OPVTA Web Online! - March 1, 2010
Today, the Ontario Police Video Training Alliance launched its exclusive online portal via CPKN. Members of OPVTA can now access select video resources from OPVTA's back catalogue as well as new releases on 'OPVTA Web'. Currently featured videos are:
- Foot Pursuit (Vol. 095)
- Suspect Apprehension Pursuits (Vol. 038)
- Building Searches (Vol. 115)
- Domestic Violence - 2007 (Vol. 104)
- Invisible Threat: Communicable Diseases (Vol. 106)
- Foundations of Warrantless Search (Vol. 118)
- Prescription Drug Enforcement (Vol. 110)
- Guaranteed Safe Arrival (Vol. 055)
Additional titles will be added in the coming months.
OPVTA's portal will reside on CPKN's Learning Management System but will only be accessible to OPVTA's member organizations. Users will be registered using CPKN's standard registration process. Once registered, OPVTA Web users will have access to all available titles. OPVTA Web, which is offered concurrently with DVD distribution, is available free to all OPVTA member agencies.
For more information, please contact Jamie Saunders, OPVTA Executive Director or CPKN's Support Desk at 1-866-357-2756.
RADAR Refresher Training: Free Learning Event - February 25, 2010 
RADAR Refresher Training is the latest in a series of free Learning & Evaluation events to be funded by the Police Sector Council's national e-learning program.
Developed by CPKN in collaboration with York Regional Police, this four hour course is a refresher for the experienced RADAR operator. Delivered in eleven modules, it reviews the principles of speed management, the theory and technology behind RADAR, court preparation, as well as health and safety issues. Like past L&E events, RADAR Refresher Training will be offered at no cost to all members of the Canadian police and law enforcement communities for a four month period (until June 30th).
Similar to the recent CFRO offering, this event includes several features that contribute to CPKN's research on course effectiveness and learner satisfaction. In addition to the standard mandatory Learner Feedback survey, the course includes pre- and post-course testing, a voluntary follow-up survey, and a focus group session. Though designed as short learner exercises, these direct measures of training impact help CPKN to continually improve course design and delivery methods.
RADAR Refresher Training is currently offered in English; the French language version will be released later this Spring. To view the full course description or to register, please visit www.cpkn.ca/course_detail/radar_refresher_e.html
Also available: Forensic DNA Evidence is also offered as a free Learning & Evaluation event until June 15, 2010. This 3.5 hour course provides officers involved in the investigation of criminal offences, including serious violent crimes, sexual crimes, and other major crimes in which forensic DNA evidence may be utilized, with a comprehensive understanding of the DNA warrant provisions of the Criminal Code, case law, and evidence collection issues. Content for this course has been provided by the Justice Institute of BC.New Releases at CPKN - February 22, 2010
CPKN has recently launched three new essential police training courses, including a new free Learning & Evaluation event.
Forensic DNA Evidence is the most recent free Learning & Evaluation event to be sponsored by the Police Sector Council. This 3.5 hour course provides officers involved in the investigation of criminal offences, including serious violent crimes, sexual crimes, and other major crimes in which forensic DNA evidence may be utilized, with a comprehensive understanding of the DNA warrant provisions of the Criminal Code, case law, and evidence collection issues. Content for this course has been provided by the Justice Institute of BC. Free access will remain open to all Canadian police and law enforcement personnel until June 15, 2010.
Introduction to Human Sources focuses on basic best practices and procedures, as well as the recommended policy and guidelines, for handling human sources. Learners are introduced to fundamental report writing and note taking procedures as well as the applicable Canadian case law governing the use and handling of these investigative tools. Using a problem-based approach, this course will simulate many of the complexities, conflicts, and diverse issues raised during actual investigations involving human sources. Content for this course is provided by the RCMP's Covert Operations Branch.
Threats to School Safety was developed by the Toronto Police Service and focuses on the key issues to understanding and investigating Threats to School Safety. In addition to instructing officers on the information and techniques relevant to the investigation of a school related shooting and an Active Attacker, this course prepares officers to respond to and deal with threats in a school environment, communicate information to specialized police investigators, and increase their safety in interactions with a threat. This course also reviews the dynamics of an Active Attacker and the tactical solutions to be utilized during high risk situations at schools.
For full course details, click on the course titles above.
London Hosts e-Learning Workshop - February 1, 2010
Recently, more than twenty five representatives from sixteen southern Ontario police services gathered to discuss e-learning in police training.
"More than ever, police services are tasked with doing more with less," said Chief Murray Faulkner of the London Police Service, host agency for the workshop. "Growing operational demands place increased pressure on already strained budgets - often pushing training needs to the back burner. Under these circumstances, we need to be more efficient with the limited dollars that we have available."
