Blog 24 - Last Presentation Reflection

My two mentors the day of my presentation. Tuesday, May 31st, 2016.

(1) Positive Statement

What are you most proud of in your block presentation and/or your senior project? Why?

• I am proud of several things that happened in my block presentation and in my senior project. I did learn a lot from my senior project and all the research I did as well as the ride alongs. During my block presentation I was able to pull through and not give up. I was very nervous and my friends would try and keep me calm by telling me to relax but in the inside I was freaking out. I thought I was not going to make talking time or I was not going to explain my answers well. At the end of my presentation I felt proud of myself for actually hitting every requirement and talk about my answers to the best of my ability.

(2) Questions to Consider

a. What assessment would you give yourself on your block presentation? Use the component contract to defend that assessment.


AE       P      AP      CR      NC

• The reason why I would give myself an AE on my block presentation is because I do strongly believe that I hit every requirement in the contract. I had an effective hook, I executed my answers and the foundation fairly well, I made it relatable to today's world by giving specific situations, I effectively used my time. I also dressed for the occasion which in my opinion did catch my audience's attention. I brought my two mentors who assisted in my presentation and were part of the finishing touch to my presentation.

b. What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project? Use the component contract to defend that assessment.


AE      P        AP       CR       NC

• I would give myself an AE on my overall senior project because I manage to overcome the obstacles of repeated information or information that would not relate to my topic. I also had other problems such as the availability of both my mentors so, I had to think of something that would benefit me. My senior project turned out to be a complete success because of all the time and effort I would put towards it. I also spent a lot of time on my Senior Project and tried going on as many ride alongs as I possibly could. The ride alongs benefited me greatly because I did learned a lot from them and I also had unforgettable experiences.

(3) What worked for you in your senior project?

• What worked from e in my project was that I already knew what my main focus of my senior project was going to be since my Sophomore year in high school. Something else that helped me a lot was the fact that I am part of a Police Explorer program fro the city of Pomona and I have been in that program for some years now. So, getting mentors and going on ride alongs was something I would get approved. I also had the assistance of my teachers if I ever needed it as well as the assistance of several different officers who I would ride with. I am also very passionate about the topic that I picked because it is something I want to do as a career when I graduate from College.

(4) (What didn't work) if you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your senior project?

• Well, for my senior final presentation I would of had more talking time for both my mentors to use because by the time when I finished with my talking time they had like 7 minutes to talk or answer any questions that my audience would have. I would also read more books that would relate to my topic and help me answer my essential question.

(5)  Finding Value

How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors? Be specific and use examples.

• Senior Project taught me a lot that I had questions or concerns about. After completing my final presentation I can truly say I learned a lot from everything that I did and everything that I put myself. I finally understand how several Police Officers deal with their stressful environments and how they think well under pressure. Once again, Law Enforcement is a career I want to pursue in my near future and when I become of age. So, doing all the research, going to mentorship, and interviewing Police Officers taught me a lot and opened my eyes that I still have a long way to go.

Now that I have completed my presentation I can say... I AM GRADUATING!

Blog 23 - Exit Interview Prep

For any high risk crime there must be an inner and outer perimeter around the scene. 

Content:

(1) What is your essential question, and what are your answers? What is your best answer and why?

• My essential question is, "How can a Police Officer make safe and ethical calls in high pressure situations?". My three answers to my essential question are: training, experience and character. My best answer is training and that is because the more training a Police Officer has the better they will get at handling calls for service or staying calm in a high pressure situation. Police Officer with more training make better decisions that will lead to a positive outcome. 

(2) What process did you take to arrive at this answer?

• Through all my research, ridealongs, and attending my Explorer meetings I came to the conclusion that training in fact is an important factor to the life of a Police Officer. The more they train the better they get at assisting with calls for service and the easier it will be to solve situations. During my ridealongs I would see a difference between a Field Training Officer and their trainee. Both would react to the situation differently but the trainee would have a difficult time at proceeding forward with the situation. As for the Field Training Officer who would be able to make a judgement call much faster. The reason being is due to the exposure and training he's had for some years now. As the trainee keeps learning and training in different tactics and ways to approach a situation he or she will soon discover that training makes perfect and everybody has their own way of solving a situation. In my Explorer meetings,we are constantly training and the way we put our training to the test is by participating in different explorer competitions that have a simulation of real world situations that a Police Officer may deal with. Such situations may be as simple as a traffic stop violation or as difficult as an active shooter. We train under pressure but in order to make good decisions we must know the basics of each situation and the tactics that may be used to properly execute a decision and make a move. 

