Running head: REFLECTION ON 21ST CENTURY SKILLS 1

Reflection on Developing Law Enforcement Skills for the 21st Century

LEPS 599

Juan C. Espinoza

University of San Diego

Weebly Link:

https://jcespinoza.weebly.com/
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The University of San Diego Law Enforcement and Public Safety Leadership Master’s

Program helps to identify and develop skills that aim to drive success in the contemporary

environment in which law enforcement is rooted. The goals, charge, and expectations placed

upon modern day law enforcement have gone far beyond the mere requirement of keeping the

peace or enforcing the laws of society, necessitating a wide range of skills be possessed by each

individual officer. Present-day law enforcement officers must be equipped to fulfill a multitude

of roles including social worker, warrior, interpreter of law, teacher, and community liaison,

amongst others. Similarly, the preparation and training required to get law enforcement

professionals ready to function in the real world is constantly improving, evolving, and changing

to reflect the most current and acceptable industry standards. Success in the field of modern law

enforcement, then, may be characterized by the industry, agency, and individual ability to adapt

to the ever changing climate and expectations levied upon them.

This thematic program learning objective, Developing Law Enforcement and Public

Safety Knowledge and Skills for the 21st Century is reflected in my work through addressing

issues that are currently confronting law enforcement both in the field and within their agencies;

including theoretical exercises based upon the principles necessary for practical application.

Thematic representations within the whole of my works include dealing with present and

ongoing challenges to the effective operation of a law enforcement agency, accepting and

utilizing statistical analysis to modernize patrol methods and resource allocation, and taking

appropriate action as a police administration when facing the challenges of external pressures

placed upon the department head in response to high profile situations. As the effectiveness and

efficiency of policing is addressed through developing new skills, it is imperative as always, that

a heavy focus be placed on having a strong ethical foundation from which to build upon.
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I have chosen the following selection of works because they serve as a reflection of the

some of the new and important challenges law enforcement faces as a result of the evolution in

technology and changing laws regarding the storage and dissemination of police records. The

first selected work “Communicating with the Public” conducts an in-depth analysis of a real life

situation encountered by the Mountain View, California, Police Department as a result of having

contacted the suspect of an active shooter situation that occurred in a neighboring jurisdiction,

less than 24 hours before the incident occurred. The paper highlights the admirable job and fine

balancing act performed by Mountain View PD between transparent disclosure of information

and protection of civil right and confidential information.

The second selected work “Law Enforcement in Cyberspace” is a real life snapshot of the

Soledad Police Department’s online presence at a specific point in time, late 2019. The paper,

which is written in the form of a memorandum to the then Chief of Police, takes a specific look

at the operation and reach of the department’s various internet based outreach efforts, and lack

thereof, through social media outlets and police department website. As a result of this

memorandum, several wide-sweeping changes were made to the Soledad Police Department’s

online outreach efforts, which were expanded and made more efficient and user friendly.

The final selected work deals with the California Public Records Act and how the

Soledad Police Department planned to bring operations within compliance by the state

established deadline of January 2020. This rapid and substantial change was forced upon all law

enforcement agencies within the state of California through the passage of legislation. Since the

requirements were vague at best and little to no guidance was provided to individual agencies,

the responsibility of navigating each agency to the path of compliance fell to the command staff

of every department.
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References

Kilmer, Beau, Susan S. Sohler Everingham, Jonathan P. Caulkins, Greg Midgette, Rosalie

Liccardo Pacula, Peter H. Reuter, Rachel M. Burns, Bing Han, and Russell Lundberg,

(2014). How Big Is the U.S. Market for Illegal Drugs?. Santa Monica, CA: RAND

Corporation,. Retrieved from https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9770.html.

Kilmer, Beau and Kleiman, Mark A. R. (December 4, 2018). Navigating Cannabis Legalization

2.0. The Hill. Retrieved from https://www.rand.org/blog/2018/12/navigating-cannabis-

legalization-20.html.

Dills, A., Goffard, S., & Miron, J. (2016). Dose of Reality: The Effect of State Marijuana

Legalizations. Cato Institute. Retrieved from: https://www.cato.org/publications/policy-

analysis/dose-reality-effect-state-marijuana-legalizations

Muskos, P. (2008) Cop in the Hood: My Year Policing Baltimore’s Eastern District. Princeton,

New Jersey: Princeton University.

Levitt, Stephen. (February 2004). The Freakonomics of Crack Dealing. Ted. Retrieved from

https://www.ted.com/talks/steven_levitt_analyzes_crack_economics?language=en