Course Syllabus
The information contained on this page is designed to give students a representative example of material covered in the course. Any information related to course assignments, dates, or course materials is illustrative only. For a definitive list of materials, please check the online catalog 3-4 weeks before the course start date.

CRIMJ 408 Police Administration (3): Legal requirements and constraints associated with the administration of a law enforcement agency; employee-initiated litigation, training, and ethics. Prerequisite: CRIMJ100 or CRIM 100 and CRIMJ210


Overview | Objectives | Materials | Technical Requirements | Proctors | Student Responsibilities | Communication | ANGEL | Plagiarism | Course Assignments | Accessing PSU Library Research Data Bases | | Course Schedule | Grading | Academic Integrity | Policies

Overview

This course is an elective designed to be a broad overview of police organization and management in America. Each student will be required to adopt a local police department. Topics include police administration in the political arena, organizational theory, police organizational structure, leadership, organizational communication, police subsystem tasks, decision-making, performance evaluation, and organizational improvement. For the purposes of this course, each student will become the chief of police of their adopted agency, and discussions will be approached from that perspective.

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Course Objectives

By the time you complete this course, you should have learned the following:

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Required Course Materials

Most World Campus courses require that students purchase materials (e.g., textbooks, specific software, etc.). To learn about how to order materials, please see the Course Materials page. You should check LionPATH approximately 3–4 weeks before the course begins for a list of required materials.

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Library Resources

Many of the University Libraries resources can be utilized from a distance. Through the Libraries website, you can

You must have an active Penn State Access Account to take full advantage of the Libraries' resources and service.  The Off-Campus Users page has additional information about these free services.

Accessing PSU Library Research Data Bases

If you are having trouble accessing the PSU data bases, here are the steps.

  1. Go to the RESOURCES tab above.
  2. Click on the LIBRARY GUIDE link.
  3. On the next page, click on LIBRARY RESOURCES FOR WORLD CAMPUS STUDENTS.
  4. On the next page, click on the LIBRARY RESOURCES AND SERVICES FOR WORLD CAMPUS STUDENTS which will be in the middle of the page and in BOLD.
  5. On the next page, you will see LIAS at the top of a group of links. Click on LIAS.
  6. The next page will show a number of links. Look for FIND ARTICLES AND DATA BASES on the top left. In that group you will see DATA BASES BY TITLE (A-Z). Click on that link. This will provide access to a huge group of PSU electronic data bases. There are others but concentrate on these until you become more familiar with it.
  7. If you click on the letter "C", that will take you to those data bases beginning with "C". CRIMINAL JUSTICE ABSTRACTS and NATIONAL CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFERENCE SERVICE (NCJRS) are there.
  8. For now, just use QUICK SEARCH to research your topic.
  9. You may find GET IT under the abstract of an article that you desire. Click on that link and it will show you whether or not you can get an electronic copy of the article right away. If it does not have a link to an electronic article, you may have to order the article to be sent to you through INTERLIBARARY LOAN. There should be no cost for that service.
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Technical Requirements

For this course we recommend the minimum World Campus technical requirements listed below:

Technical Requirements
Operating System Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8*; Mac OS X 10.5 or higher
*Windows 8 support excludes the tablet only RT version
Processor 2 GHz or higher
Memory 1 GB of RAM
Hard Drive Space 20 GB free disk space
Browser We recommend the latest ANGEL-supported version of Firefox or Internet Explorer. To determine if your browser fits this criterion, and for advice on downloading a supported version, please refer to the following ITS knowledge base article: Supported Browsers and Recommended Computers.
Note: Cookies, Java, and JavaScript must be enabled. Pop-up blockers should be configured to permit new windows
from Penn State websites.

Due to nonstandard handling of CSS, JavaScript and caching,
older versions of Internet Explorer (such as IE 6 or earlier) do not work with our courses.
Plug-ins Adobe Reader [Download from Adobe]
Flash Player (v7.0 or later) [Download from Adobe]
Additional Software Microsoft Office (2007 or later)
Internet Connection Broadband (cable or DSL) connection required
Printer Access to graphics-capable printer
DVD-ROM Required
Sound Card, Microphone, and Speakers Required
Monitor Capable of at least 1024 x 768 resolution

If you need technical assistance at any point during the course, please contact the World Campus Help Desk.

