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.  

Blog 17 - Interview 3 Reflection

Good communication leads to better understanding and amazing interviews. 

Please copy these questions and answer them in your own blog. Attach a link to your video or sound file (at least 5 minutes of what you feel is your best portion). As usual, you'll want an appropriate image to lead this.  


1. What is the most important things that I learned form the interview?

• I learned several important things in from the interview with Officer Cooper. Something that stuck with me throughout the whole interview is how passionate he is when answering all the questions that I asked him. From that I learned that in order to be successful one must love their career and be willing to do anything that is necessary. Officer Cooper has a lot of heart and motivation to what he does. I also learned to always expect the unexpected and everyday one will learn something new. Officer Cooper told me that everyday he works and goes home he leaves with learning something new that will benefit him and prepare him for future incidents or events that may come his way. 
• In order to cope with stress one must keep a clear mind and always reflect back on all the training and hard work that was done in preparation for the real thing. There are many officers who will lose their heads because they cannot deal with the amount of stress they are exposed to. But there will always be those officers who will help their partners in any way possible. In this type of career no one is alone because there will always be that one person who has your back no matter what. It is like a family that one builds over time because you are constantly working with them and completing several tasks with them. 

2. How has your approach to interviewing changed over the course of your senior project?

• Over the course of the interviews for my senior project I believe that I have improved in the way I the questions that I have, I communicate better, I will ask follow up questions if necessary, I am a bit less shy. Having good communication or bettering my communication skills throughout the interviews has made my interviews flow smoothly from one question to the other and actually be able to comprehend what the interviewee is saying when he/she is answering my questions. A smooth flow is very important because it makes the interview sound  and look more professional and there will be no awkward pauses. As I do more interviews with different people I will learn more and improve on interviewing people better. 

Learning is food for the brain.

 Please start at 7:51 minutes  


The text of this interview should be turned in to turnitin.com. A verification form for Interview 3 can be printed out from the Senior Project Packet link on the side of the blog. Do not forget to justify your mentor as an expert in your specific topic. 

Blog 16 - Independent Component 2 Approval

Content:

Please review the component contract in the senior project packet. The Independent Component 2 is an opportunity for you to add a dimension of creativity and/or an additional outlet for research. The goal of the component is for you to explore your answers in more depth. On Friday, April 22, 2016, you will be turning in the following to your blog to prove completion of this component:

• Blog post answering specific questions posted by senior team
• Log of hours clearly delineated as Independent Component 2 on senior project hours spreadsheet (with total number of hours included)
• Evidence of the 30 hours of work (e.g. transcript, essays, tests, art work, photographs) as digital artifacts

For this blog post and approval, please answer the following questions.

1. Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.

• For the 30 hours of Independent Component 2 I plan to take a college class that is about Law Enforcement at Mt. San Antonio Community College. Classes for Spring semester begin on the last week of February and tomorrow, Tuesday the 9th of February I will be attending an orientation to make sure that the class that I will be taking is allowed. I also plan to go on different ridealongs with several different officers who are not my mentors. I do believe that every officer has a different way of handling certain situations when they are put under stress and I do believe that we all think different. In one ridealong I can complete up to 11 hours so my goal is to go on 10 ridealongs with different officers and shifts as well as different squads. I also believe that riding with officers who have 1 to 2 years of experience is important because they are still learning just like me. But riding with officers who have been in the department for 20 or more years will be essential to my project. Depending on the class that I take the times and days to meet will differ so I will not know what days or class I will be in the class until I actually register for it.

2. Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectations of showing 30 hours of evidence.

• In order to meet or show the expectations of 30 hours of evidence I will have to take pictures of my work in class or make a professional paper where my professor and the different officers I rode with must sign it. If I take pictures of the officers and I when I am on my ridealong I will not be able to post them but I will be able to show my House teacher on the side.

3. Explain how this component will help you explore your topic in more depth.

• This second independent component will help me explore my topic in depth because I will actually take a class on Law Enforcement and there will be new and different things that I will encounter and learn about. By riding with different officers I will learn their ways of giving their service as well as their answers when I ask them my essential question of, "How can a Police Officer make safe and ethical calls in high pressure situations?". By riding with different officers it will allow me to see different perspectives and be able to distinguish newer police officers with those who have been in the department for years now.

