading to success at the Academy were
presented primarily as practices or omissions of practices at the Academy.
Bolman‟s and Deal‟s organizational framing (2008) provided a lens from
which the perspectives of the participants interviewed could be aggregated into
organizational themes. The Academy's Program Review (2008) provided a snapshot
of the Academy in time. The Academy's structural frame was described as a complex
machination with the purpose of transforming cadets into police officers. The
Program Review (2008) also provided a view into the symbolism that subsists at the
Academy, providing the Academy with a distinct and unique culture. The participant
interviews added depth to the structural and symbolic frames of Bolman and Deal
(2008). The interviews also revealed how the relationships within the Academy
characterized the human relations frame of the Academy (Bolman & Deal, 2008).
Lastly, the interviews exposed the power conflicts residing within the Academy's
political frame (Bolman & Deal, 2008).
In answering the research questions, the participants expressed two distinct
perceptions of Academy. The participants considered the Academy as two distinct
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entities -- entities that influenced the Academy via organizational characteristics
versus personality characteristics. The first perspective perceived the Academy as an
organizational "it" or the organizational characteristic. The second perspective
perceived the Academy as an organization "they" or the personality characteristic.
The organization it was the Academy as an organization that possessed the concept
of success. They organizational they was perceived to consist of a special purpose
unit granted an autonomy that received authority in the absence of accountability.
The they at the Academy influenced political and organizational power. The faculty
participants considered the power wielded by the they as a power the they were not
entitled to by the college.
There were three main findings of this study. The first was that the perception
of the Academy‟s success was inconsistent with the Academy‟s reputation. The
second was that academic quality was largely dependent on the quality of curriculum
and the quality of instructors. Lastly, the culture of the Academy did not support a
strong organizational structure. As a result the findings concentrate on the
divergence between the organizational they and the organizational it.
Perceptions of Success
Foremost among this study‟s findings was that the faculty and staff‟s
perception of the Academy‟s success was inconsistent with the Academy‟s
reputation. Faculty and staff participants believed the success of the Academy was
based on the two central themes of academic quality and the culture of the Academy.
This finding was consistent with the findings in the Glenn et al. (2008) study of
155

training in the Los Angeles Police Department; which looked at the LAPD as an
organization it. While the curriculum at the Academy is controlled by POST (POST,
2006a) the interpretation and delivery of the curriculum is important as highlighted
by contemporary law enforcement training researchers (Wimshurdt &- Ransley,
2007; Glenn et al., 2008; Chappell, 2008). Wimshurdt and Ransley (2007) were
concerned that the they in an academy training environment would affect the
presentation of the curriculum.
The faculty and staff participants emphasized that the Academy was
operating in the midst of a decline. According to the faculty and staff participants the
reputation the Academy had as being the best, was based on a thin veneer of past
successes and not necessarily on current practices. When viewed from the four
frames of Bolman and Deal (2008) the false perceptions of success were based on
the misconceptions of how the Academy was operated and how it served its
customers, principally the cadets. When the Academy is viewed from the human
resource frame (Bolman & Deal, 2008) the Academy did not fully meet the needs of
the cadets by providing them with instruction based on current knowledge and
practices. The importance of providing cadets with current and relevant instruction
was recommended to the Los Angeles Police Department as a way to professionalize
the department (Glenn, et al., 2008).
Likewise, the human resource frame of reference touched on the ethical
liabilities of misleading the cadets in their preparation as law enforcement officers.
The National Institute of Justice (NIJ, 2005) discussed that ethics was an important
156

part of a cadets learning experience. The study found practices like the techniques in
the Academy‟s scenario training and testing were perceived by both faculty and
alumni participants to have been grounded in individual needs of instructors versus
contemporary policing practices. The trumping of meaningful instruction, the
organizational it, was said to have been sacrificed to the ego of individual
instructors; actions of the organizational they.
Academic Quality
The study found that the Academy‟s academic quality was largely dependent
on the quality of curriculum and the quality of instructors. For that reason the study
flushed out two diametrically opposed descriptions of the instructional staff. While
POST controls the curriculum (POST, 2006a) the delivery of the instruction to the
cadets is as important as discussed by Glenn, et al. (2008). The delivery of a
controlled law enforcement curriculum was also a concern in the Australian police
academy study of Wimshurdt and Ransley (2007) where it was thought the tertiary
environment of a college would detract from the rigidness of an academy setting.
The Academy is considered a high stress academy but the study found the
college environment facilitated the practice of keeping instructional staff in teaching
positions beyond their academic or practical prime. The result was that the rigidness
of the Academy was less than some of the staff participants had believed. This was
brought up by the majority of the faculty participants interviewed as well as the
alumni interviewed. The digression in academic quality was not a result of the
instructor‟s age but, rather in how current the instructor was in law enforcement
157

