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Junior Police Academy

The Leadership Manual

roadmap to success…

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P L A N F O R S U C C E S S

On behalf of the leadership of the Junior Police Academy, greetings.As many of you know, or will hopefully soon discover, leading a youth program, even one as flexible and accommodating as the Junior Police Academy, requires enthusiasm, innovation, planning and planning.

Oh, and did I mention it takes planning?

Well it’s true you know – “fail to plan and plan to fail.”

Or, in the case of the Junior Police Academy – “plan to fail in front of twenty to thirty kids who just seconds earlier thought YOU had it altogether.”

Why it’s enough to make you actually read the manual!

Which is my way of welcoming you to “JPA: The Leadership Manual.”

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As that title suggests, we did not squander enthusiasm or innovation on the cover page. This manual treats both as perishable commodities that are too often consumed en-route to creating an operable plan.

And you will be needing a fresh reserve of both enthusiasm and innovation. Completing this guide is just beginning. It will help you will build the foundation, upon which you will lay proud claim to the most dynamic and democratically vital profession in the world – American law enforcement.

Comprehensive, yet [mercifully] concise, this manual speaks in an informal voice, my own. My wish is to keep the text readable and the ideas clear.

Along the way you will be hearing from the many law enforcement officers who pioneered the Junior Police Academy.

Just as they have over the past 20 years, they will be interrupting me from time to time to explain how they broke or rewrote each rule and procedure stated herein – creating something uniquely, wonderfully their own.

That is, after all, the promise of the Junior Police Academy, to bring young people and police officers together and then stand back.

The essential quality of what happens next cannot be found in this or any other manual. It defies description. I do know it has the power to transcend the distance that once defined cops and kids with a brand of idealism that’s uniquely American and, at least to my way of thinking, essential to both liberty and democracy – an enthusiasm for justice!

So sharpen your pencil and let’s get started.

Phillip LeConte

P H I L L I P L E C O N T E

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QUESTIONS

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Why?

Who? & How Many?

When?

What?

Where?

How?

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BUILDING THE PERFECT PLAN

You will be constructing a plan for program by first considering seven questions:

Why?Who? & How Many?When?What?Where?How?

Answer each question as best you can. At this stage of the planning process, a good guess is good enough to get the ball rolling.

The process yields dynamic and unexpected results when you begin to consider how each answers impacts the other. The process of putting pencil to paper [literally] will start a creative and logistical process that helps you spot conflicts and opportunities.

As you answer each question sequentially, you will start to see connections that only seem obvious in retrospect. The nagging question of “who” is suddenly apparent because you thought through the “where" or made minor adjustments to the “when.” You get the idea.

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As in, why are you hosting a Junior Police Academy?

Your answer is important as it will influence your answers to all the other questions. You are creating a road map, but let’s get specific about why you are going somewhere in the first place?

Imagine your final destination for a moment. And again, be specific. The more detailed you are, the more accurate your map.

Ask what would be the best possible result of my hosting a JPA.

Think in terms of outcomes. Be optimistic. Imagine the final day of your academy. Who is there? Your cadets of course, but who else? Are the cadet's parents there? Is the media?

Even if your academy has no culminating event, you should still

consider what impact you hope for. What do the cadets, parents, members of the community know now that they did not know before? How have your cadet's attitude towards policing changed or been enlightened?

For the purposes of this manual, let's imagine:

Graduation day. All your cadets are lined up holding a graduation certificate. Their parents and family members fill the auditorium clapping in recognition of their achievement.

Students who previously knew little if anything about law enforcement now feel a proud

connection to your department, your profession and to you.

Both cadets and parents have a new or better understanding of public safety and exemplify the kind of citizens who make for better, safer communities.

That is an ideal, but certainly not beyond the realm of possibility – I have attended several JPA graduation ceremonies that met all the above criteria.

Once you have an ideal outcome in mind, you work backwards, approaching each of the remaining questions using a consistent framework or goal.

“THE ART OF STARTING WITH THE

END IN MIND.”

J P A A D V I S O R Y C O U N C I L M E M B E R S G T . R O B E R T G O E T Z D E S C R I B E S L O G I S T I C S .

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WHY? PART 2

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One More “WHY” to ConsiderThe outcome you imagine above will no doubt differ from mine – as it should. Which brings us to the other why question.

Why are you here?Your answer will require a bit of soul searching, but it's important if not vital to maintaining your personal enthusiasm for the program.

Enthusiasm is largely irrelevant to your profession duties as a police officer. How you feel on any given day need not impact your performance. This is one of the hallmarks of professionalism. Good day, bad day, you soldier on.

This is not necessarily the case with the Junior Police Academy. The program is probably something you will be doing in addition to your regular duties. An abundance of enthusiasm will be needed.

Whether you view the program as extra work, profoundly rewarding or somewhere in between will depend on your level of personal investment.

Find a WHY that inspires you.As a police officer, a citizen of the United States, perhaps as a father or mother, you no doubt hold passionate views about the next generation of Americans.

Indeed, I have yet to meet a police officer who has not thought deeply and meaningfully about life. To the extent you are able to channel the things you feel most passionate about into the program, the easier it will be to find the time and energy required.

