Police Foundations

Canadian Charter and Criminal Code

This course introduces the student to the Canadian Constitution Act of 1982 and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Students will understand the rights within the Constitution, with emphasis on Legal Rights. They will learn the meaning of those rights and how they affect law enforcement decisions and procedures. Supreme Court decisions will be discussed and how they changed the way we do law enforcement today.

Crisis Intervention and Conflict Management

In this course students are introduced to the theories and concepts surrounding conflict, conflict management and resolution, crisis identification, and crisis intervention.

Criminal Investigations, Forensics, and Evidence

This course will provide all students with a broad introduction to the theoretical, technical, and realistic issues surrounding the investigation and processing of a crime scene. The students will learn the various aspects of crime scene and evidence analysis, as well as the implications of evidence retrieval and processing.

Communications and Interpersonal Skills

Excellent written and oral communication skills are vital for a career in Law Enforcement. In this course students will develop oral and written communication skills, with an emphasis on law enforcement standards and verbiage. Report, letter and memo production will be developed and practiced. Also interpersonal skills, such as conflict resolution will be discussed and examined in an effort to teach the students the skills necessary to quell conflicts that they will respond to as a law enforcement person.

Criminal Justice in Canada

This course will provide all students with an Introduction to the Canadian Criminal Justice System and the issues surrounding it. Students will become familiar with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Criminal Code of Canada. Topics covered include the structure and operation of the Criminal Justice System including various models of criminal justice, examples of crimes and classification of offenses, law enforcement services, court services, and correctional services and their various procedures and policies as it relates to officer’s day to day duties.

Community Diversity

This course discusses First Nations Peoples in North America with the purpose of understanding the culture before its introduction to European culture. It also discussions marginalization and discrimination of First Nation people. Students will also explore the issues surrounding race and ethnicity in Canada today and the accompanying topics of the LBGT community and its contact with the law enforcement community.

Community Policing

This course provides students with a comprehensive overview of the issues and challenges faced by Canadian Police Services and Communities. Students will be introduced to new strategies and programs designed to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of police services as they attempt to develop partnerships to respond to and prevent crime and social disorder.

Career Planning & Preparation - Level I

This module will introduce you to and provide practice in using the tools required for a successful job search. The concepts covered in this module will help you maintain a career-focused approach throughout your studies so that you are better prepared to conduct a job search after graduating. Specifically, you will learn how to identify your soft and hard skills and how to articulate your abilities in a clear and concise Elevator Pitch that will appeal to employers and resonate with industry contacts. You will learn about the job search resources available to you including using career websites, creating Linked In profiles, accessing the “hidden” job market, and networking. You will examine sample resumes and cover letters and begin the process of creating your own professional resumes and cover letters that align with current conventions for content, organization, and formatting. You will also learn about the role of references, thank you letters, workplace philosophies, and strategies for success including maintaining a professional image and using proper etiquette when communicating with potential employers and industry contacts. An introduction to Occupational Health and Safety is also provided with specific focus on employees’ rights and responsibilities, workplace health and safety policy and programs, hazard identification and control, and safety training options such as WHIMIS and First Aid.

Career Planning & Preparation - Level II

This module builds on concepts and skills introduced in the Career Planning and Preparation Level 1 prerequisite module. In this subsequent module, you will update and refine your resume and Linked In Profile. You will continue writing cover letters and learn the value of customizing cover letters to specific job postings. You will have the opportunity to apply this knowledge as you conduct a job search and write a cover letter tailored to an ideal job post. Through research, you will create a list of top employers and target current industry opportunities. You will learn about current methods for applying to job postings using technology. You will also gain an understanding of the job interview process, typical interview questions and possible responses, and expectations of both the interviewer and interviewee. In addition, you will engage in practical application of the interview process through role-plays. Topics such as negotiating salary, self-management, and on-the-job success for placements and post-graduate employment will be also covered.

St. John Ambulance Enhanced First Aid with Level C CPR

The CPR component provides comprehensive CPR training to students. It includes the latest first aid and CPR guidelines and meets federal and provincial regulations for Standard First Aid and CPR. Topics include: preparing to respond; the EMS system; check, call, care; airway emergencies; breathing and circulation emergencies; first aid for respiratory and cardiac arrest; wound care; head and spine injuries; bone, muscle and joint injuries; sudden medical emergencies; environmental emergencies; and poisons. The WHMIS component teaches students the basic elements of WHMIS 2015 and the Global Harmonization System. This covers the safety measures and guidelines to be followed when exposed to or working with hazardous materials.

