CACP AND CPKN ANNOUNCE E-LEARNING ENDORSEMENT PROCESS

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1 Vol. 2 No. 4 Fall 2008 CACP AND CPKN ANNOUNCE E-LEARNING ENDORSEMENT PROCESS In recent months, the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) and CPKN have been working toward an enhanced relationship to promote e-learning to a national police audience. A primary element of this collaboration is the creation of a CACP e-learning endorsement process for CPKN courseware. Designed to validate e-learning design and development procedures, the endorsement process will add a consistent, structured national perspective to quality assurance. It will also further strengthen CPKN s ability to identify and develop key training initiatives to meet the frontline needs of the sector. Representing Canadian police services at municipal, regional, provincial, and federal levels, the CACP is dedicated to the support and promotion of efficient law enforcement and to the protection and security of the people of Canada. Working through committees and active liaison with various levels of government, the CACP pursues numerous initiatives on behalf of the policing sector. Amid some of the most complex and important matters facing policing in Canada today, the CACP recognizes frontline officer training to be a primary factor in achieving the highest possible level of public safety and security for all Canadians. Con d on Pg. 3. Sandy Sweet, President and CEO of CPKN, and Rudy Gheysen, Director of the Ontario Police College and Chair of the CACP HR Committee, recently announced a CACP-approved e-learning endorsement process. Under this new process, the CACP HR Committee will conduct audits of CPKN s course development process to ensure best practices for course training standards, instructional design, course development, and quality reviews are met. e-learning Endorsement Process Announced 1 The Leading Edge.2 OPVTA Authorizes Course To Go National New Release: Emotionally Disturbed Persons. 4 From the Front Line.. 5 Shared Courses from TPS.. 6 New Release: Death Notification... 7 Under Development..7 Stanhope II in Photos....8 What is CPKN?....10

2 Vol. 2 No.4 Fall 2008 Pg. 2 THE LEADING EDGE Message from CPKN s President and CEO Well, there s no lack of things to talk about in this issue of Point.Click.Learn. Recent months have been very busy and very productive. As you ll learn from the various news items within, we ve had several new course releases, embarked on new partnerships, and, through Stanhope II, connected with many of the people who are at the centre of police training in Canada to map our work plan for the months ahead. The Stanhope conference, our most important annual event, was once again an enormous success. This two day gathering of police training professionals and decision makers focused ways to better share our collective knowledge, experience and resources. The opportunity to ground-truth online learning and share the lessons learned, good and bad alike, can t be understated. As we move forward, the information shared about the successes and failures of various organizations will be used to shape and strengthen the future of police training in this country. And while the Stanhope conference is over for another year, our work here at CPKN is only just gearing up. The ideas and input put forward by delegates give renewed focus to the work we do and are the basis of our move forward plan. Working with our Board of Directors and our various partners across the country, we will spend the coming months to put those ideas into action. As further detailed in this issue, CPKN s network of partnerships and collaborations continues to expand. As we continue to cultivate on-going projects with our existing partners like the Police Sector Council, we believe that new initiatives with the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police and the Ontario Police Video Training Alliance are also key activities to achieve the common goals of the sector and further advance police training in Canada. And at the core of everything, our Development Team continues to roll out high quality learning products specifically designed to meet the needs of frontline members. In the past few months, three new courses have been added to our catalogue and another ten are at various stages of development. I encourage you to check our website regularly to learn about our latest news and offerings. Sandy Sweet President and CEO, CPKN OPVTA AUTHORIZES NATIONAL DISTRIBUTION OF CHARACTERISTICS OF AN ARMED PERSON Recently, the Ontario Police Video Training Alliance (OPVTA), a non-profit organization that produces professional, high-quality video training packages for police services, authorized the release of OPVTA-produced content to a national police audience. Until now, OPVTA videos have been available only to its membership. The release is part of a pilot project with the Canadian Police Knowledge Network (CPKN) to explore the feasibility of online video-based training for the Canadian police community. Earlier this year, as part of its internal training curriculum, the Toronto Police Service (TPS) developed Characteristics of an Armed Person, an online training course to help police officers recognize the behaviours and actions that identify an individual carrying a concealed weapon. Con d Con d Pg. on 6. Pg. 6.

