Police Science Handbook. Contents: CPT (Computer Placement Tests) minimums to take Police Science courses (CRJ)

Transcription

1 Police Science Handbook. Contents: Minimum Standards for being a Police Officer in the State of Iowa Common Questions and answers Minimum Physical Agility for the State of Iowa Moral Turpitude CPT (Computer Placement Tests) minimums to take Police Science courses (CRJ) Schedules to utilize throughout your Police Science Waiver

2 Minimum Standards for becoming a Police Officer in the State of Iowa All minimum standards for Iowa law enforcement officers must be satisfied: The person must 1. Be a U. S. Citizen and a resident of Iowa or intend to become a resident upon being employed; 2. Be 18 years of age at the time of appointment; 3. Hold a valid Iowa driver's license; 4. Not be addicted to drugs or alcohol [modified for Chapter 400 civil service positions by of the Code of Iowa]; 5. Be of good moral character as determined by a thorough background investigation including a fingerprint search conducted of local, state and national fingerprint files and have not been convicted of a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude; 6. Successfully pass physical fitness tests; (chart included in this booklet) 7. Not be opposed to use of force to fulfill duties; 8. Be a high school graduate or hold a GED certificate; 9. Have uncorrected vision of not less than 20/100 in both eyes, corrected to 20/20, and color vision consistent with the Occupational demands of law enforcement; 10. Have normal hearing in each ear (hearing aids are acceptable if a candidate can demonstrate sufficient hearing proficiency to perform all necessary duties of a law enforcement officer) 11. Be examined by a physician and meet the physical requirements necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of a law enforcement officer. 12. Undergo psychological testing. (MMPI Testing) 13. Undergo cognitive (Basic Skills) testing.

3 Question and Answer Do I have to meet these requirements if I am hired as chief of police? Yes. They apply to the hiring of all full-time and part-time officers except reserve officers in all cities in Iowa regardless of population. Can some agencies apply different tests and higher standards than the minimum state standards? Yes they can as long as all of the minimum standards and tests are successfully passed prior to hire. Will I be tested on the physical fitness minimums again after I have been hired? Yes before entry into any of the law enforcement certification training programs you will be re-tested to make sure you meet the minimum hiring PT standards. Can only certified officers be hired? No. Officers have one year from the date of their employment in which to become certified through the successful completion of training at an approved law enforcement training facility. This must be accomplished in order to remain eligible for continued employment. However, liability implications in placing untrained officers on duty should be very carefully considered. I am an officer who has been trained and certified in another state. Do I still have to go through the Academy? No, providing that the person has actually served as a sworn officer in the other state within twelve months before the hiring date in Iowa, and that the training received for certification in the other state was at least 160 hours. The person may then be eligible for Certification Through Examination in Iowa. Application must be made to the Academy within 120 days after hiring. All minimum standards for Iowa law enforcement officers must be met prior to hiring. Although you may not have to attend the Academy to receive certification it is strictly up to the hiring agency if they want you to attend. I am an officer who is already certified and who is working for another jurisdiction. Does that person still have to meet the minimum standards? Certified Iowa law enforcement officers who move from one Iowa agency to another with no more than a six month break in service are not required to re-verify compliance with minimum standards; however, a background investigation including fingerprint checks and psychological examination are necessary prior to hiring. Agencies may establish additional standards. Civil service provisions and requirements, if any, still apply. We wish to hire a person who has undergone radial keratotomy (Lasik) and whose vision is now within standards. Is this acceptable? The minimum standards for Iowa law enforcement officers do not address the radial keratotomy procedure; thus it is within the discretion of each individual hiring authority, who must certify to the Academy that all hiring standards have been met, to make that determination. If the question arises, the Academy strongly recommends consultation with appropriate eye doctors. Can someone's attendance be "sponsored" at the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy?

4 Yes. Due to recent changes sponsorship, is now an option for application to the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy. We now accept students not yet hired but who are instead sponsored by Iowa Law Enforcement Agencies. See the linked information file for more specific details. Can our city send our reserve officers through the Academy? No. Reserve officers' function under Chapter 80D of The Code of Iowa and their training is provided by the law enforcement agency for which they are appointed. Will my training at the Law Enforcement Academy count as credit at other Colleges or Universities? Some Community Colleges accept attendance at the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy as college credit. Check with your registrars office or the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy for details. Can I attend other colleges in Iowa to receive Certification as a Law Enforcement Officer? Some Community Colleges have programs where hired officers can attend certification programs provided they have a two-year or a four-year degree in Criminal Justice or Police Science. Again, all preemployment minimum hiring standards must be met.

