Law Enforcement Catalog

The initial booking and intake of prisoners into a local lock up facility can set the tone for inmate behavior. This course examines procedures to ensure proper initial intake.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

How do correctional facilities affect the community? Because of some common misperceptions, sometimes the public reaction can be one of concern. If for no other reason, they know that large concentrations of criminals will be housed there. Therefore, positive community relations become essential.

This course examines the relationship between the community and a correctional facility and examines community correctional programs - or half-way houses.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

In any correctional facility, law enforcement officers are surrounded by people who have lost control of their environment. Inmates will do whatever it takes to regain control, including con games. Lieutenant Glenn Revell of the San Diego County, Calif., Sheriff's Department explains how inmates will try to con you, the dangers of being conned, and how you can keep from being taken in.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Corrections has been largely ignored when it comes to homeland security. Inmates have the potential to be future terrorists, and the next terrorist threat to the United States may be an inmate from a local facility. This course focuses on how to spot terrorist and extremist activity within detention facilities, and methods of counter-terrorism that can be employed by correctional officers.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Law enforcement administrators don't get fired because of crime rates. They get fired for scandal. A law enforcement agency doesn't become corrupt overnight. Research shows it is a gradual process with clearly defined steps along the way. In this course, Neal Trautman, Director of the National Institute of Ethics, outlines the four phases of the Corruption Continuum, and explains how you can keep your department on the right track.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

F. Lee Bailey was known as a judicial prize fighter who jabbed relentlessly at witnesses during cross- examination. But simply testifying in a court of law can be a stressful ordeal for an officer without Bailey asking the questions. This course examines how to handle questioning by defense counsel effectively.

Course Duration: 1 Hour(s)

As more and more women move into the corrections profession, officers are faced with the ever- increasing problem of cross gender supervision. Among other things, the sexual privacy of inmates becomes an issue. Day-to-day operations and searches of inmates are covered in this program, as well as preparing a jail crisis response plan.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Most departments follow a "catwalk" method of watching over their inmates, but is that giving them enough interaction? This course discusses the benefits of a direct supervision approach to managing prisoners.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Correction personnel are confronted with critical problems surrounding gang activity every day. This course examines the areas of gangs in jail, how best to deal with them, and how to establish a jail recreation program that satisfies the public, the inmates, and the courts.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Supervising inmates at a correctional facility is no easy task. Today's changing environment requires that officers must be aware of a multitude of factors. This course examines discipline, balancing an inmate's religious beliefs with security procedures, and how to handle privacy concerns as cross-gender supervision becomes more commonplace.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Good searches of inmates and cells are essential to the safety of any correctional facility but may also turn up any evidence of any planned escapes. In this course, Samuel F. Saxton from the Dept. of Corrections in Prince George's County, Md. discusses proper search techniques and their importance.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Occasionally, correctional employees find themselves compromised by their own actions. In such incidents, employees find that they must differentiate their personal and professional relationships. Produced by the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center for the Federal Bureau of Prison, this course examines integrity in the workplace as it relates to correctional facilities.

Course Duration: 1 Hour(s)

Awareness is a key element of your any law enforcement or corrections job. This course discusses how being aware of both the messages conveyed during day-to-day activities and the everyday weapons available to inmates can help resolve potentially dangerous conflicts.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Do you have the inside information on gangs in your correctional facility? Do you know how to recognize the signs of gang organization? In this course, Thomas R. Barry examines the role of gangs behind bars, gang rules, how to combat the gang, gathering information on gangs, and psychological tactics for dealing with gangs.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Suicide is the number one cause of death in our nation's jails. The suicide rate in correctional facilities is nine times that of the general population. There are no quick fixes. This course examines how to implement an eight-step process to reduce the risk of suicide in your facility, and steps for avoiding and responding to close-quarter sudden assaults.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

The risks associated with housing juvenile offenders and adult offenders in the same correctional facilities were identified roughly 100 years ago. Children were subjected to unspeakable atrocities in adult jails and were returned to society as hardened criminals.

This course discusses how and why juvenile offenders develop differently than non-offenders, how corrections officers can better supervise juvenile offenders, and how to deal with violent juvenile offenders.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

What happens to children convicted of felonies? How are they incarcerated? Can they be helped? In this course, judges, legal counsel, law enforcement officers, and academic experts examine the trend in the U.S. toward trying children as adults and discuss efforts being made to understand their violent behavior.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Suicidal callers can be some of the most intimidating for telecommunicators. But how dispatchers respond to this type of call might make a difference in the caller's life. This course dispels some of the common myths about suicide and examines what could prompt a person to take such drastic action.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

The Americans with Disabilities Act and Department of Justice standards require telecommunicators, 9- 1-1 operators, and call takers to effectively recognize and process TTY calls to emergency telephone services.

This course identifies methods of TTY call recognition; explains the proper procedures for handling TTY, voice carry over (VCO), hearing carry over (HCO), and telecommunications relay service calls; identifies the elements of effective TTY call processing; and describes procedures for receiving and initiating TTY calls.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

How information is gathered could very well change the nature of an incoming call to the dispatch center. Communication officers must remain calm, employ good listening skills, and ask just the right questions to relay effective information during the dispatch.

This 3-module course discusses the essentials of dispatching, how to extract accurate information from the caller, and how to handle the panicked callers.

Course Duration: 1.5 Hour(s)

Handling a suicide, domestic violence, or hostage situation may be one of the most stressful jobs a dispatcher is called to do. This course examines how telecommunicators can use common sense approaches to these the most difficult of calls.

Course Duration: 1.5 Hour(s)

Whether your communications division is a few people or a few hundred, its role demands special attention. As the contact point for citizens who need police service, communications is vital to community relations. As a lifeline for officers responding to dangerous situations, it is a top priority for officers' safety. But too often communications is not made to feel a full partner in the law enforcement team.

