Description
Book SynopsisThroughout the years experts have struggled to define the term “police culture.” For most this label means a reactive approach to keeping people safe by using punitive consequences to punish or detain the perpetrators. The result: More attention is given to the negative reactive side of policing than a positive proactive approach to preventing crime by cultivating an interdependent culture of residents looking out for the safety, health, and well-being of each other. We believe police officers can play a critical and integral role in achieving such a community of compassion---an Actively Caring for People (AC4P) culture.
An AC4P culture can be fueled by AC4P Policing, and involves a paradigm shift regarding the role and impact of “consequences." With AC4P Policing, consequences are used to increase the quantity and improve the quality of desired behavior. Police officers are educated about the rationale behind using more positive than negative consequences to manage behavior, and then they are trained on how to deliver positive consequences in ways that help to cultivate interpersonal trust and AC4P behavior among police officers and the citizens they serve.
This teaching/learning process is founded on seven research-based lessons from psychology---the science of human experience. The first three lessons reflect the critical behavior-management fundamentals of positive reinforcement, observational learning, and behavior-based feedback. The subsequent four lessons are derived from humanism, but behaviorism or ABS is essential for bringing these humanistic principles to life. The result: humanistic behaviorism to enhance long-term positive relations between police officers and the citizens they serve, thereby preventing interpersonal conflict, violence, and harm.
Table of ContentsThe Initiation and Evolution of AC4P Policing
From Principles to Applications
Lesson 1: Employ More Positive Consequences
Lesson 2: Benefit from Observational Learning
Lesson 3: Improve with Behavioral Feedforward and Feedback
Lesson 4: Use More Supportive than Corrective Feedback
Lesson 5: Embrace and Practice Empathy
Lesson 6: Distinguish between Managing Behavior and Leading People
Lesson 7: Progress from Self-Actualization to Self-Transcendence
AC4P Policing in Action
AC4P Wristband Stories
Wristband Stories from the Field
