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Northern Essex Community College

Module 6 Prep Activity

Review the activity overview, learning objectives, directions, and submission expectations before submitting your work.

Overview

Modern police agencies often balance two seemingly contradictory approaches to policing. Community-Oriented Policing emphasizes partnerships, problem-solving, communication, and trust-building between police officers and the communities they serve. In contrast, Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) units focus on responding to high-risk incidents through specialized training, equipment, and tactical operations.

This activity asks you to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of both approaches and consider whether they complement or conflict with one another. You will prepare arguments supporting competing perspectives and be prepared to defend your position during an in-class debate.

Learning Objectives

(These objectives support the prep activity and are not the questions to be answered.)

  • LO1: Compare and contrast Community-Oriented Policing and specialized tactical policing strategies. (SLO4)
  • LO2: Evaluate how different policing philosophies influence police-community relations and public safety outcomes. (SLO4, SLO6)
Prep Topic
  • Police leaders often face difficult decisions about where to invest limited resources. Some believe that Community-Oriented Policing (COP) provides the greatest long-term benefits, while others argue that specialized tactical units are essential for maintaining public safety.
  • Create a bullet list of arguments supporting both positions below.
  • Position A: Community-Oriented Policing is the most effective policing strategy because it builds trust, improves communication, reduces fear of crime, and addresses problems before they escalate.
  • Position B: Specialized units such as SWAT provide greater public safety because modern police agencies must be prepared to respond quickly and effectively to dangerous incidents and emerging threats.
  • Prepare at least five talking points supporting each position.
  • Consider issues such as:
    • Community trust
    • Officer safety
    • Crime prevention
    • Emergency response capabilities
    • Public perception of police
    • Use of force concerns
    • Budget priorities
    • Homeland security threats
    • School shootings and active shooter incidents
    • Long-term problem solving
    • Neighborhood engagement
    • Effectiveness in reducing crime
  • After developing arguments for both positions, prepare a short list explaining how Community-Oriented Policing and SWAT units might successfully coexist within the same police department.
  • Be prepared to defend either position during the in-class debate regardless of your personal opinion.
Acceptable & Ethical Use of AI
  • You may use AI tools to help identify examples of Community-Oriented Policing initiatives or SWAT operations; however, you should independently verify any information before including it in your prep activity.
  • If you use AI to assist with brainstorming or research, your final prep must reflect your own analysis, conclusions, and understanding of the course material.
Directions

Please read all instructions carefully before submitting your prep activity.

  • Your prep should be no longer than 1 page.
  • This NOT a paper but rather talking points in bullets for our in-class meeting.
  • Abstract NOT needed.
  • Sources are NOT needed.
  • Submissions are checked against a Plagiarism Checker and AI Detector.
    • Direct quotes should not exceed 15% of the total paper.
    • AI Usage – you must use AI ethically. Papers written by an AI is cheating.
  • Stop over-thinking this activity. It should be a simple list of talking points.
Submission Guidelines
  • Submit your prep activity through the designated submission area.
  • Accepted formats include Word or PDF unless otherwise specified.
  • Review the grading rubric before submitting your work.
  • Submissions are checked using both a plagiarism checker and AI detection software.
  • Direct quotations should not exceed 15% of the total submission.
Important Reminder

Important: All work must be your own. AI may be used only in the limited and ethical ways described above. Using AI to write your submission is considered academic dishonesty. This activity is intended to prepare you for class discussion, so focus on creating your own talking points and analysis.