3 Vol. 2 No.4 Fall 2008 Pg. 3 CACP Endorsement Process Con d from Pg. 1 Since 2006, the CACP has endorsed CPKN s mandate to provide online training to fulfill the training needs of the Canadian police community. And while that mandate remains the same, the process of how that online training is selected, developed, and delivered is continually evolving. Canada s policing sector has been moving towards an increasingly collaborative model for developing and delivering training, says Steven Chabot, Deputy Director General of the Sûreté du Québec and CACP President. Web-based delivery has made knowledge sharing and crossjurisdictional training more feasible than ever. The technology is proven - - we now need to focus on a means to ensure that the training put out there is based on recognized best practices from services across the country. An endorsement process whereby a national body can analyze and authenticate the rigors associated with a training course is a critical component of that overall approach. The CACP endorsement process will assess CPKN learning products against identified best practices for we now need to focus on a means to ensure that the training put out there is based on recognized best practices from services across the country. ~ Deputy Director General Steve Chabot President, CACP course training standards, instructional design, course development, and quality reviews. CACP s HR Committee, a nationally represented body that facilitates the exchange of ideas, procedures, and information relating to human resource issues in policing, will conduct audits of the development process for select CPKN courses. Following a review of the documentation associated with an established nine step development process, and CPKN s adherence to that process, the HR Committee will put forward a recommendation to the CACP Board of Directors to issue an endorsement. This process is indicative of the growing sense of ownership that the policing sector feels for CPKN, says Sandy Sweet, President and CEO of CPKN. While we ve always been a for police, by police entity, the past couple of years have brought a more cooperative approach to the exchange of knowledge and information between police services. As this trend continues, CPKN is increasingly recognized as the one of the means to achieve collaborative training objectives. Any CPKN course that demonstrates applicability to a national police audience is eligible for consideration under the endorsement process. While new courses will be given priority, existing courses from the CPKN catalogue may also be submitted for review. For courses that successfully fulfill the requirements of the endorsement process, CPKN will be permitted to use CACP s logo on course-specific promotional materials. We re extremely pleased with CACP s involvement, says Sweet. The endorsement process is not only a significant step in substantiating the quality of our products, but will also produce a more inclusive, sector-based approach in the overall process. Photo by Stephanie Brind amour, RCMP The CPKN booth had lots of visitors during CACP 2008 in Montreal: From L-R: C/Supt. Dale Sheehan, Commr. Julian Fantino, Chief Edgar MacLeod, Nadine Sutcliffe, Sandy Sweet, A/Commr. Graham Muir, Deborah Doherty, and A/Commr. Pierre Ménard.

4 Vol. 2 No.4 Fall 2008 Pg. 4 NEW RELEASE: RECOGNITION OF EMOTIONALLY DISTURBED PERSONS Pilot this course for free until December 31 st Until December 31 st, Recognition of Emotionally Disturbed Persons, the second title in the Police Sector Council-funded national e-learning initiative, is available at no charge to all law enforcement personnel. Police and other first responders are regularly called upon to assess, manage, and diffuse situations involving individuals in crisis. These cases can be stressful, demanding, and among the most challenging situations that an officer deals with. Every call involving family crisis, violence, substance abuse, unusual behaviour, or altered mental status has potential to reach a crisis point and risk the safety of the person involved, bystanders, and responders to the scene. And when an event results in injury or death, the policies and tactics used by police are often scrutinized by the public at large. As such, the ability of first responders to recognize emotionally disturbed individuals from those with criminal intent and apply appropriate response strategies is essential for de-escalating these types of situations. "Over the last thirty years, deinstitutionalization, the policy that favours treating patients in the community rather than in psychiatric hospitals, has undoubtedly placed higher demands on first response services," says Dr. Bianca Lauria-Horner, an Assistant Professor at Dalhousie University's Department of Psychiatry, Project Director and a Subject Matter Expert for the Recognition of Emotionally Disturbed Persons course. "The number of contacts front line responders have with emotionally disturbed persons has increased substantially and there is a recognized need for training to help responders appropriately manage these situations. In a crisis event, proper training can mean the difference between a peaceful resolution and a tragedy." Recognition of Emotionally Disturbed Persons reviews the various categories of EDPs and provides recommended response strategies and approaches to deal with individuals in crisis. As an introductory-level course, it is designed to build first responders' confidence in dealing with EDPs they encounter in the field and prevent unnecessary and unwarranted criminalization and victimization of mentally ill individuals. This two hour online course is a component of a project initiated by Dalhousie University's Department of Psychiatry, the Nova Scotia Department of Justice, and the law enforcement community to develop a First Responder Training Program to help front line enforcement officers deal with crisis situations involving EDPs. Funded by the Police Sector Council, this course will be offered as a free learning pilot until December 31st. This introductory pilot period will be used to collect learner feedback on this course and attitudes toward e-learning which will be applied to future training initiatives. This course was funded by the Government of Canada s Sector Council Program.