4. Post a log in your Senior Project Hours link and label it "Independent  Component 2" log.

• Completed

Your answers to the questions should be supported with details and examples for the senior team to understand what you plan to do. Once we review your Blog Post 16, your house teacher will discuss with you the approval of your plan. If it is approved, please start working on it. If it is not approved, your house teacher will explain why. It is your job to address the concerns so you can get your component approved. Additionally, any changes requested must be addressed to your house teacher well in advance of the completion date for full credit on the assignment.

Research is important to this Senior Project!

Lesson 2 Reflection

Train for the worse, hope for the best  

1. What are you most proud of in your Lesson 2 Presentation and why? 

• I am proud of the content that I had in my power point slides, saying everything and expanding on it, and my activity turning out successful. All the previous mentioned points made me proud because I thought that my presentation was not going to flow like I planned it to be.  But with a few changes here and there, my presentation overall was a success. 

2. A. What assessment would you give yourself on your Lesson 2 Presentation  (self-assessment)? 

• AE   

B. Explain why you deserve that grade using evidence from Lesson 2 component contract? 

• I deserve an AE on my Lesson 2 Presentation because I hit every single point hard as well as presented more information that was not necessary but does help an individual understand. I also prepared myself ahead of time to make sure that every single piece of information flowed well in the presentation. I brought in props that would benefit me in my presentation. Every piece of paperwork that I brought it explained them and during my activity I walked around to make sure everybody was doing fine. 

3. What worked for you in your Lesson 2?

• What worked well for me in my Lesson 2 was that I brought props and had an interesting activity. I showed passion when I was presenting and threw a real life story during my presentation which made it interesting. I also had a friend help me pass out the paper for my activity which has allowed me to discuss the activity. 

4. What didn't work? If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your Lesson 2?

• What did not work for me was that before presenting I felt a nervous rush anxiety which made me forget some key parts. But at the end I was able to remember them and talk about them. I also felt that my hook was not good enough so I had to change it at the end which was the night before I presented. 
•  If I had a time machine to go back and be able to improve on my presentation would be to be part of the first few who present on the first day. I would also have more slides that would go in greater depth about the several different part of training. I would also add a video that relates to my answer. 

5. What do you think your answer #2 is going to be?

• I believe that my answer two is going to be "experience". I had the time to ask officer my essential question and their answers circled around training and experience as well as keeping ones head clear and always on the end goal (target). 

Independent Component 1

Leadership has different characteristics that makes it strong. 

