Supervising and Coaching Special Education Teachers 530 ASSIGNMENT #1:

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Supervising and Coaching Special Education Teachers 530 ASSIGNMENT #1:

  

In the coaching cycle, the pre-conference sets the tone for the teacher coaching and development process. It is during the pre-conference that expectations are made clear and the details of the process are discussed. Thoughtful principals will prepare ahead of time for the pre-conference, to consider the unique needs of the teacher with whom they will be meeting.

In this topic’s field experience, you will be conducting a pre-conference with a special education teacher. Before the pre-conference, write a 500-word summary developing the following questions. For each question, describe the responses you would expect to receive from a special education teacher, and how you might coach that teacher during the pre- or post-conference.

· What questions might you ask about their lessons i.e., objectives, state standards being addressed, activities, assessments, and materials? What questions might you ask that would provide you with information about the students’ IEPs, accommodations, specific disabilities, etc.

· What questions might you ask to identify the teacher’s plan to differentiate instruction?

· What questions might you ask to identify areas where the teacher believes students struggle, and how the teacher will address these areas?

· What questions might you ask to determine the teacher’s understanding of students’ prior knowledge and how, if at all, it has guided the instructional planning for this lesson?

· What questions might you ask to determine the teacher’s classroom management plan and any behavior intervention plans for individual students?

· Provide a minimum of three scholarly resources to support your response. RUBRIC:

· (15) Lessons and Student Needs: Questions and expected responses thoroughly address the lesson components and information regarding the students’ IEPs, accommodations, and specific disabilities.

· (15) Differentiated Instruction Questions and expected responses insightfully address the teacher’s plan to differentiate instruction.

· (15) Struggling Students: Questions and expected responses professionally identify areas the teacher believes students struggle and how the teacher plans to address these areas.

· (15) Prior Knowledge Questions and expected responses thoughtfully determine the teacher’s understanding of student’s prior knowledge and how it guides instructional planning.

· (15) Classroom Management Questions and expected responses skillfully determine the teacher’s classroom management plan and any behavior intervention plans for individual students.

· (25) Documentation of Sources

Assignment #2: Has no RUBRIC:

Clinical C: Special Education Teacher Observation & Feedback: 530 A principal, you will be responsible for observing and evaluating special education teachers. This process will include pre-conferences, observations, and feedback. To maximize effectiveness, this process must be collaborative, clear, and complete.

· In collaboration with your principal mentor, attend a pre-conference and formal observation of a special education teacher, Raquel Hyer. With your principal mentor, collaboratively reflect upon Raquel’s performance including agreed upon ideas for enhancing instructional delivery and student learning outcomes. Discuss how feedback would be delivered in a post-observation conference. In addition, examine the formal evaluation tool, policies regarding how the tool is administered, how ratings are assigned, how and with whom results are shared, and what happens with the results? Are any of these different for a special education teacher compared to the general educator?

· Summarize your experience collaborating with your mentor to provide post-observation feedback in a 250-word reflection. Include an examination of the formal evaluation tool, policies regarding the tool, ratings, and results. Incorporate PSEL Standard 5 into your reflection and describe how you will apply what you have learned to your future professional practice.

 

 

 

 

Question possibilities:

· You have to be especially careful when observing self-contained classrooms. These are questions that I would ask in a pre-conference:

· 1.  Is there a special place you would like me to sit during my observation?

· 2.  Are there any functional issues you would like me to be aware of, for example, is there a child that I should not look in the eye etc.?

· 3. Which if any, children may have behaviors that you would like me to watch out for?

· 4. Is there a time of day that works better to observe than other times?

· 5. How can I best support you during this observation, and throughout the year?

· 6. What would you like me to be most aware of while you are teaching this lesson?

· Teaching children with special needs is thrilling, but you must be aware of situations that could trigger behaviors (Benedict, Thomas, Kimerling, & Leko, 2013). Also, being aware of strengths and weaknesses, and talking to other teachers about their experiences will be helpful.

· Reference

· Benedict, A. E., Thomas, R. A., Kimerling, J., & Leko, C. (2013). Trends in Teacher Evaluation. Teaching Exceptional Children, 45(5), 60–68. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1177/004005991304500507

Some questions that I might ask in a pre-conference for special education teachers would be:

· What are your goals/objectives for the lesson?

· What are your expectations for the lesson?

· Is the content in the lesson new content or is it a continuation from previous lessons?

· How does this learning fit into the sequence of learning for the class?

· How will you engage students throughout the lesson? Small groups, partner work, whole class discussion protocols?

· How will you differentiate your lesson to meet the needs of all of your students?

· What modifications have you put in place to ensure equality in your classroom?

