Happy New Year! As we move into 2014, we’re very excited to welcome Documenting Force, Law Enforcement’s premier use of force technical writing course, to Law Enforcement Learning. The course, which helps officers deliver comprehensive use of force reports that withstand scrutiny and limit litigation, employs case studies, exercises, and assignments to teach proven law enforcement writing skills. We recently sat down with the founder of FORCE Concepts, Jon Blum, to discuss the course:
Law Enforcement Learning: Why do law enforcement officers need this course?
Blum: In addition to being a critical piece of evidence in both criminal and civil trials, an officer’s report is also used internally to evaluate performance. Simply stated, this course helps officers explain their decision to use force and avoid both internal and external scrutiny.
Law Enforcement Learning: Why should they get this information from you?
Blum: FORCE Concepts has been delivering Documenting Force for more than a decade. And if you are looking for report templates and examples to use in the field, this course stands alone. The curriculum is approved for POST credit in more than 20 states, with more on the way. Documenting Force is delivered using in-class, on-line, and mobile device platforms. In addition to providing expert witnesses testimony on behalf of officers in state and federal courts since 2001, FORCE Concepts instructors bring a one-of-a-kind combination of law enforcement, journalism, and technical writing expertise into the classroom. Last, but not least, the core concept behind Documenting Force is “less is more.” In other words, we train law enforcement professionals how to communicate their message using clear, concise and consistent language.
Law Enforcement Learning: If people are interested in this subject, where can they go for more?
Blum: FORCE Concepts also delivers News Media Relations and basic Report Writing courses. We also offer a writing assessment unlike any other. In essence, the assessment quantifies individual powers of observation, recall, note taking and narrative compilation skills. It is being used by agencies as a recruiting tool and to evaluate in-service employees.
Documenting Force will open later this month in the Law Enforcement Learning marketplace – check back here or on Facebook, Google +, or Twitter for a launch announcement.
The Law Enforcement Learning Team
This sounds like a critical class for my officers. I look forward to taking advantage of the on-line version of the course.