This course discusses what law enforcement managers can do to ensure that telecommunicators receive the recognition, training, and support they need to do their job.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

The relationship between street officers and dispatchers is a special one. They both rely heavily on each other to get their jobs done. Now how well the dispatcher gathers information often determines the officer's safety in responding to the call.

In this course, ex-police officer Tom Guthery presents statistics on the number of officers who died in the line of duty and explains how dispatchers and officers can work together to reduce these statistics.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

This course provides guidance for police officers who drive vehicles on the job, describing post-accident procedures such as who to call, what information to provide and collect, and what forms to complete. Information is also provided regarding what officers can expect to be carried out by their department during the accident investigation and which corrective actions could be recommended to prevent similar accidents in the future. Likewise, the course also discusses strategies for responding safely to unexpected vehicle emergencies, such as a mechanical failure. Equipping a vehicle with an accident kit and emergency supplies is also part of the recommended preparation strategies, as well as some tips on preventing the major causes of accidents and emergencies.

Course Duration: 1 Hour(s)

In 2005, 848,000 crashes in the U.S. occurred under rain, sleet, or snow conditions, and although there are far fewer vehicles on roadways at nighttime, over half of all vehicle crashes involving fatalities occurred in dim or dark lighting conditions. Certainly, environmental conditions play a significant role in vehicle crashes. The most unfortunate aspect of such collisions is that oftentimes they are entirely preventable. Environmental conditions that can affect driving include weather, visibility, and road surface quality. All of these require drivers to be able to respond appropriately and adjust their driving performance to make sure the vehicle handles safely under the conditions present.

This course reviews these environmental conditions and explains the required driver responses to ensure safe vehicle operations.

Course Duration: 1 Hour(s)

Various kinds of vehicles are used by law enforcement officers. Each type has unique dimensions and mechanical components. Being familiar with these can help make vehicle operations safer.

This course reviews the various vehicle types used in law enforcement, highlighting the unique features of these vehicles as well as the distinct handling requirements required for safe operation. An overview of safety enhancements, Police Package Vehicles, lights, and sirens is provided. The culmination of these discussions centers on applying the knowledge gained to reduce crash risks.

Course Duration: 1 Hour(s)

Speeding is a contributing factor in nearly one-third of all fatal crashes. Since 1995 the number of deaths and injuries attributed to speed have continued to rise. Technological advances in vehicle safety and passenger protection have not been able to prevent the thousands of needless deaths each year from speed-related crashes. Therefore, it is essential for all law enforcement officers to understand the dangers associated with speeding whether they are on duty or off the clock using their own vehicles.

The best solution to the problem of speeding is to make drivers aware of the problem and to equip them to drive at safe speeds, which are the two main objectives of this course. Various topics are covered in this module, including what factors influence drivers to speed; what risks arise from excessive speed; how speed affects stopping distance; what economic costs stem from speeding and aggressive driving; how to avoid becoming involved in a collision with a speeder; and what factors to consider in choosing a safe speed for vehicle operation.

This course focuses specifically on the dangers of speeding. Speeding during police pursuits is covered in a separate course, Police Pursuit Driving.

Course Duration: 1 Hour(s)

A worker is more likely to suffer fatal injury while operating a vehicle than any other job activity. The need for enhancing safety when driving cannot be understated. Unfortunately, improving one's own driving ability does not guarantee safety on the roadway. No matter how safe a driver is trained to be, he or she cannot control the behavior of other vehicle operators. Encountering unsafe drivers is an inevitable part of every driver's experience.

This course is aimed at preparing drivers for encountering potential hazards on the roadway. It follows a three-fold approach by encouraging drivers to anticipate, recognize, and respond to driving hazards. Within this framework, topics covered include principles of defensive driving, the need for driving defensively, practical instruction on how to drive defensively, instruction on maintaining a safety zone perimeter around the driver's vehicle, and effective stopping distance.

Course Duration: 1 Hour(s)

Studies have found that more law enforcement officers are killed and injured in and around their vehicles than by felonious assaults. To drastically reduce these numbers, a cultural shift must occur when it comes to roadway activities. This course focuses on distracted driving, the types of distracted driving and the devastating consequences for law enforcement that can result not paying attention while behind the wheel.

Numerous case studies, scientific research, statistics, and an array of videos of real-life encounters are utilized to offer training scenarios that assist in identifying potential distractions and how to avoid those distractions to prevent unnecessary injury or even death.

This course provides an overview of the various distractions a law enforcement professional will encounter while behind the wheel and how to avoid those distractions. It aims to provide a better understanding of the types of driving distractions, the technology incorporated into emergency service vehicles that contribute to distracted driving, and how to avoid distraction while driving through visual, manual, and cognitive means.

Course Duration: 1 Hour(s)

This course highlights the steps police officers can take to protect themselves while driving on the job. It describes the dangers associated with driving on the job and the driver's responsibilities when operating an organizational vehicle or a personal vehicle on organizational business.

Course Duration: 1 Hour(s)

This course aims to review the fundamentals of driving law enforcement vehicles. Using contemporary examples and statistics, the need for training on this subject is emphasized. Factors to consider in route planning are also reviewed. Special attention is given as well to proper start-up procedures, fundamentals of safe driving, defensive driving, and pursuit driving.

For optimum effectiveness, this course should be used in conjunction with real-world behind-the-wheel training and should not be considered a substitute for actual driving experience.