5 Iowa Physical Agility Standards set out by the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy These answers are synopsized primarily from 501 Iowa Administrative Code, Chapters 2 and 3, the rules of the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy adopted pursuant to Chapters 80B and 80D of the Code of Iowa. Minimal Physical Fitness Performance Requirements Chart Males Age Test Sit & Reach Minute Sit-up Minute Push-up Mile Run 12:51 13:36 14:29 15:26 16:43 Females Age Test Sit & Reach Minute Sit-up Minute Push-up * 12 * Mile Run 15:26 15:57 16:58 17:54 18:44 * Females in excess of 49 years of age may do pushups on their knees. Normative data for these age groups have not been established.

6 Moral Turpitude Moral Turpitude is subjective standard that essentially means that a Police Officer must be of the highest moral character. We are expected to set standards in this area as we are charged to enforce the law on others. In doing so, it is essential that we are seen to not only follow the law ourselves, but carry ourselves in a professional manner for all to see. An officer that conducts themselves in an immoral manner not only demeans themselves, but the family of law enforcement as a whole. Furthermore, it makes the profession seem hypocritical and your brother and sister officers shouldn t have to live with the reputation at the expense of a few. This is by no means a conclusive list as all violations of the criminal code are viable reasons, but the following is an example of some items that have caused officers to lose their certification or not become eligible. Forgery of documents Theft Drug use and manufacture of drugs Habitual violations of traffic law Providing alcohol to minors OWI (Operating while intoxicated) Cheating on exams Contributing to the delinquency of minor Frequenting a disorderly house False use of financial instruments and constant insufficient fund problem The State of Iowa includes the following in Chapt 80B ( (5) Is of good moral character as determined by a thorough background investigation including a fingerprint search conducted of local, state and national fingerprint files and has not been convicted of a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude. Moral turpitude is defined as an act of baseness, vileness, or depravity in the private and social duties which a person owes to another person, or to society in general, contrary to the accepted and customary rule of right and duty between person and person. It is conduct that is contrary to justice, honesty or good morals. The following nonexclusive list of acts has been held by the courts to involve moral turpitude: income tax evasion, perjury, or its subornation, theft, indecent exposure, sex crimes, conspiracy to commit a crime, defrauding the government and illegal drug sales. Various factors, however, may cause an offense which is generally not regarded as constituting moral turpitude to be regarded as such. The offenses of assault, domestic abuse, or other offenses of domestic violence, stalking, and any offense in which a weapon was used in the commission are crimes involving moral turpitude.

7 Western Iowa Tech Police Science Program minimum academic scores Our program has established a minimum academic standard that must be met before a student may take any CRJ (Police Science Course). This is done to ensure that our students are prepared to successfully meet the academic demands of the program. The CPT tests (Computer Placement Tests) consist of general academic questions which provide scores in reading, sentence skills, arithmetic or elementary algebra. This test can be taken in the testing center located on the ground floor in the Robert Kiser building. The testing center is located upstairs and not far from the Police Science area. They require that you schedule the test ahead of time and they can be contacted at testcenter@witcc.edu The minimum scores follow: Reading: 80 Sentence skills 86 Arithmetic 56 or Elementary Algebra 38 Also acceptable is a score of 22% on the college ACT tests. If one does not meet the minimum standards, they cannot be admitted into the core part of the Police Science program. It is important that a student be as academically prepared as possible.

8 Police Science Schedules The following schedules are for all three tracts which are Enforcement, Corrections and Forensics. If a student follows the schedules as they appear, they will complete the course is two years*. All prerequisite courses fall into place and the student remains full time for any obligation that demands that. Conversely, not following the schedule causes prerequisites to come out of order which results in the inability to take most courses when desired. This adds a great deal of time your time here as some courses are only offered one semester a year and that wait would be necessary in order to take it. All CRJ (Police Science Core Courses) are required and to be passed prior to the ability to graduate. *Enforcement students that begin in the Spring of the year need five semesters to graduate instead of four. This is due to curriculum issues for a course that normally begins in the Fall. Many students attempt to beat the system by taking some courses out of turn in the attempt to finish sooner. The curriculum is carefully calculated and that is not possible. Trying to accomplish such a task always ends up adding time for graduation. The schedules that follow are correct. It our strongest advise to follow them for the trac you have chosen. The section numbers are not included and we ll deal with that at registration time, but the courses should not be altered. Understand the following: That the standard curriculum provided by the Police Science staff enables me to graduate in two years. I hereby acknowledge that by modifying my registration, I may not meet certain prerequisites for future semesters. By modifying my registration process, I understand that it may result in my not meeting my timeline for graduation and that additional semesters may be necessary in order to abide by prerequisites. Registration for any future semester may be impeded by any requirement to remain a full time student for the same reasons. By modifying this registration, I understand that nay financial aid may be in jeopardy should I not be able to remain a full time student. I understand that if I begin the Enforcement tract in the Spring, that it takes a minimum of five semesters to complete the program due to prerequisite issues. It is NOT the responsibility or obligation of the school or instructors to waive or provide independent study to subvert any registration requirement.