Throughout the Canadian police community, e-learning is proving to be an effective and economically sound solution. But apart from the fiscal benefits, the logistics of introducing organizational e-learning can sometimes seem a daunting endeavor.
"Keeping pace with advances and options in police training is challenging," said Supt. Brent Shea of the London Police Service, lead workshop organizer. "This workshop is an opportunity for decision-makers to better understand e-learning technologies, consider how they can be effectively incorporated, and learn from the experiences of other agencies that have already set out on that path."
This half-day workshop was a forum for open discussion and questions about how police services can integrate and maximize e-learning within in-service training programs. CPKN was on hand to offer up the latest information on online technologies, research, and implementation options, including an e-Learning 101 session that reviewed the basics of online learning. Case studies on how e-learning is currently being used within various Ontario police services and the Ontario Police College were presented. Discussions also defined the challenges that organizations experience when introducing e-learning and the service-specific approaches employed to overcome those challenges.
"This type of focused, small-scale event is an ideal opportunity for members of the police community to cut straight to the issues that directly impact them," said Chief Faulkner. "While some of the particulars may vary, the services represented here today are discovering alot of common ground on their training dilemmas. I think we all agree that e-learning is clearly part of the solution."
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Other districts or regions interested in hosting similar events are encouraged to contact Bill Gibson at bill.gibson@cpkn.ca or 902-629-4276.
CACP Endorses Police Ethics & Accountability - January 14, 2010
CPKN's Police Ethics & Accountability is the first course to receive approval under the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police's e-Learning Endorsement Process. Based on a recommendation from the CACP HR Committee, CACP's Board of Directors granted its support for the course earlier this month.
Introduced in January 2009, CACP's Endorsement Process is designed to validate e-learning design and development procedures and add a consistent, structured national perspective to quality assurance. Under the process, the CACP HR Committee audits all documentation pertaining to the selection, design, and development of an e-learning course. This includes rationales on topic selection and the identification of content provider agencies and subject matter experts (SME), as well as documents related to content development, SME and peer reviews, and learner pilots. The various elements of the course development process are evaluated against an approved methodology for building online police training. Based on its findings, the HR Committee makes a recommendation to the CACP Board of Directors.
While all CPKN courses are developed in collaboration with experts from the Canadian police community, this exercise ensures that training programs meet rigorous quality standards for a national police audience.
Additional courses from CPKN's catalogue will be submitted to the CACP HR Committee for review on a regular basis.
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Related Story: CACP and CPKN Announce e-Learning Endorsement Process (November 3, 2008)
OPVTA To Launch Online Delivery Portal - December 22, 2009
In January, the Ontario Police Video Training Alliance will launch a new online portal hosted by CPKN. OPVTA members will now be able to access, at no additional cost, OPVTA video training resources via the Internet. This is in addition to their traditional deliverable DVD format.
"Moving from a DVD to online model is a natural step in our evolution," says Jamie Saunders, Production Manager of the Video Unit at Niagara Regional Police Service which produces all OPVTA programming. "This new portal will give OPVTA's membership 24/7 access to our catalogue in a secure online learning environment. Moreover, it will provide additional features such as content review, learner tracking, and reporting mechanisms. "
OPVTA's portal will reside on CPKN's Learning Management System but will only be accessible to OPVTA's member organizations. Each OPVTA member agency will initially register their personnel through CPKN, but thereafter will have the option to assign an administrator to the portal to manage their service's registrations to individual courses, monitor in-service training events, and run learner progress reports.
"Creating an exclusive portal on CPKN's infrastructure is an extremely cost effective option for OPVTA," says Michael Knight, Chair of OPVTA. "We not only bypass the expense of purchasing and managing an independent LMS, but also benefit from CPKN's experience in making our programs ready for online delivery. We believe this portal will yield a real advantage for our membership and the organization as a whole." At launch, the portal will feature a preliminary selection of videos, including Search Without Warrant, Guaranteed Safe Arrival, Domestic Violence, Communicable Diseases, Prescription Drug Enforcement, Building Searches, and Psychosis. OPVTA will continue to work with CPKN's Design and Development team to transition existing videos to an online format.
The portal is expected to launch in late January. OPVTA members may contact either their Executive, or CPKN's Support Desk at 1-866-357-2756/support@cpkn.ca for more information. Outside agencies wishing to learn more about becoming a member of OPVTA in order to access these programs may contact either Michael Knight or Jamie Saunders. Contact information may be found at www.opvta.com.
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OPVTA is a non-profit member driven organization that provides professional, high-quality video training resources to member police services throughout Ontario's Law Enforcement Community and beyond. First established in 1996, OPVTA currently provides video programs to over 90 member services, representing 24,000 police officers.