Content:
LITERAL

• (a) Write: "I, Jennifer Aguilera, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 40.5 hours of work."
• (b) Cite your source regarding who or what article or book helped you complete the independent component. 
• "What Is Leadership?" - Leadership Skills Training from MindTools.com Mind Tools, n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2015.<http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_41.htm>.
• Bradberry, Travis. "10 Communication Secrets of Great Leaders." Entrepreneur. Entrepreneur Media, 27 July 2015. Web. 25 Oct. 2015.<http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/248742>. 
• "What Great Leaders Do Differently - Supervisory Leadership Article." What Great Leaders Do Differently - Supervisory Leadership Article. Wally Bock, n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2015 <http://agreatsupervisor.com/articles/great_leaders.htm>. 
• Biro, Meghan M. "Leadership is About Emotion." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 15 Dec. 2013. Web. 17 Nov. 2015. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/meghanbiro/2013/12/15/leadership-is-about-emotion/#2715e4857a0b6c854171269d>. 
• Jones, Tegan. "10 Impressive Characteristics Great Leaders Have." Lifehacks RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2015. <http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/10-impressive-characteristics-great-leaders-have.html.>.
• Brydson, David. "Strategic and Tactical Planning: Understanding the Difference" - SmallBizLink. SmallBiz Link, n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2015. <http://smallbizlink.monster.com/training/articles/855-strategic-and-tactical-planning-understanding-the-difference>.
• "Handgun Safety Rules and Procedure." PoliceOne. PoliceOne.com, 16 Feb. 2003. Web. 17 Nov. 2015. <http://www.policeone.com/police-products/firearms/articles/59674-Handgun-safety-rules-and-procedures/>.
• Olson, Jason. "Lead By Example: 10 Ways to Be a Successful Team Leader." Protent. Protent, Inc., 24 July 2014. Web. 05 Jan. 2016. <http://www.protent,com/blog/project-management/lead-example-guide-successful-team-leader.htm>.
• (c) Update your hours in your Senior Project Hours link. Make sure it is clearly labeled with hours for individual sessions as well as total hours. 
• Done 
• (d) Explain what you have completed.
• For my Independent Component One, a group of classmates and I came up with the excellent idea of establishing a club here at IPoly. The club names, "Leadership Club" has a mission which is to teach individuals about leadership and how one can become and excel at their characteristics. The club is open to anyone who wants to join. We had the opportunity to help those individuals in becoming better leaders as well as improving on other skills that we need in our daily lives. We held several meetings during and outside of school. Our weekly meeting where held during lunch every Thursday. The Club leaders who are: Jessica, Isaiah, Amir, and I would meet on the weekend to discuss further goals and activities. We would also prepare for the upcoming meeting. During the lunch meetings, the club members would participate in several scenarios that would put their skills to the test as well as those skills that they have been slowly learning. We want incorporated military and law enforcement skills and techniques into the club because we believe that both make a great impact on leadership and they both have great examples of well known leaders. Our club members so far have learned grown in their leadership side but they still need to improve on other things such as in order to be a leader one must be a follower, how to think under high pressure situations, how to demand without asking for too much, and how to solve certain scenarios. In the future we want our members to continue the growth of the club because after all this is the club leaders and I last year. We hope that one day when we come back the club has a strong foundation and is being lead by great leaders of IPoly. 

INTERPRETIVE

• Defend your work and explain its significance to your project and how it demonstrates 30 hours of work. Provide evidence (photos, transcript, art work, videos, etc.) of the 30 hours of work. 
• The club plays a significance role to my project because my essential question has to do with making safe and ethical calls in high pressure situations. Even though, it is not from the perspective of a Police Officer it is always good to see how individuals perform in high pressure scenarios. The club gave me a better understanding of how the minds of club members would work as they performed as leaders during the different scenarios we gave them. Just like Police Officers one must be able to know how to lead under high pressure and with training comes excellence. Every week the members would learn something new that they would be able to take home and also it would benefit them when it came to working in group projects at IPoly. Through all the research I have done about my project I learned more about how it is used in the real world and how it is put to the test when it comes to actually putting skills into work. Our club was not all about learning leadership skills and how to better improve on oneself but rather how leaderships skills can be used and a little bit of Physical Training. The President of the club which is Jessica organized a group run where it was sort of physical training but also bonding time with the club leaders and its members.

The email that all club members and leaders received for the "Group Run".

One of the groups leading the way as my partner and I stayed behind. 

The beautiful trail that was ran/hiked by the club members and leaders. 

APPLIED

• How did the component help you understand the foundation of your topic better? Please include specific examples to illustrate this. 
• The club allowed me to understand the foundation of my topic better because it came from a different perspective. The members made it all possible by showing up to every meeting and other outside events when we had some. Their participation made the meetings fun and exciting. The way they solved the different scenarios, which were smaller and easier simulations of what Law Enforcement do, was more understandable than what Police Officers do. The way teenagers think does compare to the way Police Officers think. Even though police officers think more tactical than teenagers it does have its similarities. Both parties show nervousness at the beginning but as they continue a burst of confidence appears and that is what makes the execution 100 times better and safe. When it comes to solving something there is always a person who stands up and leads the team to success or failure. In the club, members were highly successful when it came to solving puzzles or leading a team. Progress has been made since the first meeting and as each week goes by they seem to learn something and improve on their skills. Training is necessary in order to have a successful outcome and whenever we train with the members they seem to grasp every piece of information. Nervousness can be a con when it comes to putting skills to the test because after they seem to forget some key points. Repetition is what helps them remember what they are being taught.  

All leaders start as followers in order to understand the ones they are leading.