· How will you know if your lesson objectives were achieved?

· What are the assessments throughout the lessons? Will there be any quick checks throughout the lesson?

· Is there anything you would like me to specifically observe during this lesson?

According to Range, Young and Hvidston (2013), “The purpose of the pre-observation conference is to frame the upcoming extended observation and includes a discussion between principals and teachers concerning the objectives of the lesson, instructional strategies to be used during the lesson, methods by which students will be evaluated and how the lesson will be summarized” (p. 63). This purpose is fulfilled by the questions stated above. Since this pre-conference is with special education teachers, I asked a few more questions regarding modifications and differentiation. However, in general, I would also ask a general education teacher how they are differentiating their lesson. Also, by asking the last question I am aiming to gain a focus for the observation. I could go into the observation with a pre-determined focus, or I could have the teacher create the focus of the observation based on a specific area of strength or growth. Again, I would ask this question in a pre-conference regardless of the teacher’s specialty.

As an administrator, you have to keep in mind that students with disabilities may not yet demonstrate the types of responses or behaviors that a general education student might. For example, a student with an emotional disability may blurt out a negative comment to a peer, a student with a health impairment may not be able to attend to instruction for the same length of time as other students, or a student with a language or cognitive disability may not be able to ask questions and/or independently follow routines. Keeping these factors in mind, a special education teacher should show evidence in the pre-conference, observation and post conference that he or she has anticipated these kinds of challenges.

References

Range, B. G., Young, S., & Hvidston, D. (2013). Teacher Perceptions about Observation Conferences: What Do Teachers Think about Their Formative Supervision in One US School District? School Leadership & Management, 33(1), 61–77. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost-com.lopes.idm.oclc.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1004730&site=eds-live&scope=site.

Questions may include:

What will be the objective of your lesson? What will your students be working on to ensure the objective is met?

How do you ensure that every student in your classroom meets those objectives?

How do your students individual goals shape your lessons? How do you make sure your students meet those goals?

What strategies do you use to meet the needs of all your students? Why did you choose these strategies?

Are there any specifics to your classroom/set-up that you would like to share?

 

Danielson, C. (2016). Talk About Teaching! Leading Professional Conversations. Corwin Press.

Gatens, B. (2020). Why the Pre-Conference Is so Critical to Your Classroom Observation. Share to Learn. Retrieved from https://blog.sharetolearn.com/curriculum-teaching-strategies/classroom-observations-pre-conference-tips/

 

 

Supervising and Coaching Special Education Teachers 530 PAPER IDEAS:

During the pre-conference session to the teacher evaluation, principals thoughtfully prepare by asking certain defining questions. Expectations of the evaluation along with details of the process are made clear so that the coaching cycle is efficient, and proves a trustworthy meet. When evaluating a special education teacher, additional line-items need to be discussed.

Before getting started with any evaluation, the principal needs to know the audience. For example, evaluating a special education teacher who is in a self-contained classroom with severe special needs kiddos, will be a different talk than the experience and questioning a life skills classroom educator. For this paper, my principal and I met with Raquel Hyer, who is a Small Group Autism grades 4-6 teacher. Conducting a pre-conference with a teacher over a severe special needs unit is especially important, because their lessons move so quickly in order to keep their students engaged, so we would not have been able to take that time while students were present.

Students with special needs may require their work differentiated in a specific way to meet their IEP goals. While students with special needs may become proficient readers and writers, they should not be limited to this to show what they know.

Posters, models, performances, and drawings can show what they have learned in a way that reflects their personal strengths. When it comes to tests, there are other ways to show mastery than a multiple-choice test. Rubrics are a great way to create assessment tools for students to show they have mastered the material.

Technology can be especially helpful with special needs students. Access to computers, screen readers, and voice recognition software can help many students with special needs use technology more effectively. Other educational software programs, such as talking dictionaries and talking word processing applications, provide opportunities for students to improve their spelling, reading, and writing. An internet-based form of Kurzweil assists students with reading text, note taking and test taking. In addition, audio copies of textbooks can be downloaded onto their iPads so they can listen to textbooks on the bus.

Students learn best from their peers and many jobs require an ability to be a contributing member of a team. Collaboration is a skill that must be discussed before the lesson, so each group member has a clear idea of their role. It helps to give some focus questions ahead such as: Did everyone get a chance to speak and contribute? The teacher must monitor the groups to ensure that they are functioning appropriately.

Students working in cooperative groups have the benefit being exposed to the various learning strategies of others. Cooperative groups can be a comfortable place to have a voice in a small group setting and receive support from peers.

