The paper will be about a personal encounter of the student (or someone known by the student) with a law enforcement officer; e.g., a traffic stop which either did or did not result in a ticket. Students will:
• Express critical thinking about the human dimensions of their encounter.
• Analyze police operational styles.
• Demonstrate an applied understanding of the literature on police personality.
(a) What does a ‘personal encounter’ mean? It means that the student will write about a face-to-face contact between the student and a police officer. There must have been words and police business exchanged between the student and the officer for it to qualify as an ‘encounter’. A traffic stop is just one example, but the student is free to use any experience with a police officer that goes beyond mere greetings such as “How’s it going today, officer?” Other examples include, but are not limited to:
• Being a suspect/witness in a crime and/or asked questions and/or interrogated by police.
• Being a victim of a crime and/or asked questions by the police (unless the experience is too personal)
• Any situation where the student had to go to police headquarters (to fill out forms for example)
• Any time a student heard an officer give a guest lecture or speech (other than DARE)
• Asking directions from an officer while on a trip.
• Talking to a police recruiter or officer about employment possibilities.
(b) What if I have never had a police encounter? The assignment allows the student to use someone known to the student who has had a police encounter. It is unlikely, however, that the student has never had any kind of contact, and it is preferred that the student use their own contact. What the student cannot do is go out and arrange a first-time police contact or interview any officer just for the purposes of the assignment. If the student comes from a police family, do not write any of your family members (too close to the subject matter).
(c) When should this encounter have occurred? I prefer the students’ earliest memory, but if you talk about when you were an infant and you your mother told you to “Look at the poleeze man!” you’re probably going back too far. On the other hand, if you choose a recent encounter involving a matter that has yet to be settled in court, you’re probably too close to the situation to write an objective paper. Choose an encounter between your earliest memory and most recent memory, or your most memorable experience.
(d) What does ‘write down my facts and feelings’ mean? The paper will be 5-6 pages long and divided into the following sections, which you should use to plan the organization of the paper. Use section headings.
• Facts and feelings
• Human dimensions of the encounter
• Police operational style
• Police personality