5 Vol. 2 No.4 Fall 2008 Pg. 5 FROM THE FRONT LINE: CPKN TRAINING KICKS IN AT U OF T Report from Sam D Angelo, Manager, Campus Police Operations, University of Toronto Printed with Permission On Monday July 28, 2008 at 1600 hours, University of Toronto Campus Police Special Constable Jennifer Taylor, Special Constable Shahid Zafar, and Special Constable Chris Skelton responded to a Break and Enter call at Brennan Hall located at 81 St. Mary s Street, Toronto, ON where TAYLOR and ZAFAR located a male suspect. A CPIC query determined the male was also wanted on an arrest warrant for Break and Enter in another location. TAYLOR and ZAFAR placed the male under arrest and double locked the handcuffs for officer safety. ZAFAR maintained control of the suspect due to his aggressive response to officers and TAYLOR performed a quadrant search of the suspect. During the search of the suspect, TAYLOR observed that the male had various pieces of string and rope attached to his person and clothing. The training our officers have received from the Canadian Police Knowledge Network has proven to be an invaluable tool to our health and safety. ~ Sam D Angelo, Manager of Campus Police Operations at the University of Toronto TAYLOR continued on with the search and found a silver switchblade found open in his front left pant pocket, handcuffs in his front right pant pocket and the handcuff key attached to the sting around his waist. A thorough search of the suspect s shoes turned up no further items concealed. The Characteristics of an Armed Person e-learning course was developed by the Toronto Police Service and is available free of charge to members of the Ontario Police Video Training Alliance. Non-OPVTA members can also access the course for a $25 registration fee. For more information, visit the CPKN website. These findings found TAYLOR remembering the Canadian Police Knowledge Network course Characteristics of an Armed Person which identified ways in which suspects make slings and holsters to conceal weapons and to disguise weapons hidden without protrusions. During the search TAYLOR located a string hanging down on the inside of the male s left pant leg. The male had attached to the string a black pouch inside of which was found a screwdriver handle magnet, a pin point hammer which unscrewed into three separate screw drivers, and small black closed pocket knife. TAYLOR continued the search of the male and found on his lower right inner pant leg attached with a bandana string was a small climbing carabineer. During the search the male stated that the strings were used to simply hold his pants up.

6 Vol. 2 No.4 Fall 2008 Pg. 6 OPVTA, con d from Pg. 2 In addition to audio- and text-based narratives and specific case law, this course incorporates segments of OPTVA-produced video to demonstrate concepts in ways that still images could never achieve. Recognizing that it could be used by other agencies to improve officer safety, TPS made the course available to a wider police audience via the CPKN online learning portal. However, at that time, due to the inclusion of OPVTA video, access was restricted to OPVTA members. But as a result of recent discussions, OPVTA has now granted permission for the course to be made available to all Canadian police audiences through the CPKN portal. As part of this agreement, the course will continue to be offered free of charge to the OPVTA membership while non-members will pay a $25 registration fee for the 45 minute course. Furthermore, this course will be used as a benchmark to examine the technological aspects of delivering video training online to Canadian police officers. At present, OPVTA provides video programs to more than 24,000 Ontario police officers representing 90 Ontario police services, says Sgt. Michael Knight, member of the Aylmer Police Service and Chair of OPVTA. But we recognize the potential demand for our training products extends to a much wider market and that new delivery methods that enable us to reach audiences more efficiently must be explored. As a six time winner of the Law Enforcement Video Association s Award of Distinction and 150 other major awards, OPVTA is internationally recognized for its extensive, high quality video training catalogue. OPVTA s decision to explore online delivery is nothing but good news for Canada s policing sector ~ Geoff Gruson, Police Sector Council All programs, which feature the expertise, officers, citizens and locations from a variety of member jurisdictions, are shot and edited by members of the Niagara Regional Police Video Unit and are distributed by DVD to member organizations. OPVTA s decision to explore online delivery is nothing but good news for Canada s policing sector, says Geoff Gruson, Executive Director of the Police Sector Council. It s just another example of how the sector is working to find new ways to collaborate to support the learning needs of every police officer in Canada. Over the coming months, Sgt. Knight says OPVTA will continue to investigate the demand, technical aspects, and options for an online delivery model that would serve to benefit both its current membership as well as an extended national audience. This is new territory for us, says Knight, but in order to keep pace with the demands of the training industry, we believe it important to explore new ideas and available technologies that help us to fulfill our mandate. And if we can find ways to share some of our resources with the larger community, it s all the better.