Course Duration: 1 Hour(s)

The purpose of this course is to encourage safe driving practices among police officers, reduce departments' costs due to incidents caused by impaired driving, and educate drivers on the factors that contribute to impaired driving. Driving is a common task required of many people nationwide and even a small increase in safe driving practices can reduce the number of accidents and, most importantly, save lives. Due to the widespread nature of the alcohol-impaired driving problem, special attention has been given to this problem.

Course Duration: 1 Hour(s)

This course highlights the principles and practices police officers must consider for safely navigating through various types of intersections and examines the potential risks associated with operating a vehicle at intersections. The course describes best practices for intersection safety and encourages the adoption of key safety practices to reduce vehicle-related crashes at intersections.

The course is divided into two sections: Lessons 1-10 review basic intersection safety, and Lessons 11-13 discuss intersection safety when responding to an emergency.

Course Duration: 1 Hour(s)

This course reviews legal aspects of police emergency vehicle operations, including appropriate vehicle procedures based upon federal, state, local, and organization regulations. It also reviews the need for compliance with traffic laws and appropriate conditions for exemption. Legal terms and principles discussed include due regard, true emergencies, negligence, and liability.

Because each state is different, and each department's protocols may vary, personnel are encouraged to seek competent legal advice concerning any questions regarding these issues. This material is provided as general information and does not constitute legal advice. Consult an attorney for advice concerning specific matters.

Course Duration: 1 Hour(s)

When an incident involving weapons of mass destruction (WMD) occurs, local first responders are normally responsible for the initial response. This course provides information that will help explain site security, how to maintain it, and scene control procedures for awareness-level trained personnel. It also discusses how to identify and assess threats that may jeopardize agency/community critical infrastructures (CI) and key assets.

Course Duration: 1 Hour(s)

In recent years, it has become increasingly evident that public safety organizations are vulnerable to a variety of threats - natural, accidental, and manmade. The critical infrastructures first responders depend upon are also vulnerable. Applying countermeasures is the key to protecting critical infrastructures such as personnel and cyber property.

In this first course, hear what experts say about the importance of applying countermeasures to critical infrastructures and how to do it in your community. The second course provides a basic description of how you should conduct a vulnerability analysis on the critical infrastructures your agency depends upon to accomplish its organizational mission, including critical infrastructures (CIs) that may be outside your agency's span of control. Finally, the third course provides an overview of the second and fourth steps of the Critical Infrastructure Protection Process (CIPP). Specifically, you will learn how to determine threats that may jeopardize agency/community critical infrastructures (CI) and key assets and you will learn how to assess risk.

Course Duration: 1 Hour(s) for MOD #1 & #2, 0.5 Hour(s) for MOD #3

When Darlie Routier awoke during the night to find herself confronted by an intruder and two of her children dead of multiple stab wounds, she roused her husband and called the police. In a separate incident, Martin Dillon is killed by a blast from his best friend's shotgun, and the death was ruled accidental. But there was more to each case than the eye could see.

In this course, investigators use ballistics, blood spatter analysis, behavioral profiling, and computerized analysis of a 911 call to determine that the tragedies were inside jobs.

Course Duration: 1 Hour(s)

Bloodstains left at a crime scene can be the result of a number of different possible dynamics. Bloodstain pattern interpretation involves, to a large extent, determining what particular dynamic produced a given bloodstain pattern. When multiple patterns overlap from either the same or different dynamics, things can become complicated. This course presents the methods that Crime Scene Investigators (CSI) should use to document blood evidence at crime scenes.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Only one day after Mark Fair and his fiancée, Karla Brown, moved into their new home, Karla was found brutally murdered. There were very few leads and the case seemed destined to go unsolved. This course discusses the use of forensic psychology, image enhancement technology, and forensic odontology to link suspects to a crime scene.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

As you enter the fatal funnel, are you prepared for the rigors of a thorough building search? In this course, Sgt. Joe Robinson of the Orlando Police Department takes you through the door to deal with multiple areas of responsibility, prioritizing problem areas, moving in tandem with a partner, and the "Israeli Lean."

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Pool is a game of angles. Angles created when the ball ricochets off the cushion. The object of the game is to use the ball's ricochet to your advantage. With bullets, the object is the same. See what the ricochet is trying to tell you. Learn what that means and you'll have the knowledge to decipher the past.

This course examines the conditions under which ricochets are produced; defines angle of impact versus critical angle; and discusses ricochet characteristics like directionality, the V-mark, and the Pear effect.

Course Duration: 1 Hour(s)

Two years after a woman is reported missing and presumed dead, one of the suspects in the killing confesses to the police. Evidence to back up the confession is hard to come by because the body had been incinerated, the ashes spread over a 100-mile stretch of highway.

This course examines how tenacious investigators recovered minute quantities of charred bone and a single drop of blood at the murder scene that lead to a conviction.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Many challenges must be overcome when investigating cold cases, and the investigators who make up cold case units must know how to use current resources to solve old crimes. This course provides direction in implementing cold case investigation units and investigations, as well as identifies the characteristics of officers who may be good fits as cold case investigators.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Those who sketch composite images of suspects must combine the art of drawing out information from victims and witnesses. This course discusses helpful techniques to create the most accurate composite possible.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Police board a city bus for routine drug and weapon interdiction. As they move down the aisle, they tell people riding the bus that they are looking for drugs and weapons and ask commuters if they have any illegal items in their bags. Several passengers are asked if they can be searched; after their consent, cocaine was found, and arrests were made. This course discusses whether or not police have to advise individuals of their right to refuse consent to a search.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Encountering deadly booby traps is not something only military and police personnel operating in foreign lands need to worry about. Unfortunately, these types of devices are fairly common in many parts of the United States and are encountered more often than many people realize.

