Community Policing Certificate of Achievement

The Community Policing Certificate of Achievement requires the completion of six courses that emphasize new ways for law enforcement to implement effective practices for building trust and engaging with the community in crime reduction and safety. At the completion of the required courses students will be able to:

• Communicate effectively with members of a culturally and economically diverse community and assess how to meet community needs;
• Identify ways law enforcement can reduce abuse of authority and excessive force while increasing methods of community engagement including active listening, sensitivity, de-escalation, and intervention.
• Identify ways to engage, build trust, through transparency, approach-ability, and other effective practices to meet the needs of the community. 
• Understand the functions and interrelationships among various public and private service agencies that will act as alternatives to the justice system. 

This program is expected to produce 10-15 completers annually.

Completion of this program will benefit students in various ways, including providing a basic level of education that can help address the need to shift from current policing methods to more community-based policing. It will provide education to current law enforcement agency employees that offer pay incentives. Additionally, the program will provide college students with employment opportunities in a variety of administration of justice positions and fulfill several GE requirements for Administration of Justice Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT). 

This program requires that students complete all designated courses with a grade C or better.

Course	Title	Units	Year/Semester (Y1 or S1)
AJ-101	Administration of Justice	3	S1
AJ-117	Police & Society	3	S1
AJ-118	Criminology	3	S1
AJ-131	Administration of Juvenile Justice	3	S2
COMM-115	Intercultural Communications	3	S2
SOC 108	Social Inequities	3	S2

Note that sequencing is a suggestion and no courses have prerequisites. Students may complete courses when they are offered in any sequence.

The new Community Policing Certificate is intended for both new students interested in the field of Administration of Justice and for professionals already working in the law enforcement field.

Nearly all colleges in our service area have Administration of Justice degrees and certificates. This program was developed partially in response to requests from local police departments and we do not expect it to impact enrollments at other institutions.