A first-of-its-kind course, The Law of the Police, will examine the function of modern policing, what effective policing looks like, and police oversight mechanisms in the new online program for law students, police officers, attorneys and the public that begins Oct. 16.
October 14, 2024 Top Legal News of the Week
ABA Legal Education Police Practices Consortium offers online policing course
Conceived by the American Bar Association Legal Education Police Practices Consortium, in collaboration with the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law, the free, online, asynchronous course will review the case law that protects citizens and officers in their interactions and the laws that hold the profession of policing accountable. Each of the seven weeks will be led by a different legal subject matter expert who will examine the evolution and reality of policing and seek to inspire learners to be part of an evidence-based approach to understanding safety and security that protects the rights and lives of all people.
“A key to encouraging equal access to justice is promoting approachable learning opportunities for all,” ABA President Bill Bay said. “I believe this course does just that by providing participants with a chance to learn from seasoned legal experts on pressing issues related to policing and public safety in the United States.”
Course modules include:
- “Understanding Policing” covers the structure and legal foundations of policing, the essence of modern policing and the community policing philosophy.
- “Investigative Policing” examines general concepts that govern police investigative practices, including aspects of constitutional criminal procedure investigation rules as derived from the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth amendments to the Constitution, as well as federal, state and local statutory and regulatory rules.
- “Preventive Crime and Making Arrests” explores the topic of preventing crime and making a lawful arrest, including such common police tactics as “stop and frisk.”
- “Use of Force” will introduce police use of force through a discussion of statutory and case law and address topics such as the duty to intervene, officer-created jeopardy, deadly force training and performance and de-escalation.
- “Policing Resistance and Federal Influence over Local Policing” broadly addresses the role of federal law in local policing that helps shape local police priorities and constrain local police actions.
- “Stopping Traffic and Maintaining Order” addresses policing car traffic and “order maintenance” policing through an exploration of how and why the police came to have primary responsibility for enforcing traffic laws.
- “Suing the Police for Damages and Reform” covers suing the police, one of the most contentious issues for changing policing to make it less harmful and more effective at protecting all communities.
The course is based on “The Law of the Police” casebook (not required to take the course) by Professor Rachel Harmon, director of the Center for Criminal Justice at the University of Virginia Law School. Learners may complete all or select modules depending on their interest and availability.