Criminal Justice and Legal Studies
College of Professional Studies
Protecting the Republic: The Education and
Training of American Police Officers
Publisher: Pearson Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, NJ
2004, 269 pages
As America begins the 21st century, many of the challenges
traditionally facing law enforcement are profoundly changing.
International terrorism, the urgent need for inter-agency
communication and cooperation, sophisticated intelligence
requirements, and many other factors are changing the rules of the
game. Hiring more police officers and purchasing new radio cars,
weapons, computers and technology are still important, but not
enough. Now, more than ever, the investment to improve public
safety must begin up front in the education and training of the
officers. To effectively manage the complex challenges currently
facing it, American public policy must acknowledge that the best
way to enhance public safety is to enhance the quality of the
individual officer.
“This practical text provides an insightful, real, and detailed
analysis of police education and training. Its author, Dr. James
O’Keefe, successfully ran the largest police academy in the world
for eight years (NYPD), and comprehensively looks at the logic,
structure, and actual course content police officers should be
studying to effectively meet the complex challenges of the 21st
century.”
—Prentice Hall