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Arranging a Proctor

You will need to secure a proctor in order to take exams in this course. A proctor will not automatically be assigned to you; rather, you must make the necessary contacts to secure a professional who will serve in this capacity.
  1. Contact a person who meets the qualifications and ask him or her to proctor your exam.
  2. Student Services must approve your proctor before any exams can be taken. Please see instructions for securing a suitable proctor. While many proctors will serve on a voluntary basis, you are responsible for paying any expenses incurred in retaining a proctor.
  3. You must submit your proctor for approval or schedule your exams at a testing center using our online proctored exam portal. You will need to enter your proctor's contact information and submit proctor verification documentation. If you have any questions about using the procted exam portal, please visit the how-to guide. Note: If your proctor has been previously approved by the World Campus during a prior course within two years, you do not need to obtain verification. World Campus retains proctor information on file for two years.
  4. If your proctor does not meet the required specifications, Student Services will notify you within 5 to 7 business days.
  5. Students registered with Student Disability Resources who are receiving exam accommodations are responsible for providing their letter of accommodation to both faculty/instructors and exam proctors prior to scheduling exams.
  6. If you are a graduating senior requesting a final exam, please see additional information about early deadlines for course completion and exam scheduling.
  7. Contact Student Services if you cannot take a scheduled exam.
  8. Unless you have received permission to take your exam at an alternative time, your proctor will only allow you to take the exam during dates specified in your course.
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Student Responsibilities

Your responsibilities in this course are working through lessons and assigned readings, completing activities and assignment, and participating in discussions. You are expected to complete all activities and assignments by the due date listed in the course syllabus. The course number and your name must be on all electronic documents that you submit to me. This prevents confusion when I print documents for grading.

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Communication

It is a Penn State policy that e-mail is an acceptable form of communication and notification. Penn State makes e-mail accounts available to all students. It is the student's responsibility to access their Penn State accounts. This information may be obtained in the computer center.

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ANGEL

ANGEL is the course management system (CMS) at Penn State. All e-mail correspondence for this course must be through the ANGEL system. You will be expected to check your ANGEL e-mail regularly, if not daily. If you have your e-mail forwarded to another server, please know that it is not uncommon for outside servers to reject e-mail when your allotted space is full on that site. It is the student’s responsibility to be certain that forwarded e-mail is received. Know that the usual maintenance period for ANGEL is between 5:00 a.m. – 7:00 a.m. and during that time, ANGEL may not be available.

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Course Assignments

  1. Three proctored tests (20 points per test, 60 points total). The tests will contain multiple-choice questions.

  2. You will be allowed to bring "crib notes" (study notes) to the test. Please pay close attention to the specifications of these "crib notes" (study notes).

    1) The notes MUST be your notes; not those of another student(s).
    2) The notes shall be no more than one-half of one side of a standard 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper.
    3) The notes may be typed or hand-written.
    4 )The notes may be reduced in font and size....BUT only on one-half of one side of a standard 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper.
    5) The notes are optional.
    6) Last but not least, if a students uses notes, they must be attached to the test behind the answer sheet.

  3. Two writing assignments using APA Style (5 and 25 points respectively)
  • Instructions for Writing Assignment #1 (5 points) -- Annotated Bibliography

To be certain that everyone has journal articles, you will be required to send me an annotated bibliography of the articles you intend to use in your paper and they are to be placed in the Drop Box labeled Annotated Bibliography. Annotated bibliographies will be due the week of Lesson 5. Submissions after the due date will not be reviewed, and a grade of zero (0) will be posted for this assignment. Please see this site for instructions: http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/annotated_apa.html

Each student will be assigned a topic regarding police organization and management during Lesson 2. Students will be required to research their topic in the scientific journals, and shall incorporate no less than five (5) scientific journal articles of their assigned topic in their paper. The paper shall contain no less than 3,500 words, which s/he will be the sole author.

The paper requires that you present the facts about which you have read. These facts, however, must come from what you have read in those articles and only those articles. No other sources, including the textbook, are allowed. Aside from the Introduction and Conclusion, I expect each paragraph to have at least one citation in it directing the reader to the source of the information contained.  It is expected that students will construct their papers in such a way as to have all five articles represented equally.  The Introduction and Conclusion shall consist of no more than one page each.

All journal articles used to construct this paper 1) cannot be more than 10 years old, and 2) must be cited in the text of the paper and properly referenced. There are no exceptions to this rule!

The paper will be placed in the Drop Box labeled Topic Paper. Papers are due during the week of Lesson 10. Late papers will be accepted during the week of Lesson 11. Papers submitted after that time will not be accepted. All late papers are subject to a 10-point reduction in grade.

  1. Class participation (10 points)

The Participation grade will be awarded on the basis of the quality of the student’s participation in discussions and posting on the discussion forum and other minor writing assignments that may be assigned.