There are many officers who have siblings or nephews or nieces whose lives have taken a wrong turn. For them the program is a means reaching out to young people and giving them the confidence and guidance to keep their life on track. For some officers it’s opportunity to cultivate accountability at a time critical to a young person’s maturity into adulthood.

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WHY YOU?

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For me, JPA is an opportunity to talk about democracy. Take this quote from Commissioner Ed Davis with the Boston Police Department:

“The rights set forth in the United States Constitution are the rightful heritage of every citizen. The interaction between a citizen and the police, the respect one has for the other, has a major impact on a citizen’s own confidence in democracy.

“The way that officers talk to people; the way that they interact reflects on government at large and renew or erode a citizen’s confidence in democracy and the fairness of our system of government.”

I was so inspired by that statement that all the hours of overtime I have invested in the program immediately started paying a higher rate of interest. It has become the frame through which I approach this material – cultivate democracy by introducing young people to the finest citizens I know.

YOUR TURNTake the time right now to answer WHY?

• Imagine an ideal outcome.• Incentivize the program’s overall vision. Make it

personal.

This exercise is more than just pie-in-the-sky or wishful thinking – it is critical to keeping the program planning consistent with your intentions and your energy equal to the demands that lie ahead; or in the words of the poet:

"If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.”

Henry David Thoreau

In the next step, we will put a face to your program.

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Who will be your cadets?

The decision of which grade you will target is an important one. JPA has been successfully offered in both high school and middle school settings.

One strategy is to offer the program to students during their first year on a middle school campus so they can more quickly become mentors and student leaders through the remainder of middle school and throughout high school.

Another strategy is to enroll both high school and middle school students (only really feasible in a summer camp setting) allowing the older cadets to be a positive role model to the younger cadets.

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HOW MANY?

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HOW MANY

You will also need to consider the number of cadets each academy will accommodate. Typically somewhere between twenty and thirty is a good working number, consistent with the average size of a classroom.

The number of instructors you will need is determined by considering total number of cadets and factoring in the frequency and duration of your academy. An academy offered over the course of a semester, meeting for one hour, three times a week will be significantly easier to manage with a single officer than a week-long summer camp that meets for seven hours a day.

As an instructor, you will be out numbered. But in the spirit of “One Ranger, One Riot” there’s no reason to think you will not be able to manage the situation.

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WHEN will the academy meet?

We will answer the question by creating a program schedule.

A program schedule charts your academy across a timeline – starting with Day One through graduation.

As you look at the blank schedule, you need to ask how long and how often should or can your program meet.

While every program schedule is different, they typically fall into two groups:

A program schedule charts your Academy across a timeline – starting with Day One through graduation.  

It establishes both the “when” and the “what”.

CREATING APROGRAM SCHEDULE

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Classroom Built using one-hour blocks of time, your

Classroom schedule will look like a Checker Board. (Three to five times a week, one-hour

per day, scheduled over the course of a school semester)

Summer Camp Also built using one-hour blocks of time, the

Summer Camp schedule should look like swim lanes. (Several hours a day scheduled

over a single week)

SUMMER CAMPOne week/several hours a day

CLASSROOMSpan months, meeting for one hour/

approx. three times a week.

Swim LaneCheckerboard

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YOUR TURNNow, using a calendar, block out your academy strictly in terms of time.

Choosing a Start DateRemember to pace yourself. How soon can you reasonably be expected to start the program?

We suggest you allow at least four to six months to thoroughly develop the program content, work with local educators and recruits qualified cadets.

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UNITS: Just WHAT Your Schedule NeedsOK, so you’ve got your schedule, but it’s just blocks of time. Next we plug in the WHAT or the actual educational content which will fill the time you have scheduled.

Content is broken into UNITS. One UNIT conveniently equals 60 minutes, just like the blocks of time allotted in your schedule.

Actually we figured it this way: Each UNIT = 60 minutes (45 minutes of learning time + 15 minutes factored in for breaks & classroom management. Together totaling 60 minutes.

Choose Your UNITSWhich UNITS and in what order is up to you.

There are 60 UNITS to choose from and all can be found in “Connecting with Kids” – the curriculum for teaching the Junior Police Academy. (Access “Connecting with Kids”, as well as other course materials by signing on to the JPA Leadership Forum.)

Each UNIT covers a specific area of law enforcement. An overview of each UNIT is provided to give you a better idea of its content.

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Tips for Setting Your Schedule

Where to StartWe suggest that you start with the UNIT "Introduction to the Junior Police Academy”. It provides cadets with an overall vision of the program, as well as a good foundation regarding policing and public safety in America.

Schedule Guest Speakers FirstScheduling many of the UNITS will depend on the availability of guest speakers. Obviously you will want to do everything to accommodate representatives of other agencies. UNITS that can be taught independent of visitors or travel can be subordinated to those requiring a K9 or Special Agent.

Graduates Please RiseSchedule time at the end of the academy for a graduation ceremony or some recognition of the cadets successfully completing the course. Regardless of its scale, your graduation is an opportunity to bring the Academy to a meaningful conclusion.

