There was a day and time when a High School Diploma and the Police Academy made you street-ready for police work. Well, times have most certainly changed and their changing by the day. We unfortunately live in a world these days were some plaintiff attorneys are waiting in the shadows for officers or their Chiefs/Sheriffs to make just one mistake. This is why, in most agencies, even after successful completion of the academy, an officer/deputy must serve as a jailer or dispatcher for at least two years before he/she is moved into a 12-16 week Field Training Program before they are even considered to be working the streets on their own. Even then, they are placed on a probationary period where they are closely monitored. Of course, the biggest reason behind all of this is because law enforcement had changed so much, the agency wants to do everything they can to not only make sure the officer/deputy is safe, but also to protect the agency from any possible legal liabilities. Unfortunately, our agency doesnt have the manpower to conduct such extended field training, but we do give high regard to formal law enforcement education and experience and we train, train, train, every chance we get. Most importantly, we are preparing to totally revamp our SOP (Standard Operating Procedures) within our agency and this goes for the (SOP) in the Jail as well. (When current and updated Standard Operating Procedures / Policies are in place, the agency can protect itself from a great deal of legal liability). You would be surprised at the legal liabilities within a criminal justice organization, especially one that houses a county jail. Even the most experienced Chiefs/Sheriffs can end up in the middle of lawsuits if they dont know what their doing or they dont stay up on the rules and regulations laid out by the legislature or jail standards, etc. Lawsuits, whether won or lost, will cost a lot of money and when the money is representing your law enforcement agency, its YOUR tax dollars that are being used. Please know we are not only staying current, but also working hard to update and stay on top of the current laws, rules, and regulations so as to protect our team and the Office of the Sheriff. Sheriff Joe Powell - Proudly Serving Sherman County
Posted on: Thu, 25 Sep 2014 01:23:30 +0000
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