training, techniques and procedures. The lack of lead Academy instructors to
maintain their knowledge and skills to the standard of the street was found to
negatively impact the quality of the Academy‟s academics.
The discrepancy revealed in the academic quality of the Academy fell across
the full spectrum of Bolman's and Deal's (2008) organizational framing. The
influential instructors at the Academy that constituted the outdated they of the
organization challenged the structural composition of the Academy by diverting
from the central beliefs of the ordered chain of command. Likewise the law
enforcement skill sets of the they were not meeting the learning needs of the cadets'
human resource frame. Absent from the participants‟ experiences was a feeling that
their needs as cadets were not married to real-world requirements of employment as
a law enforcement officer. The alumni and current cadet participants to a person had
complaints about the quality and realism of scenario training. From a human
resource frame it was expected of the Academy scenario training to provide cadets
with a mechanism to solicit meaningful dialogue between the TAC staff and the
cadet. In a realm of “don‟t question the instructor” the participants felt this exchange
might have added to the pedagogy of the training. The political perspective of the
Academy was truly a concrete jungle as the it and the they of the organization were
in direct conflict. Faculty participants reported that alliances were developed to
strengthen the they and marginalize the it. The faculty participants also reported how
the commodity of pay was controlled through personnel assignment. With a limited
number of paid positions available in any one day Faculty Participant FS-C said
158

allegiance was controlled by manipulating the work schedule. Lastly, the symbolic
construction of the Academy confused for the participants what was inspirational and
what constituted the meaning of the Academy. Faculty participants reported that
some instructional staff refused to question their own limits of knowledge and skills
in law enforcement procedures and tactics. These same instructors were equally
reported by the current cadet participants to be their hero-figures at the Academy.
This conflict in perception was a concern for a majority of the faculty participants
that cautioned the Academy against the damaging of the Academy‟s reputation for
quality.
Academy Organization and Culture
The political frame of Bolman‟s and Deal‟s (2008) organizational
management theory revealed that the internal practices of authority, responsibility
and accountability were not in line at the Academy‟s Program Plan (2008). Faculty
participants called attention to a shadow chain of command, the they, that had more
influence on the daily operation of the Academy than did the Academy
administrators. The difference between the practiced power structure at the Academy
and the leadership was discussed by Bolman and Deal (2008) as a phenomenon that
can exist in any organization. This phenomenon is not necessarily detrimental to the
organization if the players in the organization work to a unified purpose or mission
(Bolman & Deal, 2008). This study found that the purpose and mission of the players
at the Academy was found to be disjointed and nonaligned. Faculty participants felt a
shadow chain of command was working for personal gain instead of the benefit of
159

the cadets. Additionally, instruction, especially in scenario training was not
considered relevant to what was happening on the streets. This sentiment was felt by
both faculty and alumni participants.
Birnbaum's (1988) advice to college administrators about working in a
collaborative environment was not being practiced at the Academy according to the
faculty participants that believed a few people at the Academy thought they were
independent of the college and the college's interests. This pattern in which Academy
personnel were not aligned in a cohesive organizational structure revealed leadership
that went against Dowd's (2003) perception of how vocational programs worked
within their host colleges. Dowd (2003) emphasized the leaders of vocational
education were a business link between industry standards of training and readiness
and higher education. Influential players at the Academy lost sight of the
entrepreneurial enterprise that the Academy had as a vocational program at the host
college (Dowd, 2003). The Academy‟s relationship with the industry of law
enforcement was perceived by faculty participants to be in decline as far as quality.
Implications for Practice
The inferences of this study's findings pertain principally to the Academy.
This section will explain how the study‟s three findings translate into recommended
practices for the Academy. Related to the first finding was that the perception of the
Academy‟s success was inconsistent with the Academy‟s reputation; the academy
should consider conducting a climate survey of internal and external stakeholders to
establish differences between the Academy operations and its reputation. The survey
160