(3) What problems did you face? How did you resolve them?

• When doing research I would find articles that would repeat the same information as the ones that I had previously read. So, most of the information would repeat itself in different articles. That was a big problem because I was always trying to find some different information that I had not know about. It was suggested to me that I should not only rely on articles for research but also use other sources. I then started to read other sources such as journals, online magazines, books, and blogs. Another problem that I bumped into was the different Police Officers that I rode with. I always tried to ride with different Police Officers but the problem was my schedule and the timing of the ridealong. I only do full shifts which varies from 10-12 hours. I knew I had to ride with different Police Officer so I can see a different perspective. The way I solved this issue was by carefully planning my whole schedule for the week and adjusting it if needed. That way I could make some time for my ridealongs and actually be able to ride with other Police Officers. 

(4) What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?

• The one significant source that I used to answer my essential question was the book Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking written by Malcolm Gladwell. The book blink was a recommended source by my teacher. The reason why it is such a significant source is due to the story of an individual having contact with the Police and the poor decision making made by Law enforcement. In the book every single step made is explained fairly well and the reason behind why those Police Officers made those decisions that were improperly executed. Another important source that helped me answering my essential question is the article, Performing under pressure: Gaze control, decision making and shooting performance of elite and rookie police officers written by Joan N. Vickers and William Lewinski. The article itself explained fairly well how the mind tends to react to high pressure situation and the decision making involved. There are also different examples of scenarios that a Police Officer was involved as well as different research on the performance of Police Officers under high pressure situations. 

The SWAT Team are the ones who constantly train and are exposed to the most dangerous crimes such as high risk search warrants, hostage situations, barricaded subjects, and other high risk situations. 

Be prepared with evidence and specific examples to support any response. It is also significant to cite sources as you explain. 

Blog 22 - Independent Component 2

City in where I patrol with other Police Officers

Content:

LITERAL

(a) Include this statement: "I, Jennifer Aguilera, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 44 hours of work."
(b) Cite your source regarding who or what article or book helped you complete the independent component.

• Gazzar, Brenda. "Sharp Rise in Officers Killed in the Line of Duty in First Half of 2014." LA Daily News. LA Daily News, 22 July 2014. Web. 22 Apr. 2016. <http://www.dailynews.com/article/LA/20140722/NEWS/140729866>.
• Johnson, Kevin. "19 of 50 Slain Police Killed in Ambushes." USA Today News. USA Today, 25 Aug. 2011. Web. 03 Apr. 2016. <http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2011-08-25/19-of-50-slain-police-killed-in-ambushes/50138148/1>.
• Officer Mendoza. Ride Along. 
• Officer Pagtakhan. Ride Along.
• Officer Viers. Ride Along.
• Thomas, Adams F. Police Field Operations. Seventh Edition. 
• Winton, Richard. "U.S. Police Officer Deaths Jump Nearly One-Third in First Half of 2014." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 22 July 2014. Web. 25 Mar. 2016. <http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-In-police-officers-killed-california-2014-20140722-story.html>.
• Wyllie, Doug. "Remembering the Lakewood Four." PoliceOne. PoliceOne.com, 29 Nov. 2010. Web. 13 Mar. 2016. <https://www.policeone.com/police-heroes/2977043-Remembering-the-Lakewood-Four/>. 

(c) Update your Independent Component 2 Log

• Done

(d) Explain what you completed. 

• For my Independent Component 2 I decided to take a Law Enforcement related class at Mount San Antonio College. My Administrative Justice class is every Thursday from 3:30 pm to 6:40 pm. The class started on February 25th, 2016 and it does not end until June 09th, 2016. So far, every week a new chapter is covered and in that chapter videos as well as pictures are shown as an example. Professor Kirk Smith who is a retired LAPD Sergeant is filled with knowledge about the Law Enforcement career. I have shown up to class every week and I learn different things every week. I have learned so many facts, statistics and court law cases that impacts law enforcement. I have also learned the do's and do not's of the career. Professor Smith is constantly reminding us that this career takes a lot of dedication and it is not for everybody. Police Officers have lost their lives in the line of duty while protecting others. It only takes one split second to end a life. 
• The class has taught me so much and has also opened my eyes about several events that are seen in the media. Now I watch the news more often because anything that happens in the nation and is related to Law Enforcement affects it one way or another. Besides taking a class I decided to ride with different Police Officers because every Police Officer has their own way of handling things or their own way of performing under pressure. Not everyone is the same therefore, every Police Officer has their own way of taking control of the situation. I have learned different ways of how to handle a call for service and I have also learned different tactics that can be used in the field. 