Some activities such as note-taking, making connections among ideas, asking questions, project planning, and time-management may have to be taught, because special needs students are not able to make the connections on their own. This may require step by step procedures to be explained. Students with special needs often have difficulty monitoring their own progress. Giving feedback will help students to reflect on their own work.

Organizing information is often a problem for students with special needs. Learning disabled students are often visual learners who respond well to information represented in graphic form. Concept maps, Venn diagrams, Cause-and-effect charts, Story Maps, T-charts, and Timelines can assist students to incorporate new knowledge. Multimedia such as pictures, charts, graphs, audio, and video can also be beneficial.

Providing reading materials on a particular topic, but written at different levels will allow a student with a reading disability to learn about the same topic as the rest of the class. It is not uncommon for students to misunderstand the instructions for an assignment. Keep the directions clear and concise

Most new content is delivered verbally, but students have strengths in different areas. They may be great illustrators, innovative builders and able to gather information visually on the internet. By using multi-sensory techniques to introduce new material, more of your students will retain it.

Having a peer helper can be mutually beneficial. Students with special needs can receive intensive one-on-one assistance and the peer tutor learns about different learning styles, modeling positive behavior and empathy. Peer helpers can also assist with creating study tools, editing written assignments and with collaborative activities. Linking newly presented knowledge to previous understanding is very important for students who have special needs. Know-Want to Know-Learn (KWL charts), discussions and questioning can help students use what they already know to understand new information. Students with reading problems find pictures and symbols easier to understand. Flashcards and pictures are useful to teach sight vocabulary, safety signs and new concepts.

Design lessons based on students’ learning styles. Group students by shared interest, topic, or ability for assignments. Assess students’ learning using formative assessment.

Manage the classroom to create a safe and supportive environment.

Examples of differentiating activities would include matching vocabulary words to definitions, reading a passage of text and answer related questions, thinking of a situation that happened to a character in the story and a different outcome, differentiating fact from opinion in the story, identifying an author’s position and provide evidence to support this viewpoint, and creating a PowerPoint presentation summarizing the lesson. Examples of differentiating the process include providing textbooks for visual and word learners, allowing auditory learners to listen to audio books, and giving kinesthetic learners the opportunity to complete an interactive assignment online. Examples of differentiating the end product would be those reading and writing learners could write a book report, visual learners could create a graphic organizer of the story. Auditory learners could give an oral report. Kinesthetic learners could build a diorama illustrating the story. Examples of differentiating the environment would be to break some students into reading groups to discuss the assignment, to allow students to read individually if preferred, to create quiet spaces where there are no distractions.

Pros

Research shows differentiated instruction is effective for high-ability students as well as students with mild to severe disabilities. When students are given more options on how they can learn material, they take on more responsibility for their own learning. Students appear to be more engaged in learning, and there are reportedly fewer discipline problems in classrooms where teachers provide differentiated lessons.

Cons

Differentiated instruction requires more work during lesson planning, and many teachers struggle to find the extra time in their schedule. The learning curve can be steep and some schools lack professional development resources. Critics argue there isn’t enough research to support the benefits of differentiated instruction outweighing the added prep time. A special education teacher who provides specially designed literacy instruction for students with disabilities is held accountable for demonstrating the professional practices for Standard I

Teachers develop and implement lessons that connect to a variety of content areas/disciplines and emphasize literacy and mathematical practices. Professional practices for the accomplished and exemplary levels may seem difficult for the students to demonstrate. The accomplished professional practices for Standards 1ElementB state:

Students apply literacy skills and concepts. It may be difficult for some students with disabilities to demonstrate that they apply literacy skills at the same level as students who do not have disabilities. For example, for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities, the special education teacher and evaluator should refer to the EEOs. The determination should take place during the pre-conference discussion early in the year, and prior to observations or evaluation evidence/artifacts collection

The teacher regularly collects progress monitoring data to inform their instruction and next steps for students in meeting their IEP goals. Also, educators collect data on student’s performance in relation to enrolled grade-level expectations, taking into consideration any needed classroom/material adaptations. The teacher uses student performance and progress monitoring data to facilitate student’s meaningful engagement, participation and access to the general curriculum. The teacher holds students responsible for meeting/exceeding enrolled grade-level standards. The teacher uses lesson plans that reference enrolled grade-level academic standards. The teacher utilizes higher-level questioning strategies in order for students to fully demonstrate their depth of knowledge. The teacher gives students opportunities to articulate or self-select solutions, paths to learning and needed accommodations. The teacher provides opportunities for students to set their own goals and engage in self-monitoring. The teacher utilizes effective collaborative learning strategies for students to engage actively with peers to problem solve and/or produce assigned products. The teacher provides support for students to take active leadership roles within an assigned group. The teacher promotes inclusive learning practices in order for students to learn from each other.