This course explains how booby traps are designed and employed so law enforcement officers can be aware and defend against them.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

The San Diego, Calif. City Attorney's Office is one of the most progressive in prosecuting domestic violence cases. This course features the San Diego model and examines the signs of detecting one of the most common acts of violence in the home: strangulation.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

A missing persons case turned into something more because of DNA testing. An organization that reviews claims of innocence by convicts had a rape case reopened and used DNA evidence to secure an exoneration. This course explores the use of the latest medical and scientific evidence to solve crime.

Course Duration: 1 Hour(s)

Elder abuse is a crime that is often unnoticed, neglected, or sometimes even condoned. It is important that law enforcement officers recognize the beginning signs or evidence of elderly abuse, as this type of situation involves adults who can make choices and decisions. This course examines how recognize elder abuse, the various types of abuse, possible signs of abuse, and the police response to elder abuse.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

As the O.J. Simpson trial unfolded, the defense sought to discredit the evidence at the scene by attacking the investigators and evidence technicians. Therefore, being able to answer to the whereabouts of evidence at all times has become paramount in criminal investigations. This course focuses on the evidence chain of custody and its documentation.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

When Janice Johnson was found lying in a pool of blood at the foot of her basement stairs, the tragedy was ruled an accident - until circumstantial evidence caused the case to be reopened, leading to the imprisonment of her husband for murder. In this course, attorney James Lockyer of the Association for the Defense of the Wrongfully Convicted uses an evidentiary reenactment to prove his theory.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Scott Dunn disappeared with only blood stains left behind. But if murder was involved where was the body? How would investigators convict any suspects without a body? This course demonstrates that evidence of fatal blood loss gathered through luminol testing and blood analysis for DNA, spatter and volume can constitute a "body" for the purpose of an indictment for murder.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

When Patricia and David Stallings' 4-month-old son died, Patricia was charged with and convicted of his murder. Prosecutors alleged she had poisoned the baby by putting antifreeze in his formula. Doubts about her guilt were raised after an airing of the TV program "Unsolved Mysteries". This course discusses how the use of forensic genetics spared a young woman from spending the rest of her life in prison for a crime she didn't commit.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

There is probably no greater adrenaline rush in law enforcement than entering a hostile environment to serve a high-risk warrant. It' s a confrontation that pits you versus a criminal. With the stakes often being the loser's life. Consequently, execution and adequate planning are crucial tools to ensure everyone leaves that raid alive. This course demonstrates the effective planning and execution of serving a high-risk warrant on the following premise: In any high-risk warrant situation, you have to have a plan.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

On February 20, 2001, the United States Supreme Court, in Illinois v. McArthur, ruled that it is reasonable for the police to briefly seize a house and prevent unaccompanied entry into the house until a search warrant is obtained. This course discusses the reasons provided by the Court for its ruling and describes the impact of the Illinois v. McArthur decision on law enforcement practices.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Do you know the three bridges that are burned in the investigation of every death? The investigation of a death is the big leagues. The stakes are high, and there is little margin for error. This course explains how to investigate a homicide, from the basic procedures that provide a solid foundation for an investigation to specific techniques learned from investigating hundreds of cases.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in America, according to the Federal Trade Commission. But identity theft is not new to law enforcement; for decades fugitives have changed their identities to avoid capture and check forgers have assumed others? identities to pass stolen or counterfeit checks. What is new is the pervasiveness of the problem. Identity theft is not a distinct crime problem; identity theft is a component of many types of crimes.

This course looks at the victim: how one becomes a victim; what the victim must do for damage control; and the steps individuals can take to lessen the odds of becoming a victim; and addresses the role of investigators, discussing the roles of federal agencies to assist local law enforcement.

Course Duration: 1 Hour(s)

Staged accidents and vehicle theft are growing trends that affect not only insurance companies, but also law enforcement. This course examines signs that first responders can look for when arriving at the scene of a suspicious incident, and how to identify stolen autos by using the vehicle identification numbers (VINs).

Course Duration: 1.5 Hour(s)

When a Federal Judge and an NAACP attorney are killed by mail bombs, it triggers one of the largest investigations in FBI history. This course discusses the investigation that included the combined expertise of numerous specialized units, interviews of 6,000 people, and the examination of more than one million documents. In the end, investigators identified the culprit.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Dario Cicolecchia went fishing one afternoon near his home in Switzerland. He never returned. Several days later, two ladies walking a dog found the body in a corn field, but there was very little evidence to explain the murder - until the medical examiner looked at the forensic evidence from Dario's mouth. There was a microscopic clue that changed the investigation. This course examines how a missing persons case launched a new era in crime science.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Patrol officers should have a firm grounding in the basics of detecting and identifying stolen vehicles and motorcycles, but also be prepared to investigate the theft of heavy construction and farm equipment - a multibillion dollar business in its own right. This course discusses what to look for while on patrol; how to locate and validate a vehicle identification number (VIN); tools you need to make positive identification of questionable motorcycles; how to identify stolen heavy equipment; and how to complete a theft report.

Course Duration: 1.5 Hour(s)

The chemical aerosol is often perceived by law enforcement as a cure-all in subject control. Just "spray 'em and wait" has frequently been a tactical philosophy. This course examines aerosol application, its expected effects, and what the follow-up should be to enhance subject control.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

The collapsible baton has been around since the early 1900s but didn't gain popularity within law enforcement until the 1970s. What the collapsible baton has to offer criminal justice today is a concealable, low-profile tool that is easily carried. At the same time, when you need it you can expand it to anywhere from 16-26 inches. In this course, defensive tactics trainer Bruce Siddle demonstrates the care and use of the collapsible baton.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

In this two-part series, Officer Robert Rail of the Northwestern University Traffic Institute demonstrates proper methods for restraining and handcuffing resistant individuals with an emphasis on reducing the risk of injury to an officer. This course also discusses how to effectively overcome possible problems that may arise during an arrest to safely bring a suspect into custody.