Courtroom Procedures and Testimony

This course focuses on courtroom procedures and testimony and provides students with the tools for presenting a case in court. Topics covered include the procedures for bringing an accused to court, the trial, disposition, appeal, classification of offenses, court jurisdiction, bail, interim release, consequences of breeches, rights of the accused, and the duty of the Crown, jury and Ministry of Justice.

Criminology for Police Foundations

This course introduces students to the study of Criminology. Topics covered include crime, crime analysis, correlation of criminal behavior and the psychological and social impact of crime and violence. Also behaviour and its relationship to genetics, environment and mental and physical disorders and crime are also discussed.

Digital Literacy for Professionals

This course has four units that introduces you to the fundamental concepts and principles of learning and working in a digital environment. The first unit introduces you to using devices and handling information with topics on operating systems (Windows, MAC, and Linux), computer organization (folder management and naming conventions), cloud storage (including Microsoft OneDrive), types of web browsers including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Apple Safari), and fundamental troubleshooting. In the second unit, you will become familiar with creating and editing information through learning about file formats (pdf, mp4, docx), productivity (including iWork and Microsoft Office Suite) and creativity (Adobe, Canva, iMovie) platforms, and basic introduction to Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. The third unit on communicating and collaborating will introduce you to web conferencing applications (Slack, Zoom, Microsoft Teams), mail applications (including Microsoft Outlook and Gmail,), project management tools (Trello, Asana), and time management tools (including Todoist, Outlook Calendar, and iCal), and building rapport virtually. In the final unit, you will gain an understanding on netiquette, cybersecurity, and digital wellness. After completing this course, you will have enhanced digital literacy skills as a professional in the working and learning environment.

Fitness and Lifestyle Management

This course provides students with fitness and lifestyle knowledge and skills and encourages students to take personal responsibility for their health and well-being. Students will be exposed to creating fitness plans, diet requirements, and goal setting. Students are also introduced to causes and solutions to different types of stress that are particular to law enforcement.

Field Placement - Police Foundations

On successful completion of the classroom hours of this program, students will be placed on field placement at an outside organization. Students will have the opportunity to apply their newly developed knowledge and skills in a real-world environment. Host sites will be drawn from security industry.

Federal Statutes

This course will provide all students with an introduction to the various Federal Statutes enforced by most police officers in Canada, including Acts as the CDSA, Firearms Act, Anti-terrorism Act and various weapons offences in the Criminal Code. The students will also gain an understanding of the concepts of Federal Legislative Jurisdiction and the involvement of various police agencies in enforcement of various Federal Statutes.

Interviewing and Interrogation Skills

This course will introduce students to the importance of the structured conversation process known as the interview. Students will learn how to interact with witnesses, victims, suspects and accused persons. Interviewing is an essential investigative tool. Students will learn when the legal context of police interactions and how the Charter affects the admissibility of statements. They will learn how to prepare for and conduct successful interviews with suspects and witnesses.

Introduction to Policing & Canadian Government and Politics

This course provides students with an introduction to the Canadian Constitution, Canadian Politics, the government, how laws are created and implemented, and the concepts of public administration including issues such as government regulation, deregulation and privatization. As well, students will be provided with a general introduction to policing in Canada. This will include an overview of how Police Services operate; discipline, first impressions, professionalism and the types of daily activities police officers will be faced with. Students will learn of the hierarchy of rank within various police services and the rank structure.

National Security

This course is designed to give the students an understanding of present-day legislation and issues involving National Security in the areas of terrorism and information security. Students will also learn about the roles of different enforcement bodies and their contributions to national security. Additionally, students will learn techniques to defend against privacy and personal security issues as it relates to law enforcement.

Officer Safety and Protecting the Public

This course exposes students to common issues and routines related to law enforcement. With a focus on officer safety, students will develop strategies to prevent and avoid dangerous situations. Students will be asked to demonstrate the use of the duty belt and its equipment. Discussions will involve the use of force and the aspect of disengagement as a viable option.

