The Police Foundations program at Centennial College, argues this article, prepares students for police-related fields through its combination of paramilitary training and courses based on real-life experiences.

1. Police Foundations Ensures Confidence and a Wide Range of Knowledge
People who work in police-related professions must have the utmost confidence in their
abilities. That’s because they encounter a host of unpredictable and highly stressful
situations. Take police officers, for example. Their day can see them going from
catching speeders to a high-speed chase with a driver who refuses to stop. Border
patrol, meanwhile, must know the right questions to ask to ensure that no illegal items
cross the border from the US. Anyone in a police-related profession with the Provincial
Police Services, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Armed Forces and more must be able
to withstand the immense amount of pressures that come along with their job,
communicate effectively with a wide range of people, act as a problem-solver by
employing knowledge of current law enforcement methods, conflict resolution
techniques, criminal proceedings, and community policing principles; and help people
in the community.
Centennial College, through its School of Community and Health Studies, offers an
introductory program known as Police Foundations. As the name implies, this
offering’s focus is on introducing students to the Canadian justice system and the
current laws as well as offering them the experience necessary to carry out decisions
that can be applied in further police training. However, this foundational approach
doesn’t mean that students get off “easy”. In fact, they are required to wear uniforms
that are similar to the ones they may be required to wear in the various positions for
which they are prepared. And the realistic approach doesn’t stop there. Students
experience concentrated training that imitates a paramilitary environment. Because
many students may go on to work in the police force or the military, this approach helps
them to develop the type of discipline and deportment that will allow them to adjust
easily.
Aside from the paramilitary environment, the realistic approach is also reflected in the
program’s courses, which were developed after real-life experiences and case studies.
Thanks to the converge of topics such as psychology, professional police standards,
introduction to police practice, fitness, current criminal justice, conflict management,
use of force and more, students graduate knowing how to: develop and implement
partnerships to meet community policing and security needs, apply fundamental
concepts of political science, law and legislative policy making; develop strategies to
help victims of crime; document, prepare and execute court case presentations in
compliance with criminal and provincial law, rules of evidence and the Charter of
Rights and Freedoms; and more.
Centennial College recognizes that some students may want to use the Police
Foundations program as a launching pad for further education. As such, it has forged
relationships with a range of schools that allow students to apply their credits to
learning at these institutions. Among partner schools are Humber College, Brock
University, Conestoga College, Georgian College, Royal Roads University, Griffith
University, Laurentian University, and University of Ontario Institute of Technology.