7 Vol. 2 No.4 Fall 2008 Pg. 7 NEW RELEASE: DEATH NOTIFICATION Notifying a family of a loved one's sudden death is one of the most difficult and stressful tasks police officers perform. In these situations, officers must not only deal with the shock and grief of the family, but also their own emotions. Training is crucial for preparing police, emergency response personnel, and other support workers to communicate with survivors in an informed and competent way during a tragic situation. For several years, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD Canada), a charitable organization committed to stopping impaired driving and supporting the victims of this violent crime, has offered death notification training to members of the first response and victim support network across Canada. Recently, CPKN partnered with MADD Canada to adapt its traditional seminar-based Death Notification training program to an online format. "When you knock on that door, you know there is a strong possibility that you may be about to change someone's life forever," says Lloyd Grahame, a retired Windsor police officer, MADD Canada death "When you knock on that door, you know there is a strong possibility that you may be about to change someone's life forever " ~ Lloyd Grahame Subject Matter Expert for Death Notification notification trainer, and lead subject matter expert for the online transition project. "Learning how to deliver such devastating news in the best possible way can go a long way in easing the pain and shock of surviving family members." While MADD Canada's team of death notification trainers have provided training on the most current and compassionate approaches to death notification to tens of thousands of individuals across Canada, this new web-based delivery model will reach audiences even in the most remote areas of the country. Focusing on building the confidence of those who are tasked with delivering difficult messages, the Death Notification course includes information on dealing with personal apprehensions, how to prepare for a notification, understanding survivor reactions, answering questions, and what an officer should and should not do and say during this time. Every aspect of this course is designed to instruct an officer on the best ways to empower the bereaved and enable them to take control of their own grieving process and begin to heal.

8 Vol. 2 No.4 Fall 2008 Pg. 8 Comm. Julian Fantino of the Ontario Provincial Police provided the opening remarks to kick off Stanhope II. On October 8 th and 9 th, more than 60 police trainers, educators and decision-makers from across the country gathered at Stanhope, PEI to explore new ways to advance police training in Canada. Jeff Brandt (r), Canada Firearms Centre and Supt. Darren Smith (below) of the Toronto Police Service share case studies on interservice sharing of training content and organizational implementation of e- learning, respectively. Sandy Sweet presents D/Chief Bernie Pannell of the Saskatoon Police Service with a plaque to recognize Saskatoon s contributions as Content Provider for Graffiti Investigations. Plaques were also presented to the Canada Firearms Centre (Firearms Identification for Public Agents) and the Ontario Police College (Hate Crimes Awareness). All photos on this page taken by Rob Peister.

9 Vol. 2 No.4 Fall 2008 Pg. 9 Above, Portia Dewhirst (at podium) of the Police Sector Council facilitates a group discussion about how delegates anticipate police training to evolve in the coming years and the steps needed in order to meet forecasted needs. Photos above by Rob Peister; Group Photo by Alanna s Photography. On the lighter side, CPKN was very pleased to introduce the Order of the Black Socks. Stemming from a memorable analogy first related by Insp. Steve Pilote of the Winnipeg Police Service, CPKN established the Order to recognize leadership among Canadian policing agencies in the adoption of e-learning. Among the twelve organizations inducted into the Order, Black Socks were accepted by (l-r): Angela Adu (Durham Regional Police Service), S/Sgt. Doug Roxburgh (Winnipeg Police Service), Cst. Roy Robinson (Royal Newfoundland Constabulary), and Insp. Steve Beckett (Waterloo Regional Police Service). Sandy Sweet also presented Black Socks to the Calgary Police Service, Edmonton Police Service, Toronto Police Service, York Regional Police, Kentville Police Service, the Canada Firearms Centre, the RCMP, and the Police Sector Council. Photos by Sgt. Robert O Quinn.

10 Vol. 2 No. 3 Summer 2008 Pg. 10 WHAT IS CPKN? CPKN Board of Directors Sandy Sweet, President and CEO Canadian Police Knowledge Network Commissioner Julian Fantino Ontario Provincial Police Rudy Gheysen Ontario Police College Geoffrey M. Gruson Canadian Police Sector Council Superintendent Axel Hovbrender Justice Institute of BC Jeannette MacAulay University of Prince Edward Island Chief Edgar MacLeod Atlantic Police Academy Assistant Commissioner Graham Muir RCMP, Strategic Policy and Planning Directorate Superintendent Darren Smith Toronto Police Service Brian MacMillan (Ex Officio) Holland College The Canadian Police Knowledge Network (CPKN) is Canada's leading not-for-profit provider of online training solutions for police officers. Working with subject matter experts from police services and training academies across Canada, CPKN delivers highly effective, economical, and engaging e-learning courses to meet the needs of police services. In response to a recognized need for an efficient, costeffective training model for Canadian police services, in 2004 members of the Canadian police community collaborated with government and academic organizations to make CPKN a reality. Today, CPKN is guided by a Board of Directors which includes senior leaders from police services, training institutions, and sector organizations. Point.Click.Learn. with CPKN Contact us today for a copy of our CPKN catalogue or visit for the latest information on courses! Point. Click. Learn. is published electronically on a quarterly basis by the Canadian Police Knowledge Network. To submit contributions, or make suggestions for future articles, please contact CPKN. Canadian Police Knowledge Network CPKN is endorsed by the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police. P.O. Box 8162 Station T Ottawa, ON K1G 3H7 90 University Avenue Suite 203 Charlottetown, PE C1A 4K9 Tel: CPKN (2756) Fax: [email protected]