Private Security Patrol Procedures

Students will be instructed on the fundamental aspects of patrol procedures that security professionals may encounter during their employment. Students will examine common areas that are patrolled and the procedures that take place to secure these premises. Additionally, students will discuss crime and prevention.

Police Powers and Authority

The Police Powers and Authority course will provide students with a basic understanding of sources of police powers, officer safety and arrest procedures as well as release procedures, search and seizure and police accountability. Students will learn through lecture; role plays and research the key building blocks of policing knowledge.

Professionalism and Ethics

This course focuses on the ethical issues and dilemmas faced by police officers and related professionals. Students will learn to clarify their values, establish a framework for ethical decision-making, and apply techniques to the moral/ ethical decision-making process. Real life ethical dilemmas that relate to a wide variety of concerns in the policing profession are explored and examined.

Provincial Statutes/ Offences

Students will become familiar with the interpretation and application of Provincial Statutes, common offences and the involvement of non-police agencies in association with police agencies. Students will be given opportunities to fill out Provincial Offence Notices, Summons and all related materials.

Psychology and Mental Health

This course will introduce students to the psychological research methods and perspectives. Students will be exposed to topics such as The Scientific Method, sensations and perceptions, states of consciousness, learning, memory, and intelligence. This material will be examined as it relates to law enforcement in Canada.

Software Lab - Word Processing

This software lab module will use a simulation-based program called MindTap that consists of online trainings and assessments in Microsoft Word. It builds on the skills introduced in Digital Literacy for Professionals course. You will learn a comprehensive set of skills, with coverage including creating and editing a document (this includes saving a document, using AutoComplete and AutoCorrect, undo and redo actions, paragraph spacing, and more), formatting a document (covering topics like addressing comments in documents, using drag and drop, as well as cut, copy and paste). This course will also introduce you to how to create tables and a multipage report (including options found in the Navigation pane, formatting a table, merging cells and adding a formula, using SmartArt graphic, and more). You will acquire skills in editing text or content for layout and appearance (wrap text, WordArt, cropping a picture, and so on). Additionally, you will work with templates, themes, and styles (creating a new document from a template, using thesaurus, saving a custom theme, customizing a style, and so on). This course concludes with the mail merge feature (such as inserting mail merge fields into a document, complete a mail merge, and more).

Software Lab - Spreadsheets

"This software lab module will use a simulation-based program called MindTap that consists of online trainings and assessments in Microsoft Excel. You will learn the fundamentals of excel, such as opening and closing a workbook, entering formulas, modifying worksheet views, and so on. You will acquire skill in formatting workbook text and data (change fonts, font style, and font colour, format dates and times, merge, use the AVERAGE function, and more). This course will also introduce you to the skill of performing calculations with formula and functions, including sub-topics such as extend data and formulas with AutoFill, calculate statistics, and so forth. You will also be able to analyze and chart financial data using available excel charts, such as pie chart, line char, chart legends, data bar, and so on. This course will conclude with you learning how to generate reports from multiple worksheets and workbooks (such as copy worksheets between workbooks, organize worksheets in a worksheet group, hyperlink to a document, create a workbook template, and more).

Sociology for Police Foundations

This course will provide Police Foundation students with an introduction to social concepts. Students will be presented with the various perspectives of sociology, including gender inequality, wealth disparity, sex trade, and globalization. The course will associate sociology principals to law enforcement.

Student Success Strategies

In this orientation module, you will focus on achieving success from day one. You will develop non-technical skills to enhance your personal, academic, and career success. You will explore learning styles, including visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning. You will also enhance your practical study skills, such as memory, reading, note- and test-taking techniques. Personal exercises will focus on teamwork, decision-making and problem-solving skills, setting SMART goals, and maintaining a positive attitude. You will also explore techniques for managing change, stress, and conflict.

Traffic Management and Accident Investigation

This course introduces students to the Highway Traffic Act and procedures surrounding accident investigations. Students will develop a working knowledge of the Highway Traffic Act, learn to interpret offenses, and become familiar with the skills and strategies required for information gathering and investigative techniques used in enforcing the Highway Traffic Act and Criminal Code driving offenses.

Youth and the Criminal Justice System

This course is designed to address current issues regarding youth and their involvement in the judicial system. This course will discuss urban and rural issues and examine the present policies and guidelines around the issues of cyber-bullying, gangs and internet safety. Students will also learn about risks and prevention techniques associated with internet usage.