can then be used as a foundation to make changes to the Academy program. Second
in that academic quality was largely dependent on the quality of curriculum and the
quality of instructors. Instructors at the Academy should be subject matter experts in
what they present. People with limited or outdated experience need to receive current
and sustained training in the subject areas they present. Lastly, the culture of the
Academy did not support a strong organizational structure therefore there was an
absence of effective leadership across the Academy. The findings additionally dealt
with the organization as two distinct entities. The implications for practice are
posited as a means to reduce the divergence between the organizational it and the
organizational they.
First, success was a phenomenon that the faculty participants understood was
in a diminishing phase in the life of the Academy. While the Academy‟s success is
directly related to the two other findings of this study the idea that surrounds the
perception of success requires the Academy to pay particular attention the branding
of the Academy; or, more directly, to the rebranding of the academy. Even as the
Academy, as an organization it, addresses the sister implications of this study‟s
findings the Academy will need to actively work within the law enforcement
network that was mentioned by faculty and cadet participants. The impression that
needs to be imprinted on this network is one where the Academy‟s curriculum and
staff are current in law enforcement training, tactics, and procedures. This will marry
with the implications for the Academy‟s quality of instruction and academic culture.
161

Second, the Academy needs to conduct an analysis of its academic standing
through a rigorous examination and revision, if required, of academic curriculum that
meets POST standards as well as the expectations of the chiefs of police that hire the
Academy‟s cadets. The quality of instruction can be reinforced with quality
instructors drawn from senior or retired officers with not only exemplary careers but
also solid academic preparation. The Academy will need to also hire current mid-
grade officers with proven FTO experience to work in the TAC positions so that the
cadets are exposed to current training, tactics and procedures used by FTO‟s in the
field.
The final practices recommended for the Academy are the most difficult and
longest to implement in terms of applicability and time line. The finding that the
Academy‟s culture needs to ensure a strong organizational structure will require
altering the fabric of the Academy. Hiring new managers, faculty and staff alone will
not be sufficient to change the Academy as a temple of where the best of the law
enforcement officers are trained. The Academy will need to develop new meaning
for rituals, ceremony, and beliefs of what the Academy is to become. This will
require a collaborative effort within as well as with Academy customers and clients
outside the Academy.
These implications show that the Academy needs to identify targeted
organizational values for the Academy that spans all four frames of Bolman‟s and
Deal‟s (2008) organizational theory. The key outcome for the Academy will be the
development of a rebranding strategy centered on the implications for practice
162

discussed above. The goal of these implications is not to issue an unchangeable
blueprint for the Academy but rather to propose a basic blueprint to guide the
Academy in correcting organizational behaviors that can affect the perception of
success. The Academy‟s strategy must be a living plan that is flexible so that it can
change as the Academy changes.
Recommendations for Future Research
While it was beyond the scope of this study to expand the borders of the
intended inquiry, the researcher noted several areas that warrant future research. The
recommended studies could be of a qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods
nature. The recommendations for future research concentrate on law enforcement
training. The first recommendation would be to expand the basic design of this study
to encompass a combination of community college and agency law enforcement
training centers. The second recommendation would be to include specific leaders
directly involved in law enforcement training. The participants of this study gave
significant weight to the following positions that were not targeted as part of the
study's population pool. The last recommendation is to include the impact of POST
on law enforcement training. These people would include administrators of the law
enforcement training centers, college administrators, academy directors, and filed
training officers. This population would include the full spectrum of those people
involved in training law enforcement officers. The addition of these populations
would provide an organizational perspective not experienced by personnel at the
instructor and cadet levels of academy involvement.
163