Course Duration: 1 Hour(s)

Command presence is the lowest level of force. Police recruits are taught that the presence of an officer in uniform is the first and omnipresent level of force. Command presence is important because it can mean the difference between being challenged and not being challenged. This course reviews the components that make up "command presence."

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Whether working plainclothes, undercover, or carrying off duty, police officers carrying concealed firearms must have a solid understanding of the concepts and tactics that are practical when deploying a handgun from concealment. This course uses a systematic methodology to expose officers to new concealment skills.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Evidence seems to show that the majority of methods and approaches we have been employing to prepare our officers to use their handguns in the real world have not been based on the realities of that world. Rather they have been based on the artificial environment of the training range and focused on training our officers on succeeding in training rather than combat.

This course examines the integrated Duty Pistol Training Course (DPTC) concept, including describing the approach and components of each of the four DPTC levels.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Phil Messina of Modern Warrior presents this two-part course on Confined Area Safety/Survival Tactics (CAST) that literally teaches you how to win a fight in a phone booth. The first course examines the science of influencing physical motion and high-risk physio-kinetics, effective use of time, environmental weapons, and empty-hand procedures all lead to success. The second course examines the factors involving available weapons, technical weapon defense techniques and disarmament, and physio-kinetics and positive time-framing to create a positive outcome.

Course Duration: 1 Hour(s) Each

The use of deadly force is a topic widely discussed, but what happens when the suspect has begun to comply and deadly force is no longer needed? This course illustrates the dangers when de-escalation techniques are not a part of training. Lt. Dennis Smith demonstrates transition drills to stress de- escalation and shows us a scenario where officers must use these techniques.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Too often officers who encounter knives or other cutting or stabbing instruments dismiss them as "accessories" or "tools". They may not recognize disguised or improvised edged weapons or fully comprehend how much damage an offender can do with an edged weapon in a frighteningly short amount of time. This course examines the need to recognize the threat, how to respond to a sudden aggressive arm motion, and how to gain a positional and tactical advantage during an edged-weapon attack.

Course Duration: 1 Hour(s)

Electronic control devices are one of the most effective and controversial tools at an officer's disposal. Knowing how and when to use them is only part of the process. This course examines when electronic control devices should and should not be used, as well as where they fit into the use of force continuum.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

When an officer is present, at least one firearm is present the officer's. Most officer contacts with the public are close up, and the officer's firearm is usually visible. Every year, officers are killed with their own firearms or an offender's firearm. Firearm retention and disarming needs to be a part of the skill set of every law enforcement officer. This course examines different scenarios and techniques for disarming suspects carrying firearms, how to minimize injury in highly dangerous situations, and the proper steps of the standard weapon retention technique.

Course Duration: 1 Hour(s)

While they are working, police officers understand their responsibility to protect their duty handguns from negligent or improper use. Many officers, however, often seem to forget or ignore these lessons once they arrive home from work and cross the threshold into the safety of their homes; occasionally, tragedy is the result. The purpose of this course is to assist officers in keeping themselves and the people around them safe, both on the streets and in their homes.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

The reality of police firearms training is not to get involved in competition shooting. Firearm qualification that depends on shooting paper targets from long distances may be fine for firearm competitions, but it bears little resemblance to the realities of the real world. In this course, Trooper Mike Conti of the Massachusetts State Police training academy explains the hows and the whys of their new lethal force training program.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

A knife attack should be considered a deadly force situation. In this two-part course, Dave Smith and Bill Burroughs demonstrate different types of knife attacks and knife-defense techniques, types of edged- weapon cuts, the most dangerous to be wary of, and what to look for to avoid being surprised.

Course Duration: 1 Hour(s)

Laser-sighting systems have changed considerably since their development a decade ago and their use is becoming more widespread in the U.S. This course addresses the misconceptions surrounding laser systems and provides a foundation for their appropriate and effective use.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Since 1923 and the creation of the first civilian chemical munitions company, law enforcement has sought methods, tools, tactics, and techniques to assist them with subduing violent individuals through "less than deadly" force. This course examines both the historical and contemporary uses of oleoresin capsicum (OC-Pepper) spray, 12-gauge impact projectiles, and electro-muscular disruption systems (M26 and X26 TASERS).

Course Duration: 1.5 Hour(s)

Even though conducting a traffic stop is a routine part of an officer's job, an officer should never treat it as routine. Even traffic stops that start out as "low risk" can quickly escalate to a deadly encounter. As a result, officers need to be on their guard every time they initiate a traffic stop. Forgetting that cardinal rule can cost an officer their life. This course examines some of the attitudes that can contribute to dangerous traffic stops and the possible risks associated with them.

PART II: Gun battles involving both traditional handguns and automatic assault rifles are on the rise in many cities. The same is true of car chases occurring during heavy traffic. This makes it critical that officers wear their vests at all times, understand strategies for surviving a gun battle, and know how to conduct a car chase as safely as possible.

Course Duration: 1 Hour(s)

The non-dominant hand serves us well in support functions on the range and in the field. However, the dominant hand or arm may be shot or otherwise incapacitated and survival may depend on the developed skills of the non-dominant hand in un-holstering and firing. This course looks at the values of developing and strengthening the non-dominant hand in those skills.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

A popular, non-lethal option for law enforcement officers is "Oleoresin Capsicum," commonly known as O.C. or pepper-based sprays. In this two-part course, police training specialist Ed Nowicki demonstrates how effective pepper sprays can be by spraying officers who then describe the effects it is having on them. If not used incorrectly, however, O.C. sprays can have very harmful effects.