· 1.  Is there a special place you would like me to sit during my observation?

· 2.  Are there any functional issues you would like me to be aware of, for example, is there a child that I should not look in the eye etc.?

· 3. Which if any, children may have behaviors that you would like me to watch out for?

· 4. Is there a time of day that works better to observe than other times?

· 5. How can I best support you during this observation, and throught the year?

· 6. What would you like me to be most aware of while you are teaching this lesson?

· What are your expectations for the lesson?

· Is the content in the lesson new content or is it a continuation from previous lessons?

· How does this learning fit into the sequence of learning for the class?

· How will you engage students throughout the lesson? Small groups, partner work, whole class discussion protocols?

· How will you differentiate your lesson to meet the needs of all of your students?

· What modifications have you put in place to ensure equality in your classroom?

· How will you know if your lesson objectives were achieved?

· What are the assessments throughout the lessons? Will there be any quick checks throughout the lesson?

· Is there anything you would like me to specifically observe during this lesson?

· Special education teachersshould provide individual aswell as progress monitoring thatsupports accelerated growth on individual learning targets.Discussion should also include the conceptof sufficienttime forlearning and student growth related to students with particular disabilities. Itisreasonable to expectthatdata is being collected specific to ongoing individual studentprogress. Results ofthis conversation lead to an agreement aboutwhich the students are thatthe evaluatorand special education teacher are using to compare for purposes of the evaluation.

· The Teacher: • Makes clear tostudents: o Purpose of thelesson. o Standards applicable to the lesson. o Conditions under which the goal/lesson objective is able to takeplace. • Uses specially designed instruction to assist students in meeting enrolled grade level expectation/EEO. • Collaborates on lessons/instructional strategies with their general education colleagues in order to meet the needs of all students. • Plans individualized instruction for students that other professionals implement/support (e.g. related serviceproviders, paraprofessionals,e

· Teacher: • Greets students at thedoor. • Creates an environment conduciveto learning for allstudents. • Understands and accommodates the unique learning needs of each student. • Clearly communicates the lesson objectives as appropriate for individual studentneeds. • Establishes learning targets individualized for age, developmental level, and learning levels ofstudents. • Provides meaningful feedback to students during and following lesson. • Provides explicitinstruction to enhancetheacquisition ofsocial and interpersonalskills. • Plans for and effectively manages transitions throughouttheday. • Provides opportunities forstudents to beconsistently engaged. • Supports student in making appropriatebehavioral choices. • Minimizes behavioral disruptions by use of positive behavioral supports. • Clearly articulates and posts classroom expectations. • Structures the classroom environment to maximize useof instructionaltime. • Demonstrates knowledge and use of a variety of behavioral intervention strategies which may include the development and implementation of BehaviorPlans. • Understands and is able to conduct Functional Behavioral

· The Teacher: • Provides immediateand constructivefeedback to students. • Provides families with ongoing progress updates and positive feedback about studentperformance. • Uses multiple channels of communication to ensure that families and significant adults areableto access and respond to feedback. • Addresses challenges and/or concerns with families as soon as they manifestthemselves, taking into accounttheage and developmental level of the student. • Provides communication to support appropriatepracticeathome. • Seeks input from families and studentforIEP. • Partners with families and significant adults to support student learning

 

· Reference

· Benedict, A. E., Thomas, R. A., Kimerling, J., & Leko, C. (2013). Trends in Teacher Evaluation. Teaching Exceptional Children, 45(5), 60–68. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1177/004005991304500507

 

According to Range, Young and Hvidston (2013), Steve Bebee:

I could have the teacher create the focus of the observation based on a specific area of strength or growth.

What will be the objective of your lesson? What will your students be working on to ensure the objective is met?

How do you ensure that every student in your classroom meets those objectives?

How do your students individual goals shape your lessons? How do you make sure your students meet those goals?

What strategies do you use to meet the needs of all your students? Why did you choose these strategies?

Are there any specifics to your classroom/set-up that you would like to share?

What do you intend for the students to learn from this lesson? How will you know what they have learned after the lesson is concluded? All students are expected to learn.

 

 

 

Provide a minimum of three scholarly resources to support your response. RUBRIC:

(15) Lessons and Student Needs: Questions and expected responses thoroughly address the lesson components and information regarding the students’ IEPs, accommodations, and specific disabilities.

(15) Differentiated Instruction Questions and expected responses insightfully address the teacher’s plan to differentiate instruction.

(15) Struggling Students: Questions and expected responses professionally identify areas the teacher believes students struggle and how the teacher plans to address these areas.

