Overview and Award Outcomes
Overview
Hennepin Technical College’s Peace Officer and Public Safety A.S. Degree focuses on cultural competency as essential for police officers to build mutual trust and respect with communities of diverse backgrounds and cultural differences. Embedded throughout the curriculum are learning objectives that will increase the student’s ability to interact effectively with people of diverse backgrounds. The Peace Officer and Public Safety curriculum will include HTC Learner Outcomes critical thinking and problem solving, and oral and written communication skills, as well as HTC Learner Values cultural and global awareness, and ethical and social responsibility. Future employers will value Hennepin Technical College Peace Officer and Public Safety graduates for their knowledge and experience with diverse communities and the various populations within those communities, their strong tactical skills, and exceptional interpersonal communication and critical thinking skills.
Hennepin Technical College is certified as a Professional Peace Officer Education (PPOE) program. The Peace Officer and Public Safety A.S. degree program is a Minnesota Board of Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) approved program and upon completion of the A.S. degree provides students the opportunity to take the POST eligibility test for licensure.
Award Outcomes
Demonstrate the skills required to perform the duties of a peace officer
Develop capacity for self-awareness, empathy, and compassion in conflict management and de-escalation situations specifically with diverse communities
Recognize baseline levels of understanding of individual cultural competencies
Identify implicit biases and how bias affects critical thinking in crisis intervention situations specifically with diverse communities
Recognize the beliefs, practices, and needs of diverse communities during community contact, arrests and high-stress situations
Demonstrate an ability to adapt to the needs of diverse communities during public contract, arrests and high-stress situations
Communicate effectively with diverse communities
Composing accurate and detailed police reports
Communicating effectively with victims, witnesses, and suspects from diverse communities
Explain core ethical principles
Identifying best practices regarding physical fitness and mental health for peace officers
Explaining the differences between the adult and juvenile justice system
Explaining the evolution of interaction between law enforcement and society
Explaining how the U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights, additional Constitutional Amendments, and State Constitutions protect citizens and the effects on law enforcement policies and procedures
Identifying local, state, tribal, and federal laws
Explaining implicit bias, procedural justice, and de-escalation
Explaining the historical evolution of police and the criminal justice system