The recommendation to expand the basic design of this study could
encompass a combination of personnel from community colleges and agency law
enforcement training centers. This would allow researchers to conduct a comparative
analysis of more than just one training center in response to protocols used. This
recommendation would also allow future studies to view law enforcement training
from other perspectives than those captured in this study.
The differences in agency administered academies would inject the
perspectives of academies that center on patrolling in the streets (LAPD for example)
versus custody and confinement (LASO for example). This point was brought out by
several study participants in all populations interviewed. The inclusion of more than
one community college operated training center would reveal the impact of the
college organization on training. As pointed out by faculty participants, some
community college training centers are operated by local law enforcement agencies
and not by college employees. The addition of diverse law enforcement training
centers and academies can add to the depth of information for future research.
The second recommendation for future research is to include a variety of
leaders involved in law enforcement training. Faculty, staff and chiefs of police
participants of this study pointed to other training leaders that could significantly add
insight to research in law enforcement training. These people would include
administrators of the law enforcement training centers, college administrators,
academy directors, and filed training officers. This population would include the full
spectrum of those people that impact the training of law enforcement officers.
164

A majority of the chiefs of police participants revealed that a better judge of
newly hired officers in the FTO program would have been the Filed Training
Officers that were responsible for the performance of new hires. Inclusion of the
Field Training Officers in future research will facilitate an exclusive perspective of
the quality of training and preparation of the officer coming out of an academy. The
transition of a person from cadet to officer is important enough to merit a singular
study.
Addition of academy directors, coordinators and college administrators will
also add to a clearer picture of academy operations from a systemic perspective.
While many of the participants desired more training, facilities or resources these
things cannot be increased without funds. Inclusion of these people will add a lens to
research that can reveal the impact of systemic level decision makers on law
enforcement training.
Finally, while this study found that POST was mentioned by all participants
interviewed there was not a comprehensive depiction of the Commission and how it
actually affected law enforcement training. POST was represented as an enigma that
controlled and directed law enforcement training, yet no participant demonstrated a
clear understanding of how POST is organized or operates within law enforcement
training. Inclusion of POST in future research is significant because all of this study's
participants considered POST as an anchor to law enforcement training
requirements. Exploring this phenomenon is worthwhile. Therefore it is
165

recommended that POST is included in future research on law enforcement training
as a primary impacting factor of the training phenomenon.
Conclusion
The research conducted for this study was predicated on improving training
for the law enforcement community. The lens provided for this study was one of 36
POST certified law enforcement training centers in California. This micro-
perspective on law enforcement training did not detract from the importance of
factors affecting the quality of training from a macro-perspective. The case study
evaluation of the Academy highlighted how training can positively or negatively
impact how training programs are organized and operated.
The micro-perspective examination of the Academy revealed that while none
of the separate populations interviewed can reasonably claim to speak for the
Academy the best collective voice provided by this research was a summative voice
that points to a phenomenon in which an organization‟s culture is important to the
organization's success. The culture of the Academy impacted all four organizational
frames described by Bolman and Deal (2008).
On a macro-perspective, the basic training a law enforcement officer receives
is the foundation upon which future performance is based. Contemporary law
enforcement officers are required to perform an array of duties that includes not only
policing but responses to terrorism and natural hazards. A noteworthy take-away
from this study is that research needs to be continued to further explore how to
improve training for the law enforcement community.
166

Post Script
On October 6, 2010, POST representatives went to the Academy and
suspended the Academy from presenting the POST Basic Courses (Garcia, 2010).
The POST suspension was due to a POST investigation into a security breach of
POST testing materials (Garcia, 2010). The suspension affected 122 cadets in two
Academy basic Courses as well as the cancellation of future classes pending the
completion of the POST investigation.
Area chiefs serviced by the Academy voiced their concerns to Garcia (2010a)
about the long term effects to their agencies. Of the 122 cadets affected by the POST
suspension 22 cadets were sponsored by municipal agencies serviced by the
Academy. Chiefs of police that discussed the Academy‟s suspension with Garcia
(2010a) supported the Academy‟s leadership but refrained from commenting on the
test breach until POST completed their investigation. Garcia (2010a) also received
comments from cadets that were concerned about the uncertainty of their careers.
In late October POST notified cadets from one of the two Academy classes
affected by the POST suspension that they would continue their training at a sheriff‟s
academy located in southern California (Garcia, 2010b). The decision by POST to
allow the cadets to complete their training was based on the belief that the actions of
the cadets were not found to be dishonest (Garcia, 2010b). Garcia (2010b) stressed
that the cadets believed the study guide they received which contained answers to
POST tests was approved by the Academy administration.
167