Course Duration: 1 Hour(s)

No matter what your job is in law enforcement, you share at least one thing with every other person who wears the badge. Sooner or later, you're going to be off duty. And even though the uniform is left home at times, the profession is not. This course examines how to be prepared to act, if and when necessary, in an off-duty capacity.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

It is the most-hated call of all. When this call comes in the entire department goes into "condition red". This two-part course examines officer down from the point of view of an officer gunned down during a "routine" traffic stop. His immediate reactions and his will to live made the difference. He kept telling himself "I will survive, I will survive". He did and will tell you about it.

Course Duration: 1 Hour(s)

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This course will define stress and its causes for law enforcement officers. Specifically, it will focus on the physiological response caused by prolonged stress in today's difficult environment, as well as the stress response that occurs during a high-stress event. It will also present suggestions that can be implemented by individuals or departments to help officers deal with stress, so they can continue to work effectively and compassionately to protect and serve their communities.

Course Duration: 1 Hour(s)

Operational issues regarding the use of high levels of force to control subject violence have never before placed officers in more jeopardy to death or serious injury than they do today. This course establishes job-related protocols by examining the operational characteristics of the pistol as the core element leading to the effective use of this instrument during subject control.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Performing at your best is critically important in life-threatening situations. In a step-by-step process, this course stresses the importance of power development training, visualization of threats, and values resolution to achieve peak performance.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Practicing tactical thinking is essential to officer safety and provides experiences for an officer to draw upon during a real-life situation. This course discusses tactical thinking strategies and relates them to approaching suspects on foot.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Most law enforcement officers are not trained emergency medical personnel, but they may be the first responder at the scene of an accident. The ability to render medical aid could mean the difference between life and death. This 3-module course looks at some of the basic medical procedures needed to handle a variety of situations until EMS personnel arrive.

Course Duration: 1.5 Hour(s)

Physical conditioning is a must for law enforcement officers wanting to perform duties safely and effectively. This course demonstrates proper technique for some basic cardiovascular and weight training exercises designed to help keep them in top shape.

Course Duration: 1 Hour(s)

Lessons learned from the Columbine High School incident among others included patrol officers can no longer stand around and wait for tactical units to arrive. In an active shooter situation, officers must be trained, equipped, and willing to intervene. This course discusses dynamic marksmanship, or the ability to hit what you want while in volatile circumstances, as well as the general advantages of patrol rifles.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

The success of community-oriented policing in combating crime has led law enforcement departments at all levels - municipal, county, university, and even the state level to focus on closer relationships with the citizens that they serve. One way to develop such relationships is to deploy officers on bicycles. This course discusses the advantages of bicycle patrol and when bicycle officer deployment is appropriate.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

How do you search for a bomb? What would you look for? What does a bomb look like? All questions to answer as a bomb awareness plan is taking shape. Training your supervisors or team leaders will be your first step on gaining confidence in a bomb awareness plan from everyone in the organization. This course discusses the basics of bomb awareness, and how to develop and implement a plan.

Course Duration: 1 Hour(s)

Clandestine drug labs produce a significant number of fires each year. These labs often contain flammable hydrocarbons and volatile organic compounds making these types of fires a hazardous materials incident as well. This course focuses on how law enforcement and the fire service are working together to recognize hidden, illegal drug labs.

Course Duration: 1 Hour(s)

How do you get the officers you supervise to improve their work performance? How can you get them to stop doing something they shouldn't, or start doing something they should? Coaching is the answer. In this course, Dr. Murlene McKinnon takes us through the steps of coaching for high quality work performance.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

The illegal drug trade is big business in the United States. Cocaine sales alone account for more than $80 billion every year in this country. Thus, drug smugglers are constantly adapting their methods to evade police detection. This course discusses common contraband concealment containers and identifiers of drug courier vehicles as well as the challenges of searching large commercial vehicles.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

More time is spent talking with victims, suspects, and witnesses than with any other law enforcement task. Communicating with people is the primary job of law enforcement, yet communication skills have been neglected. This course will discuss the communication process, which includes effective listening skills and the importance of nonverbal communication that aids in the compliance of subjects.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Injuries are the leading cause of death for children between one and 14 years of age. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) responded by developing a comprehensive injury prevention program called Risk Watch.

This course provides information to children and their caregivers that enables them to avoid injury situations and take measures to correct hazards when dangerous conditions are encountered.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

The routine, everyday traffic stop is the foundation of crime control. Traffic stops can generate enforcement contacts, create a heightened state of public awareness, and deter crime in general. This course provides information on what can be expected during a traffic stop, with emphasis on how to detect criminal activity, current legal issues, officer safety, and the broad importance of traffic stops as a function of law enforcement.

Course Duration: 1 Hour(s)

Leadership is all about people. It is not about organizations. It is not about plans. It is not about strategies. It is about people motivating people to get the job done. This quote by General Colin Powell describes what real leadership is all about individual actions and interactions with others.

This course defines leadership and the attributes, skills, and process of leadership. It also describes the core competencies necessary for an individual to be successful, including honesty, integrity, forward thinking, competency, and inspiration.

Course Duration: 1 Hour(s)

Communication signals from people who cannot speak, such as infants or people who are ill or injured, are used every day. Too often, however, law enforcement officers forget about or ignore these signs when dealing with people who can speak. Full comprehension of a situation requires the total dialogue being presented - not just the words being spoken. This course will help you understand and evaluate nonverbal messages.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

A burglar is breaking into a house, and a call comes in to respond to the crime in progress. What is the plan of attack? Crimes in progress require a different approach than the typical criminal investigation of a completed crime. This course prepares law enforcement officers how to show up prepared to handle the call.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) is a comprehensive, integrated multicomponent crisis intervention system. While born of the emergency services professions, CISM has found success when applied to mass disaster settings, schools and hospitals. This course explores CISM pre-crisis planning, education, and intervention methods; discusses critical incident stress debriefing and defusing; and takes a closer look at symptom mitigation through communication and family support.