Note: APA style is required in all assignments including face page, abstract, and reference section. For those unfamiliar with APA Style, this is a good time to become familiar with it because future writing assignments will require this style be used. If you are unfamiliar with APA Style, here are three resources we recommend:

Specific areas upon which instructor will be concentrating when grading papers:

Grading of Writing Assignments

Grading of the writing assignments will be accomplished by concentrating on two areas equally: Content and Composition. Composition will encompass compliance to the requirements specified for each assignment. Each area is scored equally.

Plagiarism

Derived from the Latin word Plagiarius, plagiarism is defined by Alexander Lindly as "The false assumption of authorship: the wrongful act of taking the product of another person's mind, and presenting it as one's own." (Plagiarism and Originality. New York: Harper, 1952, p. 2). Plagiarism may take the form of repeating another's sentences as your own, adopting a particularly apt phrase as your own, paraphrasing someone else's argument as your own, or even presenting someone else's line of thinking in the development of a thesis as though it were your own. In short, to plagiarize is to give the impression that you have written or thought something that you have in fact borrowed from another. Although a writer may use another person's words and thoughts, they must be acknowledged as such.

Plagiarism is cheating. Any student caught plagiarizing the work of another will, at the very least, receive an "F" for the course, and could lead to expulsion from the University. Your attention is again directed to the Senate Policy 49-20 "Academic Integrity" with regards to this important topic. Plagiarism is considered to be any one or more of the following:

  1. Extracting any sentence from another text without quotation marks and a supporting citation.
  2. Extracting a portion of any sentence from another text without enclosing it in quotation marks and a supporting citation.
  3. "Cut & Paste" or “Mosaic” plagiarism occurs when a student eliminates or adds one or two words to an existing sentence, or abbreviates a compound sentence. (For example, the first of the three following sentences is the original in a text, and it appears as a properly cited quotation. Those that follow the first sentence would be considered "cut-and-paste" plagiarism. "The German sociologist Max Weber, although best known to students of public administration for his analysis of rational bureaucracy, has had a broad impact on the social sciences" (Denhardt, 1993, p. 30). "It has been said that Max Weber, although best known to students of public administration for his analysis of rational bureaucracy, has had a broad impact on the social sciences." "The German sociologist Max Weber has had a broad impact on the social sciences."
  4. Also considered under this title is any paper submitted in which the cited material is not designated by quotation marks in the text of the paper. It has been my experience that authors of such papers are attempting to shield themselves under a mantle that has come to be known in political circles as "Plausible Deniability." In short, the defense "I didn't know what I was doing was wrong" will not be accepted.
  5. A good rule of thumb would be, if you use four or more of the original words of an author in succession, then they must be enclosed by quotation marks and a proper citation should accompany their use. Contained in this endnote are important observations and statements from Penn State and other national and universities on the topic of plagiarism. Please review these carefully as you will be held responsible for their contents

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Grading

Grade Distribution

Class Participation
10%
Writing Assignments
30%
Exam 1
20%
Exam 2
20%
Exam 3
20%
Total
100%

Grade Scale

A = 94.5-100% A- = 89.5-94.4%
B+ = 86.5-89.4% B = 82.5-86.4%
B- = 79.5-82.4% C+ = 74.5-79.4%
C = 69.5-74.4% D = 59.5-69.4%
F = <59.5%  

Note: Successful completion or participation in each element of the above grading criteria will be mandatory for successful completion of this course. Failure to take the tests, or failure to submit the writing assignments will be grounds for a grade of "F" for the course.

Please refer to the University Grading Policy for Undergraduate Courses for additional information about University grading policies.

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Course Schedule

NOTE: If you are planning to graduate this semester, please communicate your intent to graduate to your instructor. This will alert your instructor to the need to submit your final grade in time to meet the published graduation deadlines. More information regarding graduation policies can be found on our
Student Services graduation Web page.
Lesson 1 - Getting Started
Readings:
  • N/A
Assignments:
  • Email exercise
  • Self introduction in the Discussion Forum
  • Dropbox Exercise
  • Library registration
  • Review exam information and secure your proctor

Lesson 2 - The Historical Perspective and Police Culture
Readings:
  • Proactive Police Management: Chapters 1 & 2
  • Handbook of Police Administration: Chapters 1 & 2
Assignments:
  • Discussion Forum Activity
  • Plagiarism Test
  • Start Writing Assignment #2 - Topic Paper
  • Send your Exam Request Form for Exam #1 to World Campus Student Services.