The POST Commission was briefed on the status of the investigation into the
breach of test security at the Academy in late October, 2010 (POST, 2010). The
briefing was conducted by a POST Bureau Chief who was in charge of the
investigation (POST, 2010). The Bureau Chief reported that a student at the
Academy reported to an Academy instructor that the Academy‟s study guide
contained test answers (POST, 2010). The study guide was turned over to POST for
further evaluation. POST investigators found that 23 of 26 POST secure tests were
compromised by the study guide (POST, 2010). POST reported that “over 350 actual
test questions existed on the study guide, coma for coma, word for word, even down
to naming conventions that we use based on the Library of Congress rules” (POST,
2010). Distribution of the study guide was discovered in Texas, Tennessee and at
three other academies in California (POST, 2010). The POST investigation also
discovered that another test was compromised in its entirety from the Advanced
Officer Training program (POST, 2010). This breach in test security was also traced
back to the Academy‟s staff (POST, 2010).
The POST Bureau Chief briefing the commission reported that the
investigation was still ongoing but that the “study guide was sanctioned, condoned,
authorized, and okayed to be used on academy grounds” (POST, 2010). In closing
his investigative brief to the POST Commission the Bureau Chief emphasized that
the replacement cost of the tests could be as high as $1,150,000. This cost was
related to recommendations forwarded by the Bureau Chief for future business
practices (POST, 2010). First, was the integration of ethics into the POST instructor
168

certification course (POST, 2010). Second, was changing the way POST conducted
testing in the future. The Bureau Chief recommended that instead of managing 26
tests in the future it would be better to administer a mid-term and a final test to
certify cadets as police officers (POST, 2010).
At the time this study was completed the Academy awaits the conclusion of
the POST investigation. The Academy is still on suspension and not allowed to
present the Basic Course or any other courses that require POST testing. The
seriousness of the warnings provided by faculty participants appears verified by the
events of this post script.

169

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179

APPENDIX A TABLE 5: PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVES
RELATING TO HOMELAND SECURITY
President Directive Date Subject Purpose
Prior to September 11, 2001

G.H.W.
Bush
National Security
Directive
(NSD 66)
3/16/1992 Civil Defense Civil defense
capability was to
prepare for all hazard
emergencies
B. Clinton Presidential
Decision
Directive
(PDD 71)
2/24/2000 Strengthening
Criminal Justice
Systems in Support of
Peace Operations
Form cadre of civil
police trainers for
nation building
operations
Post September 11, 2001

G.W. Bush National Security
Presidential
Directive
(NSPD 9)
10/25/2001 Combating Terrorism Eliminate Al‟ Qaeda
network (actual NSPD
was ready for signature on
9/4/2001. It was signed with
minor modification)
G.W. Bush Homeland
Security
Presidential
Directive
(HSPD 1)
10/29/2001 Organization and
Operation of the
Homeland Security
Council
Coordinate across
Federal, State, and
local agencies to
reduce the potential for
terrorist attacks
G.W. Bush Homeland
Security
Presidential
Directive
(HSPD 2)
10/29/2001 Combating Terrorism
Through Immigration
Policies
Enforce immigration
policy with multiple
agencies in law
enforcement &
education
G.W. Bush Homeland
Security
Presidential
Directive
(HSPD 3)

3/11/2002 Homeland Security
Advisory System
Establish a threat
warning system
G.W. Bush Homeland
Security
Presidential
Directive
(HSPD 5)
2/28/2003 Management of
Domestic Incidents
Established the
National Incident
management System
(NIMS)
G.W. Bush Homeland
Security
Presidential
Directive
(HSPD 6)
9/16/2003 Integration & Use of
Screening Information
Expanded use of
screening & reporting
requirements

