Abstract
Police education must stay abreast of the nuances and changes in the field. This article identified three meta-focusing events: the Columbine High School shooting (1999); the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks; and the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown (2014), which forever altered policing in the United States. Combined with other less discrete events and circumstances, these three events helped frame 21st-century policing. The new norm of policing raised the questions: What do police officers need to know and what should they be able to do in the performance of their duties? What is the knowledge and base of policing as a profession? Using the Delphi technique, this study developed the intellectual infrastructure for an undergraduate degree in police studies. The results provide a basis for a core curriculum that supports professional police studies as opposed to criminal justice programs for educating police
officers.
Authors
John Comiskey
John Comiskey is an Associate Professor of Homeland Security at Monmouth University in New Jersey. Dr. Comiskey is a retired New York City Police Lieutenant and a retired U.S. Coast Guard Reserve Senior Chief Petty Officer. His professional experiences include port security, intelligence, counterterrorism, and event and crisis management. Dr. Comiskey holds a Bachelor of Science in History and a Master's of Arts in Secondary Education from Queens College; a Master's of Arts in Homeland Security from the Naval Post Graduate School; and a Doctor of Education from St. John Fisher College. He is a co-founder of the Center for Homeland Defense and Security’s HSx Advanced Thinking in Homeland Security Program. Dr. Comiskey’s research interests include climate security and intelligence, homeland security, policing, and criminal justice curricula development and practice.
Kishon C. Hickman, Sr.
Kishon Hickman is an Adjunct Professor with SUNY Rockland's Legal Studies Department. Dr. Hickman is a New York City Police Department Lieutenant assigned as the Commanding Officer of the Information Technology Bureau's Investigations Division. He holds a Doctor of Education degree from St. John Fisher College; a Master's Degree in Police Studies from Seton Hall University; and a Bachelors in Applied Mathematics from New York University's Tandon School of Engineering. Kishon serves as Vice President of the Criminal Justice Educators Association of New York State (CJEANYS).
Thomas Carey
Dr. Thomas Carey is a Specialist Professor of Homeland Security at Monmouth University. He is a retired New York City Police Department Detective Sergeant with professional experiences that include investigations, intelligence, organized crime, and training. Dr. Carey obtained the rank of Sergeant Major in the New York Army National Guard serving in the Operation Iraqi Freedom campaign. His research focuses on experiential learning and client-based service learning in emergency management and the development of homeland security curricula. He has presented to domestic and international audiences while abroad on a wide variety of issues dealing with security, emergencies, and disasters. Dr. Carey holds a B.A. in Criminal Justice, an M.S. in Criminal Justice and Security Administration from Long Island University, and an Ed.D. from St. John Fisher College. He is a Certified Protection Professional (CPP) and Certified Emergency Manager (CEM).