(e) Defend your work and explain the component's significance and how it demonstrates 30 hours of work. Provide evidence (photos, transcript, art work, videos, etc.) of the 30 hours of work.   

• By taking a College level course and going on ride alongs with different Police Officers I have learned that there are different ways to approach a situation. My essential question is, How can a Police Officer make safe and ethical calls in high pressure situations?. Therefore, taking an Administrative Justice course benefits me in having a better understanding of several procedures, tactics, and other concepts. Learning more about the Law Enforcement career has given me a bigger picture on how to view things while being on patrol. The class has also shown me the things that a Police Officer should not do and something that a Police Officer should always do when being on patrol or anywhere with a uniform on. 

Above is my Student Schedule for my Administrative Justice class

Ride Along form with Officer Mendoza

Ride Along form with Officer Pagtakhan

Ride Along form with Officer Viers 

(f) How did the component help you answer your EQ? Please include specific examples to illustrate how it helped. 

• This independent component helped me answer my essential question by having a class as well as a Professor that specifies in Law Enforcement and the concepts. My professor has first hand experience with good and bad calls for service. He has also been exposed to high pressure situations and knew how to act accordingly due to his training and experience. Professor Smith was also an instructor who would teach other Police Officers safe tactics and ways to handle a situation. My class has taught me to always stay alert, never think that a call for service will be the same thing as last time and to always be prepared for the unexpected. As a Police Officer they undergo a lot of stress and sometimes that stress can fog their mind when handling a high pressure situation. All Police Officers train and training because it is their lives that are at stake when confronting a suspect with a gun or knife. In class, Professor Smith showed us videos of a Police Officer unsafely approaching a vehicle at a traffic stop and being killed right there because the suspect had a gun on him. Another video shown was a Police Officer who was in a confrontation with a person who had a gun. That Police Officer did not take control of the situation and in his voice you were able to hear the nervousness. That Police Officer was shot and killed, the suspect ran away and was arrested hours later. It is important to keep Officer safety at all times because if that fails then the Police Officer has a much greater possibility of dying.  

This Independent Component was a job well done!

Blog 21 - Fourth Interview Reflection

Learning will be better understood when the mind is clear and open to it.

1. What is the most important thing I learned from the interview?

• The most important thing that I learned from the interview is to never believe that every single call for service will be the same because not everyone will be able to predict what will happen next. Out in the field a Police Officer should always reflect back to their training when encountering a high pressure situation. One should always remain calm and keep in mind the goal of the situation. Police Officers are hired to serve and protect the community as well as their property. They are also needed in times of keeping the peace between to parties involved in an incident. No single police officer can say that they are excellent at what they do because eventually they will make a mistake and sometimes newer police officers perform better than those who have been in the field longer. Every police officer has their preference in the different calls for service that they much rather do because they can say they are good at it. Officer Pagtakhan at the end mentioned that new police officers should keep an open mind because even though they receive training on certain things they will not know everything or see everything first hand. Experiences comes with the amount of times a police officer has assisted on calls for service because that is the only way they will get better at assisting and performing.

2. How will what I learned affect my final lesson?

• What I learned will affect my final lesson by improving it because the interview did tie in nicely with my senior project question. Officer Pagtakhan provided his own personal opinion which made me look a things differently than before. Now for my final lesson I can talk about something's he said that in my opinion hold a great value. I can also add to my presentation some examples that I came up with because the interview gave me a different perspective on things such as training, experience, learning, and stress.

Interview 4 audio.
Please start at 8:48. 

Blog 20 - Interview 4 Preparation

Coming up with good questions can be difficult for some, like me.

1. Who do you plan to interview? What is this person's area of expertise?

• The person who I plan to interview for the upcoming interview is, Officer Pagtakhan. He has been a Police Officer for more than 15 years and has worked in several different tasks. Some tasks are as followed; Gangs, narcotics, and patrol. Officer Pagtakhan has worked with Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department in assisting with narcotics and gangs task force. Officer Pagtakhan has more experience than some of the Officers in his squad, he has been exposed to several critical calls for service as well as assisting with community services.  

2. Post 20 open-ended questions you want to ask an expert in the field concerning your senior project. Your focus should be finding answers to your Essential Question.