Course Duration: 1.5 Hour(s)

Police officers need to always be aware of the risks involved and take precautions to stay safe. Roughly 55 percent of police line-of-duty deaths stem from traffic stops going bad. This course focuses on three types of vehicle searches: frisk, search incident to arrest, and consent.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Responding to a domestic disturbance is one of the most common calls that patrol officers will have. It can be a challenge identifying the primary aggressor, but domestic violence isn't limited to adults. Children are part of the equation as both psychological and physical victims. The first module reveals several steps to help law enforcement officers first determine who is the primary aggressor, and then how to interview and deal with children as eye and ear witnesses to a crime. The second discusses how to properly identify the primary aggressor in a same-sex situation, and then what happens after you make the arrest.

Course Duration: 1 Hour(s) Each

When responding to an emergency or chasing a suspect, safe driving can easily take a back seat to emotion and adrenaline. And hazardous, unanticipated road conditions make it even tougher to drive safely. This course discusses the various circumstances in which an officer operates a patrol vehicle and the unique hazards that surround such operation.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

A lot of times it's the little things like staking a door or pulling off a seatbelt that will go wrong, and those things can throw off an entire encounter. This course demonstrates proper emergency vehicle evacuation when confronted by an active shooter.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Law enforcement trainer and consultant Wally Bock and Southwestern Law Enforcement Institute Director Dr. Gary Sykes offer their views on the impact of the study of ethics on modern law enforcement and the role of the newly announced Center for Law Enforcement Ethics.

Course Duration: 1 Hour(s)

Regardless of where a person comes from or what verbal language they speak, they send a very clear message without uttering a sound. This course examines how behavioral clues beyond conversation affect a law enforcement officer's ability to understand.

Course Duration: 1 Hour(s)

Every year countless thousands of people are killed on U.S. highways. The majority of these deaths are the result of people who drink, then drive, then kill. One of law enforcements' top priorities is to get these people off the street. This course demonstrates ways of identifying a potential drunk driver, how to administer several field sobriety tests, and how to interpret the results to determine if a motorist is under the influence.

Course Duration: 1 Hour(s)

As a law enforcement officer, at some point in your career you will find yourself in a foot pursuit. It could happen while responding to a burglary, or a routine traffic stop. In the heat of a chase, it's not uncommon for a person to become so zoned in on a suspect they forget the basics of officer safety.

This course examines foot pursuits and the dangers associated with them including communications, positioning, use of the environment, use of back-up officers, and strategic pre-event planning.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) offer law enforcement personnel the ability to analyze information in a manner that is not practical or at least quite cumbersome in a tabular database system.

This course covers issues related to getting started with GIS including how to determine which GIS to purchase, and how the GIS will work with your department's hardware and software requirements.

Course Duration: 1.5 Hour(s)

An estimated 20 percent of law enforcement officers cannot perform the strenuous and essential physical tasks required of the job. This course examines the need for physical fitness, how to obtain it, and how it helps prevent heart disease - the number one killer of law enforcement officers.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Think of the essential skills needed in police work. Two items that may not have topped your list are verbal skills and patience. In fact, those skills didn't make the list at all until the late 1970s when the modern hostage negotiation team was created. In the four decades since, officers have saved countless lives by mastering the art of conversation and the use of time.

Part one of this course examines actual training of hostage negotiators and how those skills were used to diffuse actual hostage incidents. Part two focuses on fundamental training in handling critical incidents and establishing person-to-person communication.

Course Duration: 1 Hour(s)

Increasingly, marijuana growers are taking their plants indoors. The reason? Besides making detection more difficult, bringing the marijuana plant inside allows the grower to control the different stages of the plant's growth. Thus, creating a more plentiful and more potent crop. One method many growers have found successful is hydroponics. To put it simply, hydroponics is the growing of a plant without any soil. California Department of Justice's Mick Mollica takes you into the world of the indoor marijuana grower, including a look at equipment used to produce marijuana and vital tips to maintain a high degree of safety.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Communicable diseases are all around us and police officers are susceptible to these unseen contaminants. Knowledge of likely transmission sources and preventive steps that can be taken will enable police officers to prevent or minimize the likelihood of contamination. This course covers infectious diseases and how to recognize the threat, when and how to use barrier protection, and what to do if infected.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Law enforcement personnel are constantly facing situations that test their personal values and moral character. As an enforcer of what is right and wrong, you are expected to adhere unquestioningly to the standards that you enforce. This course outlines 10 behaviors that will absolutely cost an officer their badge. It also identifies the governing bodies that have authority over officers, and examines the standards for commissioning, licensing, and decertifying a peace officer.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

The U.S. Supreme Court is the final arbiter for interpreting the U.S. Constitution. Many of the cases heard by the Court each year address a variety of constitutional criminal procedure issues. The Court's decisions have an important and immediate impact on the day-to-day operations of law enforcement agencies and the individual officers whose duty it is to enforce the law. Failure to heed to the Court's decisions can cause the exclusion of evidence, dismissal of charges, and in some instances, exposure of the agency or its officers to civil legal action for financial remedy for the violation of an individual's constitutional rights. This course examines some of the more notable Supreme Court cases and how its rulings affect law enforcement officers.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Whether you be an operational officer meeting the citizenry or an administrative officer having to deal with higher-end levels of communication, confrontational management and tactical communications is an extraordinarily important topic for the law enforcement community. This three-part course examines verbal and non-verbal forms of communication, coding and decoding verbal forms of communication, and anxiety reduction and the important strategy of approach to contact.