180

Table 5: Continued
President Directive Date Subject Purpose
G.W. Bush Homeland
Security
Presidential
Directive
(HSPD 7)
12/17/2003 Critical Infrastructure
Identification,
Prioritization, &
Protection
Protect critical
infrastructure from
terrorist attacks
G.W. Bush Homeland
Security
Presidential
Directive
(HSPD 8)
12/17/2003 National Preparedness Prepare, prevent &
respond to all hazards
G.W. Bush Homeland
Security
Presidential
Directive
(HSPD 9)
2/3/2004 Defense of United
States Agriculture &
Food
Protect agriculture &
food supplies
G.W. Bush Homeland
Security
Presidential
Directive
(HSPD 10)
4/28/2004 Biodefense for the
21
st
Century
Prepare, prevent &
respond to biological
weapons attacks
G.W. Bush Homeland
Security
Presidential
Directive
(HSPD 11)
8/27/2004 Comprehensive
Terrorist-Related
Screening Procedures
Detect & interdict
suspected terrorists in
U.S.
G.W. Bush Homeland
Security
Presidential
Directive
(HSPD 14) &
National Security
Presidential
Directive (NSPD
43)
4/15/2005 Domestic Nuclear
Detection
Protect against
importation & attack
from nuclear materials
G.W. Bush Homeland
Security
Presidential
Directive
(HSPD 18)
2/7/2007 Medical
Countermeasures
against WMD
Use private & public
resources to respond to
WMD attacks
G.W. Bush Homeland
Security
Presidential
Directive
(HSPD 19)
2/12/2007 Combating Terrorist
use of explosives in
the U.S.
Policy to plan, prevent
& respond to terrorist
attacks using
explosives

181

Table 5: Continued
President Directive Date Subject Purpose
G.W. Bush Homeland
Security
Presidential
Directive
(HSPD 20) &
National Security
Presidential
Directive (NSPD
51)
5/9/2007 National Continuity
Policy
Maintain continuity of
federal, state and local
governments
B. Obama Presidential
Policy Directive
(PDD 1)
2/13/2009 Organization of the
National Security
Council System
Coordinate across
Federal, State, and
local agencies to
respond to terrorist
attacks
182

APPENDIX B: INFORMATION/FACTS SHEET FOR NON-
MEDICAL RESEARCH

University of Southern California
Rossier School of Education
Waite Phillips Hall
Los Angeles, CA 90089

INFORMATION/FACTS SHEET FOR NON-MEDICAL
RESEARCH

ORGANIZATIONAL FRAMING: EVALUATION OF A COMMUNITY
COLLEGE LAW ENFORCEMENT TRAINING CENTER

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The purpose of this study is to explore the faculty and staff perceptions of the
Police Academy's success as a law enforcement training center. Additionally, this
study will see if any success indicators identified can be shared with other law
enforcement training centers. Validation of the faculty and staff perceptions of
success will be supported by the experiences and perceptions of other people
associated with the Police Academy. These people are current and former Police
Academy cadets and chiefs of police that have sent their officers to the Police
Academy for training.

PARTICIPANT INVOLVEMENT

If you volunteer to participate in this study, you will be asked to participate in
an interview. The interview will be conducted at a time and location that is private
and agreeable to you. The interview is anticipated to be at least 45 minutes but not
longer than 1 hour. Each of you will be asked a series of open-ended questions on
your perceptions of the Police Academy's success based on your affiliation with the
Police Academy. Your interview will be recorded a digital voice recorder. The
interviewer will also take notes during the interview. If you do not wish the interview
to be recorded on a digital voice recorder and/or do not want the interviewer to take
notes, you may still participate in this study. Once your interview is complete your
interview will be transcribed for further study. It is not anticipated that you will be
asked to participate in a follow up interview.
183

CONFIDENTIALITY

Any identifiable information obtained in connection with this study will
remain confidential and will be disclosed only with your permission or as required
by law.

No one except the researcher/interviewer will have access to the data
associated with this study. The data will be stored in a secure storage facility. Once
the dissertation is complete and

accepted by the dissertation committee all data (in all media) will be secured
for a period of three years in a secure storage facility. At that point the data will be
destroyed so that it may not be retrieved, reconstructed or reused by another person.

The research site will also remain anonymous in the text of the dissertation to
further strengthen participant confidentiality. Reference to your interview in the text
of the dissertation will be identified with an anonymous moniker constructed of the
word Participant followed by an identifying singular alphabet; example: Participant
A.

When and if the results of the research are published or discussed in
conferences, no identifiable information will be used in accordance with the
identification rules established above.

INVESTIGATOR CONTACT INFORMATION

If you have any questions or concerns about the research, please feel free to
contact me, Ygnacio "Nash" Flores at yvflores@usc.edu or at (561) 463-7733.