• To start off, state some background information and your current line of work?
• Being a Police Officer can be very stressful for some. So, on a daily basis how do you deal with stress when being exposed to it?
• How do you tend to perform in stressful situations? Like active shooters, high risk vehicle stops, vehicle pursuits, man with a gun, etc.
• My essential question is, "How can a Police Officer make safe and ethical calls in high pressure situations?" How would you answer the previous stated question?
• What is your current perspective on my essential question and how do you interpret it. So, once again my essential question is, "How can a police officer make safe and ethical calls in high pressure situations?"
• Do you know of any research sources that would benefit me in my senior project?
• Do you know of any research sources that would help me in answering my essential question?
•  Have you witnessed a police officer who was in a stressful situation that they could not handle?
• What comes to your mind when I ask you to define "safe and ethical"?
• When performing under stress what do you rely on? Any tactics?
• How can police officers perform well in high pressure situations?
• How do you go about your training simulations?
• Do you think all the training you undergo has helped you one way or another? If so, why? If not, why?
• Character defines a person. So, do you think that depending on the type of person one is that is how they will perform?
• What is the most high pressure/stressful call for service you have assisted on? How did you go about your performance?
• Reflecting back to the beginning of your career as a Police Officer. How is your performance from then compared to your performance as of now? By that I mean the way you act under pressure, deal with several calls for service, have you improved on something's, etc.
• Do you recommend anybody that I can talk to for further research on my project?
• What are something's that has improved Law Enforcement as of today?
• What are some activities that I can have my audience do so they can understand my answers to my essential question? My answers are; training, experience, and character.
• What is some advice that you would give an inexperienced police officer?

Blog 19 - Third Answer

Ethics are build as one keeps growing up and experiencing life situations.

Content:

Just like you did for answer 1 and 2 post your:


1. Essential Question

• How can a Police Officer make safe and ethical calls in high pressure situations?

2. Answer #3

• The third answer to my essential question is Character. By character I mean the Police Officers integrity, motivation, dedication, etc. An officer's ethics are not created as they grow up. In fact, they are built when they are born. Several factors affect an individuals ethics just like the environment they are in, their parents behavior, and the way they are raised. in order to make safe calls a Police Officer must be able to refer back to their ethics in order to make a good or the best decision in high pressure situations. Not only in high pressure situations but also when being on patrol. 

3. Three details to support your answer

• If it is 102 fahrenheit outside and a vehicle passed by then suddenly it is stopped by a Police Officer. The Officer must make the call if to take away the vehicle due to the small infraction and leave the driver, who is a mother and has her three children with her; to walk home. An option can be to take away the vehicle and take them home or not take it away at all and give the driver a warning. 
• If there is an active shooter at a school and the first responder is only one Police Officer. Will that Officer right away go in and possibly die or wait for their backing units. An Officers morals affects the way they make decisions and think about how to control and solve the situation. 
• If an Officer is shot and is in critical pain; should his partner help him or continue with the situation that they were sent for which is to eliminate the threat. Officers are trained in scenarios that have to do with an Officer being down. There will always be more than 5 Officers in high priority calls. So, an Officer is never left behind and will always have the help that he or she needs. 

4. The research source(s) to support your details and answer

• Book "Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking" by Malcolm Gladwell.  
• Horban, Jack E., Bruce J. Goorlie. "The Ethical Warrior and Warrior Creed" 

5. Concluding Sentence

• Ones moral values affects how to act, think, and solve a situation. When being under stress the mind tends to make decisions faster but one must choose if to go with the first decision made or continue thinking about the situation. Officer do not have a lot of time to make decisions that will always lead to the safer way out. Sometimes in this career lives are lost because split-second decisions are not made properly or the situation is not handled the way it should of been. The minute one is born the environment that surrounds us is a key element that affects the way we will be when we grow up. 

Blog 18 - Answer 2

Experience and Training makes a difference in determining if a Police Officer dies or live on the line of duty 

1. What is your EQ?

• My essential question is, "How can a Police Officer make safe and ethical calls in high pressure situations?"

2. What is your first answer?

• My first answer to my essential question is, Training. It takes a lot of training for a Police Officer to be able to make safe and ethical calls in high pressure situations. Continuously training will help any police officer because they will always refer back to muscle memory and what they did or how to perform in certain situations. 

3. What is your second answer?

• The second answer to my essential question is, experience. It makes a huge difference when it comes to Police officer who has been working for 2-3 years in comparison to a Police Officer who has worked for 10 or more years. The more a Police Officer is exposed to the better because it will better prepare them for anything out of the ordinary and they will know how to react. 