Course Duration: 1.5 Hour(s)

Law enforcement officers are often confronted with motor vehicle crashes in low visibility conditions. Polk County, Fla., responders were recently confronted with a worst-case scenario as 70 vehicles collided in zero visibility conditions along a heavily traveled interstate highway. This course examines the lessons learned in Polk County, and offers a glimpse of how to handle similar situations.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

One of the most dangerous calls a law enforcement officer may respond to is one that involves a mentally ill person in crisis. Unfortunately, few officers are specifically trained to confidently deal with the seriously ill and handle the situation appropriately. This lack of training results in an increase in injuries and death to both the mentally ill individual and the officer. This course will examine some of the tactics and techniques that have been proven to help de-escalate these difficult and potentially dangerous situations.

Course Duration: 1 Hour(s)

Law enforcement agencies have adopted a paramilitary approach; however, not all officers have a military background. Few police academies train and practice with recruits on how to present themselves at funerals and other special occasions. There are certain actions that uniformed officers should perform to show respect for our country and to a fallen officer. This course teaches basic military courtesy for use by uniformed police personnel.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Tornadoes, mudslides, and eartquakes are several natural disasters that can overwhelm immediate resources in an area due to the potential number of injuries. A coordinated response along with a quick and proper assessment of the situation is critical to a successful outcome. This course prepares law enforcement personnel to have an awareness of disaster preparedness activities and be able to respond effectively and safely when called to these types of scenes.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Every year the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) embarks on two national ad campaigns. This course highlights these two videos from NHTSA: Click it or Ticket and You Drink and Drive, You Lose. The first focuses on the need for seatbelt enforcement and public awareness, while the second examines the growing problem of intoxicated drivers and how law enforcement officers can help save lives by strictly enforcing these laws.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

There are times when officers on the street need to communicate with each other without those around them knowing what they are saying. It could be just a noisy environment that makes talking impossible or it could be relaying information to each other about a dangerous subject.

This course examines a system that allows officers to communicate nonverbally using hand signals. This system is based upon the same signs used by the hearing impaired but tailored to the police world.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Split-second decisions are a fact of life in law enforcement and can mean the difference between life and death. This two-part course examines several scenarios with multiple outcomes based on the actions law enforcement officers take and the reactions of the suspect.

Part one allows the students to visualize what they would say, how they would react, how they would use cover, and what they would be observing. Part two continues by asking students to examine using and maintaining distance, using time as an advantage, engaging and disengaging, and using non-lethal or lethal force.

Course Duration: 1 Hour(s)

Knowing exactly what you're looking for and going after it can be very productive. If you drive around aimlessly, you miss crime. In part one of this course, three different types of patrol tactics are examined, including order maintenance policing, aggressive patrol, and crackdown. Part two continues with five tactics to use as an advantage: high visibility patrol, saturation patrol, directed patrol, foot patrol, and hotspots.

Course Duration: 1 Hour(s)

How many times has a law enforcement officer responded to a call only to find the individual emotionally charged and out of control? It obviously can be very difficult to physically control this type of person. This course examines techniques to help control the emotionally-enraged subject.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

It is important for the prehospital provider to have a general knowledge of the differences between toxic and non-toxic substances. This course discusses factors to consider during an initial encounter with a patient who may have been exposed to a toxic substance. Also provided are resources to help you determine potential toxicity of a substance and determinants that impact the decision to transport a potentially poisoned patient.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Patrol officers respond to a wide variety of calls each and every day. Their training allows them to handle almost any situation they may encounter. But there is one situation that may leave an officer feeling helpless: a structure fire.

This course examines how to respond to working structure fires, the proper considerations for vehicle placement, actions needed, and information required to fully assist fire personnel in achieving life safety and property preservation activities.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

A gunman opens fire at a major, international airport. Could this be the beginning of another large-scale attack? How do you control the perimeter, secure witnesses, and preserve evidence when your crime scene is LAX?

This course examines a July 4th terror attack at Los Angeles International Airport, and the lessons learned by first responders on the scene including how to protect a crime scene from unauthorized access, preserving potential evidence found on scene, dealing with potential witnesses, and a detailed description of the federal government's response and its role in crisis management and consequence management.

Course Duration: 1 Hour(s)

Police pursuit driving can be defined as an active attempt by a law enforcement officer, operating an emergency vehicle and utilizing simultaneously all emergency equipment (blue lights and siren), to apprehend one or more occupants of another moving vehicle, when the driver of a fleeing vehicle is aware of that attempt and is resisting apprehension by maintaining or increasing his speed, disobeying traffic laws, ignoring or attempting to elude the officer. In recent years, the police have come under strict scrutiny for accidents caused during pursuits. This course provides information on police pursuits, including reasons for the pursuits, techniques of pursuit, and termination of pursuit.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Police pursuits are an enduring issue for law enforcement agencies. This course will discuss the phases of a pursuit; the activities and decisions that occur during each phase of pursuit; and because the goal of each pursuit is safely stopping the fleeing vehicle, current and potential vehicle-stopping technologies will be discussed.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Safely ending a chase before it begins can prevent unnecessary damage and loss of life. In this course, Tom Sloick of the Regional Counterdrug Training Academy discusses the concepts behind rapid vehicle takedowns, and demonstrates this specific tactic used in safely terminating a chase.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)

Since the Sept. 11th terrorist activity, all of us are concerned about how are we going to be able to effectively patrol and police the civilian population? What type of awareness do law enforcement officers now need to bring in their toolboxes so that they have something they can use to identify criminal behavior? Terrorism is an enemy within the sea of people that officers observe every day. Who are the suspects and how can they be identified? This course explains the benefits of tactical thinking and observation as it relates to identifying terrorism.

Course Duration: 0.5 Hour(s)