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.