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O V E R V I E W O F W H E N & W H AT

E S T A B L I S H T I M E T A B L E J U S T B L O C K S O F T I M E .

R E V I E W J P A C O U R S E O N L I N E

R E M E M B E R E A C H U N I T I S O N E H O U R

F I L L T I M E T A B L E W I T H C O N T E N T

4 D O W N L O A D U N I T M A T E R I A L S

(S A V E M E D I A F I L E S T O H A R D - D R I V E

P R I N T O U T L E S S O N S & H A N D O U T S .

C O M P I L E C U S T O M I Z E D C O U R S E I N 3 R I N G B I N D E R

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You probably already have a good idea of where your Academy will be held. Most academies combine both classroom sessions and outdoor activities, including field trips to local agencies.

A Dynamic Range of Learning Opportunities

The scope of law enforcement in America is staggering. No other profession offers such a dynamic range of learning opportunities, many of which will be only a short distance away.

Within most communities you will be able to walk cadets through the entire criminal justice system – from state legislatures that write the criminal code of justice to the local police and sheriff departments responsible for enforcing the penal code to the system of county courts and local jails where the accused are tried and punishment is carried out.

Go beyond 3DWith a little planning, the Junior Police Academy can provide cadets with a backstage pass to a world most citizens only see on television. Make every effort to introduce to them to the real world of policing that awaits just outside the classroom.

Special EventsAnother option for an out-of-class experience is to have your cadets volunteer to assist with security for public events. Former Sgt Tom Long of Herkimer, NY turned these outings into one of the mainstays of his program. His cadets even worked security during a visit from President Clinton.

These type of activities are also great opportunities to raise public awareness about the program.

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HOW covers a wide range of logistical considerations that will be unique to each program, so here just a couple guidelines to think about it:

Debrief & AdjustTweak "how" as needed. The end of each day furnishes you with time to evaluate what went right and what did not.

Police officers are accustomed to debriefings, and I have seen it put to effective use in places like Everett, Washington. Sgt Robert Goetz gathers his team of SRO's together for an end of the day verbal report.

It's a process of team-evaluation that will steadily improve your academy. Sgt. Goetz and his team also use a

portion of the time to review the schedule for the following day.

Whether you work with a team of officers or are a one-man show, you will always be looking for ways to improve on “how”.

“No Exceptions” While this LEADERSHIP MANUAL is full of rules that can be disregarded or modified to best meet your needs, you will want to establish strict, unwavering rules among your cadets.

The Junior Police Academy draws upon, at least in spirit, the experience of attending an actual police academy. As with an actual academy, you will

need to articulate and enforce rules governing cadet conduct.

Every officer will have their own personal take on setting the rules.

While deference should be given to the school's existing rules, don't hesitate to institute a code of conduct that goes well beyond what is expected of the general student population. Setting a higher standard of ethics and integrity for cadets can itself become a learning experience. Just as a higher standard is required of police officers, so too will it be required of cadets.

Best advice: Be consistent with your enforcement of the rules.

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SOME FINAL THOUGHTSRemember, the primary objective is to put kids and cops together. Don't let the lack of a grand design or a five year plan stop you taking that first step. Get started! Even if your time with young people is, by necessity, infrequent or unfunded.

Some our best programs started with a single visit. So may yours.

See Problems as OpportunitiesA great way to get started is to meet

with students to discuss a event involving public safety.

Events will always conspire to put law enforcement center stage. Was there a recent shooting in the news, traffic fatality, incident involving bullying? Each is a potential opportunity to open a dialog meet with students.

You may find this exchange the start of something more formal and frequent. If so, we are here to help.

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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

JPA has a variety of excellent resources for additional information, inspiration, & encouragement.

• Join the Leadership Forum! This is your baseline for involvement.• Get in touch with a JPA Instructor or JPA Advisory Council Member to discuss your new

venture. Contact our office and ask for a name.• Stay connected with other programs by visiting our Leadership Forum Video Channel.• Join the national e-mail database to stay up-to-date of the program.

We encourage you to visit the Leadership Forum website which is loaded with resources for newbies and old hands alike. If you have more questions, contact: Kelly LeConte at 512-712-5564 or at kleconte@policeusa.com.

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Leveraging 20 years of experience, the “Junior Police Academy: The Leadership Manual” is your all in one

handbook and reference guide.

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This Leadership Manual is your How-to Guide for starting a JPA program. (It is also available in several different formats, PDF, interactive (with video) and as Google Knol.

LEADERSHIP MANUAL:

T O O L S . D I R E C T I O N S . H E L P.

B L O G S , V I D E O S , P O D C A S T S , P I C T U R E G A L L E R I E S , S O C I A L M E D I A

For see and share all things JPA, visit our blogs, podcasts, images galleries and social media sites.

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Video primers to quickly acquaint yourself with the Junior Police Academy program.

Our educational content is published in many different formats in various places on the web. Click here for a handy Content Map.

Some of our content (especially the larger files) must be downloaded from our Leadership Forum Archive. Registration is quick and free.

V I D E O T U T O R I A L S

E D U C A T I O N A L C O N T E N T

D O W N L O A D

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