4. List three reasons your answer is true with a real-world application for each.

• If a Police officer who has worked for 2 years is involved in a shooting he or she may not know how to react to the situation because that is their first encounter to an active shooter. In the other hand, a Police Officer who has worked for 10 years and encounters and active shooter they will know how to better react to the situation due to the exposure they have had in the past and all the out of the ordinary encounters. 
• Experience may make or break a Police Officer because all Police Officers are human beings and if a newer Police Officer with little experience has to roll up to a high priority call and does not know what to do it will affect them greatly. It also places their life on the line or even other people's life on the line. The main duty of a Police Officer is to protect those in need and help in any situation where the individual feels like they cannot handle it themselves. If a Police Officer were to place others at risk then this may not be the best career for them. 
• Being a Police Officer takes a lot of courage, motivation and dedication. The process is difficult  and the goal takes time to achieve. For those newer Police Officer (Rookies) who graduated from the Police Academy and are starting their field training which is 6 months; go through so much such as stress under pressure, be able to do their duties, know how to talk on the radio, how to write reports, etc. If that rookie does not pass their 6 months of Field Training then they cannot be a Police Officer because after those 6 months are over they are on their own. A Police officer must be able to think fast as well as act fast and to make sure that all the calls they give are the right ones. one wrong move and their career may come to an end. Trainees are exposed to a lot of information during their field training but eventually understand the ropes.  In the city of Pomona which is known to have high crime rates, a Police Officer must always stay on the look out because in a split second their life can end due to an encounter of shots being fired. Another scenarios that may happen is a when a vehicle is stopped and the license of that vehicle comes back as "Stolen" then that traffic stop would then become as "high risk vehicle stop". So, commands must be given, the people in the vehicle have to come out and must be searched, and the vehicle must be searched; for any guns, weapons, drugs, or anything out of the ordinary like a kidnapped person. 

5. What printed source best supports your answer?

• Siegel, Robert. "'Be Guardians, Not Warriors': Training A New Generation Of Police." Npr. Npr, 21 May 2015. Web. 09 Sept. 2015. <http://www.npr.org/2015/05/21/408549702/be-guardians-not-warriors-training-a-new-generation-of-police>.
• <http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/investigative/2015/06/30/distraught-people-deadly-results/>.
• Leland, Fred. "Critical Decision Making Under Pressure: The Complete Article." Law Enforcement and Security Consulting. Law Enforcement and Security Consulting, 03 Dec. 2008. Web. 13 Jan. 2016. <http://www.lesc.net/blog/critical-decision-making-under-pressure-complete-article>.
• Kasper, Jody. "10 Rookie Errors To Avoid." - Article. Police Magazine, 18 May 2013. Web. 05 Feb. 2016. <http://www.policemag.com/channel/careers-training/articles/2010/05/10-rookie-errors-to-avoid.aspx>.
• Stoughton, Seth. "How Police Training Contributes to Avoidable Deaths." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 12 Dec. 2014. Web. 09 Feb. 2016. <http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/12/police-gun-shooting-training-ferguson/383681/>.

6. What other source supports your answer?

• Lowery Wesley Lowery, Kimberly Kindy, Keith L. Alexander, Wesley, Kimbrly Kindy, and Keith L. Alexander. "Distraught People, Deadly Results: Fatal Shootings by On-duty Police Officers." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 30 June 2015. Web. 15 Oct. 2015.
• Vickers, Joan N., and William Lewinski. "Performingunderpressure." Performingunderpressure. Force Science Institute Ltd., n.d. Web. 05 Jan. 2016. <http://www.forcescience.org/performingunderpressure.html>.
• Davis, Kevin R. "Leadership in Police Special Operations." Law Officer. Pennwell Corporation, 13 Aug. 2015. Web. 08 Sept. 2015. <http://www.lawofficer.com/articles/print/volume-11/issue-7/features/leadership-in-police-special-operations.html>.    

7.  Tie this together with a concluding thought.

• In Law Enforcement it takes a lot of time and effort to master something or just be good at it. It is critical that one understands what they are getting themselves into because it will place their life on the line as well as others. Police Officers must be able to eliminate the threat at any time and anywhere. They will face several encounters where the situation escalates very fast and it does not give one enough time to think and process what to do or what just happened. Experience and the amount of training that a Police Officer has gone through will make a difference in the field because their chances of survival have just increased. Rather than a new Police Officer who is still learning how to complete several tasks. One must be able to think, act and plan under pressure of what they will be doing and how they are going to control the situation. It can be difficult to think under pressure because one wrong move and everything may go downhill from there. So, Police Officer must always keep in mind that at any moment they can be involved in a high priority call like an active shooter or a foot pursuit. One must expect the unexpected, prepare for the worse and hope for the best. 

On Friday, 2/26 for Advisory, you will be presenting what you have from this blog.  The presentation is more like a share-out and should not last longer than 2 minutes. You don't need a visual, and you should not read what you have written.