United States International University - Africa, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, through its Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice invites you to a public lecture on “Changing Police-Citizen Encounters Outcomes Through Skill-based Policing”. The Public Lecture is a continuation of our efforts to ensure that the campus community and our partners are appraised on topical issues.

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When: Monday, September 27, 2021
Time: 3:00pm to 4:00pm East African Time
Venue: Lecture Hall, New School of Humanities and Social Sciences (SHSS) Building
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Speaker
Our Speaker is:-

Dr. Christopher Cooper, Judge Pro-Tem; Attorney & PhD, Chicago, USA
Dr. Cooper is an experienced professor of Sociological Jurisprudence as well as an Employment Law Attorney in the United States. He also sits as a judge on an as needed basis, in the Lake County Superior Court (Indiana). Additionally, he is a renowned Policing and Conflict Resolution expert (inclusive of Mediation) with a lengthy scholarly publication record. Dr. Cooper and his work have been featured on BBC and on other media outlets.

An excerpt from this works:

In any society, especially those that are ever-changing, policing has a duty to be dynamic and ready for change. We should expect—we should demand—that policing in Kenya and in the United States adapts to changing circumstances and expectations, that it update its policies and crime fighting approaches, that it more effectively advance and apply our understanding of the policing role. There has been positive movement. Witness for example, the adjustment in car chase-pursuit policies in the U.S. and England which now limit police pursuits because of the possibility that when the police chase cars, innocent by-standers may be run-down.

The cop on the beat or the cop managing traffic flow must possess a sophisticated set of skills and strategies with which to address calls for service. Not surprisingly, Sociologist William K Muir refers to the patrol cop as a “Street-corner Politician.”

This lecture will address skills, and strategies for a patrol police officer in the 21st Century, with a focus on skills which will better police-citizen relations in both Kenya and the United States. These are skills which enable the cop on the beat to de-escalate situations; to keep the peace; to challenge crime; and to participate in enhancing the sense of community.

I have created the PSTB or the Problem-Solving Toolbox (PSTB).¹ Such a box would consist of:

• Tool #1: Exceptional Social Interaction Skills.
• Tool #2: Exceptional Dispute/Conflict Management Skills (including a systematic De-escalation Skill Set).
• Tool #3: Exceptional, Analytically Based Problem-Solving Skills; and
• Tool #4: Training in the skills needed to apply all of these skills in a time of potential real crisis and chaos.

All police officers, from those who work routine patrol, to detectives, to those who work behind a desk, can benefit from these skills, but the primary emphasis has to be placed on giving and maintaining these skills to the police officers assigned to routine patrol duties. Like an athlete, such officers must be given continuous training so that their skills will always be at their peak of readiness for instant application in real-life situations.

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¹ PSTB Copyright by, Christopher Cooper, © 2019