These lively and stimulating ideas for use in and out of class reinforce active learning. The activities apply to individual or group projects.

4-1:  Explain the important of recruiting and selecting officers in a dynamic cultural context

1. Practicum:  In groups of 5-7, design and enact a training to address and remedy generational issues within staff. The training should be relevant and interactive.
2. Writing:  In 500-800 words, explain how and why generational issues exist within police forces. Draw from your own generational perspective, and include potential ways to address these differences.

4-2:  Discuss some of the laws and regulations that affect the recruitment and hiring processes of police organizations

1. Documentation:  In groups of 3-5, outline the various federal anti-discrimination legislation which applies to police agencies. Include reasons behind the legislation and 3-5 potential strategies to ensure compliance for each policy.
2. Writing:  Why is anti-discrimination legislation critical for police agencies? In 800-1000 words, address this question and consider historical events, recent events, and potential opportunities and challenges for police agencies in complying with this legislation.

4-3:  Evaluate strategies police organizations use to recruit qualified and diverse entry-level applicants

1. Role-playing:  In groups of 4-6, enact scenarios of officers actively aiming to recruit women officers. Highlight potential strategies to be used and their likely levels of success.
2. Writing:  Imagine you are a police chief aiming to build a more diverse staff that better represents the communities you are policing. In 800-1000 words, describe strategies you plan to utilize to recruit more diverse personnel and why this is important.

4-4:  Describe the five areas police organizations test to screen applicants

1. Practicum:  In groups of 4-6, devise status tests for your local police agency. Consider specific requirements (citizenship, age, language) and bonus points you will include, and why or why not you will include them for your local precinct.
2. Writing:  Appropriate tests for applicants are critical to the maintenance of the police agency and public safety. However, overly-specific and/or discriminatory screening processes may result in court challenges. In 800-1000 words, discuss how police agencies can create tests that screens for optimal and/or unsuitable candidates, while ensuring no discriminatory policies are used. 

4-5:  Summarize the processes police organizations use to fill supervisory positions

1. Practicum:  In groups of 3-5, outline the qualities, including experience, education, and personality, of an ideal supervisor candidate. Discuss how and why these qualities would make an excellent police supervisor.
2. Writing:  Imagine that, after having several difficult and several great supervisors throughout your career, you are now applying for supervisors within your agency. How are you qualified for this position and how will you prepare for the assessment center? Discuss in 800-1000 words.

4-6:  Identify the skills and requirements for police chiefs

1. Role-playing:  In groups of 4-6, create 3-5 scenarios that portray a range of police chiefs’ responsibilities.
2. Writing:  Police chiefs are often inherently political jobs. In 800-1000 words, discuss the benefits and challenges of this reality.