IRB CONTACT INFORMATION

University Park IRB, Office of the Vice Provost for Research Advancement,
Stonier Hall, Room 224a, Los Angeles, CA 90089-1146, (213) 821-5272 or
upirb@usc.edu

Ygnacio V. Flores

184

APPENDIX C: ACADEMY FACULTY AND STAFF INTERVIEW
PROTOCOL

1. This program has been called "successful" by various groups. What does that
mean in your opinion?

2. What contributes to making this program being successful? (examples: parts of
curriculum; instruction; staffing; scheduling)

3. From your knowledge, what impact does the college organization have on the
Police Academy? (Compared to a non-college operated police academy).

4. What sources outside of the college impact the Police Academy program?
(Performance, curriculum, learning domains, community perceptions)

5. What advice would you give another program wanting to be as successful as
yours? What should they do or work on?

6. Is there anything else you would like to say about this subject?

185

APPENDIX D: ACADEMY ALUMNI CADET INTERVIEW
PROTOCOL

1. This program has been called "successful" by various groups. What do you
think that means?

2. Now that you have finished the police academy, what about the program was
helpful in you graduating from the academy?

3. What is your job like compared to what you learned at the academy?

4. Tell me why you would or wouldn't recommend this academy to another person
that wanted to enter the law enforcement career field.

5. Is there anything else you would like to say about this subject?

186

APPENDIX E: ACADEMY CADET INTERVIEW PROTOCOL

1. This program has been called "successful" by various groups. What do you
think that means?

2. What about the academy is helpful in you graduating from the academy?

3. What would you change at the academy to make it better?

4. Tell me why you would or wouldn't recommend this academy to another person
that wanted to enter the law enforcement career field.

5. Is there anything else you would like to say about this subject?

187

APPENDIX F: CHIEFS OF POLICE INTERVIEW PROTOCOL

1. The Academy has been called a "successful" program, what would you
attribute this success to?

2. Describe characteristics and/or preparation of Academy cadets that have
contributed to the transition of cadets into your department?

3. Describe characteristics and/or training that you desire in a cadet that Academy
cadets did not possess; and should these characteristics be taught by the
Academy‟s basic course?

4. Do you know if there is a performance difference between newly hired
Academy cadets as compared to cadets from non-college academies?

5. Is there anything else you would like to say about this subject?

188

APPENDIX G TABLE 6: CODING THEMES FOR REFRAMING
WITH A FOUR-FRAME MODEL
(Adapted from Bolman and Deal, 2008, p. 18)

Organizational
Themes
Frames
Structural Human Resource Political Symbolic
Organizational
Metaphor
Factory, Machine Family Jungle, arena Carnival,
temple, theater,
tribe
Central Beliefs Rules, roles,
goals, policies,
relationships,
technology,
environment,
division of labor
Needs, skills,
relationships,
feelings,
prejudices, skills,
limitations
Power, conflict,
competition,
organizational
politics, contests
Culture,
meaning,
metaphor, ritual,
ceremony,
stories, heroes
inspiration
Image of
Leadership
Social
architecture
Empowerment Advocacy,
political savvy,
Bargaining,
negotiation,
coercion,
compromise

Actors make up
organization
Inspiration
Leadership
Challenges
Attune structure
to task,
technology,
environment,
organizational
size & age
Align
organizational
and human needs
Develop agenda
& power base,
limited resources
Create faith,
beauty, meaning

195
189

APPENDIX H TABLE 7: CODING THEMES FOR
ORGANIZATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS VS. PERSONALITY
CHARACTERISTICS IN AGREEMENT OF REASONS FOR
SUCCESS

Organizational Characteristics* Personality
Characteristics**
Structural
Frame
Regular staff/faculty meetings
Regular planning meetings
Long established operating procedures
Strong chain of command
Committees are formed or in place to
handle contingencies
People/committees held responsible for
tasks
Performance tasks clearly delineated in
metrics
Thinks clearly and
logically
Strongly emphasizes
careful planning and
clear time lines
Approaches problems
through logical analysis
and careful thinking
Develops & implements
Clear, logical policies
and procedures
Approaches problems
with fact & logic
Sets specific, measurable
goals & holds people
accountable for results
Has extra ordinary
attention to details
Strongly believes in clear
structure & chain of
command

190

Table 7 (Continued)