Lesson 3 - The Art and Style of Proactive Police Leadership
Readings:
  • Proactive Police Management: Chapters 3 & 4
  • Handbook of Police Administration: Chapters 3 & 4
Assignments:
  • Discussion Forum Activity

Lesson 4 - Operating Principles
Readings:
  • Proactive Police Management: Chapters 5
  • Handbook of Police Administration: Chapters 5 & 6
Assignments:
  • Discussion Forum Activity

Lesson 5 - Proactive Communication and Information Management and Proctored Exam 1
Readings:
  • Proactive Police Management: Chapters 6
  • Handbook of Police Administration: Chapters 7, 8 and 9
Assignments:
  • Discussion Forum Activity
  • Proctored Exam 1

Lesson 6 - Proactive Police Technology for the Twenty-First Century
Readings:
  • Proactive Police Management: Chapters 7 & 8
  • Handbook of Police Administration: Chapters 10, 11 and 12
Assignments:
  • Writing Assignment #1 - Annotated Bibliography Due
  • Discussion Forum Activity
  • Send your Exam Request Form for Exam #2 to World Campus Student Services.

Lesson 7 - Basic Line Functinos and Administrative/Staff Functions
Readings:
  • Proactive Police Management: Chapters 9 & 10
  • Handbook of Police Administration: Chapters 13, 14, and 15
Assignments:
  • Discussion Forum Activity

Lesson 8 - Auxiliary Functions
Readings:
  • Proactive Police Management: Chapters 11 & 12
  • Handbook of Police Administration: Chapters 16 & 17
Assignments:
  • Discussion Forum Activity

Lesson 9 - Human Resource Management and Proctored Exam 2
Readings:
  • Proactive Police Management: Chapters 12
  • Handbook of Police Administration: Chapters 18 & 19
Assignments:
  • Discussion Forum Activity
  • Proctored Exam 2
  • Send your Exam Request Form for Exam #3 to World Campus Student Services.

Lesson 10 - Training and Proactive Planning
Readings:
  • Proactive Police Management: Chapters 13 & 14
  • Handbook of Police Administration: Chapters 20, 21 and 22
Assignments:
  • Writing Assignment #2 - Topic Paper Due
  • Discussion Forum Activity

Lesson 11 - Collective Bargaining and Police Management
Readings:
  • Proactive Police Management: Chapters 15
  • Handbook of Police Administration: Chapters 23 & 24
Assignments:
  • Topic Paper Due (late papers)
  • Discussion Forum Activity
  • Submit the End-of-Course Survey

Lesson 12 - Thing globally. Police locally.
Proctored Exam 3
Readings:
  • Proactive Police Management: Chapters 16
  • Handbook of Police Administration: Chapters 25 & 26
Assignments:
  • Discussion Forum Activity
  • Proctored Exam 3


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Academic Integrity

Academic integrity — scholarship free of fraud and deception — is an important educational objective of Penn State. Academic dishonesty can lead to a failing grade or referral to the Office of Student Conduct.

Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to:

How Academic Integrity Violations Are Handled

In cases where academic integrity is questioned, procedure requires an instructor to notify a student of suspected dishonesty before filing a charge and recommended sanction with the college. Procedures allow a student to accept or contest a charge. If a student chooses to contest a charge, the case will then be managed by the respective college or campus Academic Integrity Committee. If a disciplinary sanction also is recommended, the case will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct.

All Penn State colleges abide by this Penn State policy, but review procedures may vary by college when academic dishonesty is suspected. Information about Penn State's academic integrity policy and college review procedures is included in the information that students receive upon enrolling in a course. To obtain that information in advance of enrolling in a course, please contact us.

Additionally, World Campus students are expected to act with civility and personal integrity; respect other students' dignity, rights, and property; and help create and maintain an environment in which all can succeed through the fruits of their own efforts. An environment of academic integrity is requisite to respect for oneself and others, and a civil community.

For More Information on Academic Integrity at Penn State

Please see the Academic Integrity Chart  for specific college contact information or visit one of the following URLs:

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University Policies

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For information about additional policies regarding Penn State Access Accounts; credit by examination; course tuition, fees, and refund schedules; and drops and withdrawals, please see the World Campus Student Center website.


If, for reasons beyond the student's control, a student is prevented from completing a course within the prescribed time, the grade in that course may be deferred with the concurrence of the instructor. The symbol DF appears on the student's transcript until the course has been completed. Non-emergency permission for filing a deferred grade must be requested by the student before the beginning of the final examination period. In an emergency situation, an instructor can approve a deferred grade after the final exam period has started. Under emergency conditions during which the instructor is unavailable, authorization is required from one of the following: the dean of the college in which the candidate is enrolled; the executive director of the Division of Undergraduate Studies if the student is enrolled in that division or is a provisional student; or the campus chancellor of the student's associated Penn State campus.

For additional information please refer to the Deferring a Grade page.

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Disclaimer: Please note that the specifics of this Course Syllabus are subject to change, and you will be responsible for abiding by any such changes. Your instructor will notify you of any changes.


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