LEOpSys: a vision for policing
The idea of a complete "system" for law enforcement is grandeur. Imagine a fully-integrated program spanning the topics of: report writing, supervision, policy and procedure development, firearms, case law, operational planning, tactical ethics, courtroom testimony, incident command, investigations, and tactics.
Is it possible to weave these seemingly diverse aspects of law enforcement into a singular model?
Considering we are doing that now with The Illinois Model™, I contend...yes! We are bringing together subject matter experts from what were once completely isolated fields of policing, to design a comprehensive law enforcement operations system, or LEOpSys™(lee-OP-sis).
We aren't talking about computer software, technology, records management, or scheduling. Those are administrative functions. What we are addressing are operational aspects and critical decision-making: investigating burglar alarms, Search and Seizure, mental illness response, traffic stops, criminal arrests, weapons deployment, writing crime and use of force reports, juvenile mischief, active killer response, K9 team deployment, search warrants, suspicious persons.
Due to the current state of fragmentation of police training and policy design, the idea of LEOpSys is totally foreign. A paradigm shift is required to appreciate this combining of police specialties and tasks into one inclusive program.
Tactical guys teach tactics. English majors teach report writing. Gun guys teach firearms. Paramedics teach first aid. Military veterans teach anti-terrorism. Martial artists teach defensive fighting skills. Attorneys teach case law. And they should - they are the specialists in their respective fields. But....there is not only limited connectivity between these diverse topics; there is frequently conflict. Failing to relate these topics to one another is inefficient (and arguably ineffective) use of training time and effort; inconsistencies just plain confuse officers.
The Illinois Model addresses all these topics in a unified and consistent program. It serves as a framework for all these specialties to use as a reference. The LEOpSys standardizes terminology and concepts, but more importantly, has identified a universal process for police officers to use in a wide variety of situations and tasks. The same process or method is used for: training, making tactical and/or legal decisions, investigating crimes, documenting or explaining his/her actions to supervisors, citizens, investigators, judges, or juries.
Training specialists remain subject matter experts. But under the LEOpSys concept, s/he can relate a very specific aspect of policing to the biggest of pictures. By finding the common threads, we have designed an extremely efficient and effective program. The synergy of our LEOpSys creates super cops!
While The Illinois Model continues to be adopted by police agencies across the nation, we are transforming it into an even more complete LEOpSys. If you share our vision, ask how you can be a part of our team.
Louis Hayes is a co-developer of The Illinois Model™ law enforcement operations system (LEOpSys) and moderates several courses rooted in its theory and concepts. He is a 15-year police officer, currently assigned to a multi-agency tactical unit in Chicagoland. A full compilation of articles on the model can be found here.
We aren't talking about computer software, technology, records management, or scheduling. Those are administrative functions. What we are addressing are operational aspects and critical decision-making: investigating burglar alarms, Search and Seizure, mental illness response, traffic stops, criminal arrests, weapons deployment, writing crime and use of force reports, juvenile mischief, active killer response, K9 team deployment, search warrants, suspicious persons.
 |
| Consistency is a major tenant of our LEOpSys plan. |
Tactical guys teach tactics. English majors teach report writing. Gun guys teach firearms. Paramedics teach first aid. Military veterans teach anti-terrorism. Martial artists teach defensive fighting skills. Attorneys teach case law. And they should - they are the specialists in their respective fields. But....there is not only limited connectivity between these diverse topics; there is frequently conflict. Failing to relate these topics to one another is inefficient (and arguably ineffective) use of training time and effort; inconsistencies just plain confuse officers.
The Illinois Model addresses all these topics in a unified and consistent program. It serves as a framework for all these specialties to use as a reference. The LEOpSys standardizes terminology and concepts, but more importantly, has identified a universal process for police officers to use in a wide variety of situations and tasks. The same process or method is used for: training, making tactical and/or legal decisions, investigating crimes, documenting or explaining his/her actions to supervisors, citizens, investigators, judges, or juries.
Training specialists remain subject matter experts. But under the LEOpSys concept, s/he can relate a very specific aspect of policing to the biggest of pictures. By finding the common threads, we have designed an extremely efficient and effective program. The synergy of our LEOpSys creates super cops!
While The Illinois Model continues to be adopted by police agencies across the nation, we are transforming it into an even more complete LEOpSys. If you share our vision, ask how you can be a part of our team.
Louis Hayes is a co-developer of The Illinois Model™ law enforcement operations system (LEOpSys) and moderates several courses rooted in its theory and concepts. He is a 15-year police officer, currently assigned to a multi-agency tactical unit in Chicagoland. A full compilation of articles on the model can be found here.
Comments
Post a Comment