Organizational Characteristics* Personality
Characteristics**
Human
Resources
Frame
Established mechanism to communicate
ideas up the chain of command
Divisions/teams openly communicate
ideas
Shared lounge facilities
Established mechanism to solicit vertical
& lateral ideas outside professional topics
Established system of awards &
recognition by competition or other means
Shows high level of
support & concern for
others
Builds trust through open
& collaborative
relationships
Shows high sensitivity &
concern for others' needs
& feelings
Fosters high level of
participation &
involvement in decisions
Is consistently helpful
and responsive to others
Listens well & is
unusually receptive to
other people's ideas &
input
Gives personal
recognition for work
well done.
Is a highly participative
manager

196
191

Table 7 (Continued)

*Adapted from Bolman and Deal, 2008, p. 18
**Thompson, 2000, p. 987-988
Political
Frame
Workplace is a competitive arena
Promotion is based on performance
Contests are regularly held for recognition
Bargaining is required to secure budget,
supplies, equipment
Limited resources
Teams control power bases
Coercion is apparent in environment
Shows exceptional
ability to mobilize
people & resources to
get things done
Is a skillful and shrewd
negotiator
Is an unusually
persuasive & influential
Anticipates & deals
skillfully with organized
conflict
Is very effective in
getting support from
people with influence &
power
Politically sensitive &
skillful
Develops alliances to
build a strong base of
support
Succeeds in the face of
conflict and opposition
Symbolic
Frame
Organization is a temple
Organizational members are a tribe
Esprit de corps
Strong culture exists
Rituals & ceremonies are regularly
practiced
Initiations take place
Graduations result in changes of status

Actors and roles are important to
organization
Faith in organization
Unique symbols are prominent in
organization
Inspires others to do
their best
Is highly charismatic
Is an inspirations to
others
Is highly imaginative &
creative
Communicates a strong
& challenging vision &
sense of mission
Sees beyond current
realities to create
exciting new
opportunities
Generates loyalty &
enthusiasm
Serves as an influential
model of organizational
aspirations & values
198
197

192

APPENDIX I FIGURE 1: CASE STUDY EVALUATION LOGIC
MODEL

199

The
Academy
Resources
-Cost
-Labor
-Equipment

Antecedent Variables
- WASC
- Advisory Boards
- POST
- Federal Regs
- State Regs
- Community perception
Inputs
-Management
- Faculty
- Staff
- Programs
- College Org
- Unions
Activities
-Instruction
-Mentoring
Mediating Variables
- Center utilization
- Curriculum
- Quality of Instruction
- Social norms & Attitudes
- Cadet/AO participation
Outputs
- People
trained
- People
certificated
Outcomes
- Qualified
LE officers
- Requaled
officers
193

APPENDIX J FIGURE 2: PUBLIC SAFETY ORGANIZATIONAL
CHART

200
194

APPENDIX K FIGURE 3: POLICE ACADEMY
ORGANIZATIONAL CHART

201

Abstract (if available)

Abstract The noted lack of professionalism within the law enforcement community along with new performance standards has created a need for law enforcement agencies to identify means to improve training programs that satisfy local, state and federal training and readiness requirements. The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, growing demographic diversity and a general realization of professional ethics saw the end of the city-centric mission for municipal law enforcement agencies. As law enforcement agencies struggled to change from a reactive performance model to a proactive performance model, the need for better trained law enforcement officer was apparent in the literature. Research highlighted two areas in need of reform: training and leadership.

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Asset Metadata

Creator Flores, Ygnacio “Nash” (author)

Core Title Organizational framing: evaluation of a community college law enforcement training center

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Education (Leadership)

Publication Date 02/07/2011

Defense Date 01/20/2011

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag case study,Law enforcement,OAI-PMH Harvest,Police Academy,Training

Place Name California (states)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Sundt, Melora A. (committee chair), Fischer, Linda A. (committee member), Kealoha, Louie (committee member), Picus, Lawrence (committee member)

Creator Email nashflores@aol.com,yflores@riohondo.edu

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-m3645

Unique identifier UC1212355

Identifier etd-Flores-4305 (filename),usctheses-m40 (legacy collection record id),usctheses-c127-435489 (legacy record id),usctheses-m3645 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-Flores-4305.pdf

Dmrecord 435489

Document Type Dissertation

Rights Flores, Ygnacio “Nash”

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Repository Name Libraries, University of Southern California

Repository Location Los Angeles, California

Repository Email cisadmin@lib.usc.edu