(15) Prior Knowledge Questions and expected responses thoughtfully determine the teacher’s understanding of student’s prior knowledge and how it guides instructional planning.

(15) Classroom Management Questions and expected responses skillfully determine the teacher’s classroom management plan and any behavior intervention plans for individual students.

(25) Documentation of Sources

 

Clinical C: Special Education Teacher Observation & Feedback: 530 A principal, you will be responsible for observing and evaluating special education teachers. This process will include pre-conferences, observations, and feedback. To maximize effectiveness, this process must be collaborative, clear, and complete.

In collaboration with your principal mentor, attend a pre-conference and formal observation of a special education teacher, Raquel Hyer. With your principal mentor, collaboratively reflect upon Raquel’s performance including agreed upon ideas for enhancing instructional delivery and student learning outcomes. Discuss how feedback would be delivered in a post-observation conference. In addition, examine the formal evaluation tool, policies regarding how the tool is administered, how ratings are assigned, how and with whom results are shared, and what happens with the results? Are any of these different for a special education teacher compared to the general educator?

Summarize your experience collaborating with your mentor to provide post-observation feedback in a 250-word reflection. Include an examination of the formal evaluation tool, policies regarding the tool, ratings, and results. Incorporate PSEL Standard 5 into your reflection and describe how you will apply what you have learned to your future professional practice.

A comparison and contrast between your perspective and theirs.

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As presented in your text, there are several perspectives which attempt to explain how learning occurs; but regardless of the theoretical perspective, cognitive development is highly dependent on experiences for development. You have been assigned by the Analyzing Children’s Cognitive Development Pre-Activity to one theoretical perspective of cognitive development: Piagetian, Vygotskian, or information-processing.

In your discussion post,

  • Provide a brief analysis of the behaviors you observed in the Cognitive Development: Infant Block Play (Links to an external site.) video based on the theoretical perspective to which you’ve been assigned. Refer to the table below for some of the key ideas or terms that are associated with each perspective. These should be included in your initial post.
  • Propose at least two strategies or activities that could be used to support development and is consistent with the theoretical perspective to which you were assigned.
  • Discuss how you can involve the children’s family or community to extend the learning for one of your strategies you proposed above.

Theoretical Perspective

Key Ideas or Terms

Piagetian Perspective

schemata, assimilation, accommodation, equilibrium

Vygotskian Perspective

private speech, scaffolding, intersubjectivity, zone of proximal development

Information-Processing Perspective

attention, short and long-term memory, information storage and retrieval, metacognitive knowledge, cognitive self-regulation

Guided Response: Analyze several of your classmates’ posts. Respond to at least two of your classmates (one from each of the other two perspectives) and include the following:

  • A comparison and contrast between your perspective and theirs.
  • One additional strategy they could use to support the child’s development.
  • At least two additional ways that they can get parents involved in this learning process by extending their activities to the child’s home environment.
  • Resources in the community that they may have overlooked.

Discussion Creativity And Innovation

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see full work attached

Educators strive to create a classroom that instills creativity and innovation. In this discussion, you will think about the creative and innovative instructional approach known as the flipped classroom (Links to an external site.) while making direct connections to the Common Core State Standards and teacher decision-making based on student assessments. Reflecting on your previous discussion on CCSS (Links to an external site.) in Week Two, you will complete the three parts of this discussion’s initial post.

There are three parts to this discussion, which are described below.

Part 1

  • Discuss      how the flipped classroom idea can be used in conjunction with CCSS (Math      or English Language Arts)
  • Describe      ways you could incorporate technology used in the flipped classroom idea      to support the Framework for 21st Century      Learning (Links to an external site.)      in the classroom as it relates to decision making based on student      assessments.

Part 2
Now, think about assessments you have created or used in the past to address the following:

  • Discuss      if a school or teacher should use a multimedia resource that is absolutely      amazing in delivering both content and assessment but is not accessible.
  • Evaluate      whether the resource must be excluded from a course if there are no      reasonably equivalent accessible alternatives.

Part 3

  • Attach      a link to your Folio.

In one paragraph, reflect on your experience with the redesign in terms of challenges you encountered during the Week Two Assignment and how you overcame those challenges including any difficulties experienced in revising to meet the components of one ISTE-S standard (Links to an external site.) and the CCSS (Links to an external site.) (Math or English Language Arts) which are aligned with a minimum of one core subject and 21st century themes (Links to an external site.) and a minimum of one learning and innovation skill (Links to an external site.), one information, media, and technology skill (Links to an external site.), and evidence of at least one life and career skill (Links to an external site.)

Summary Paper

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This assignment will build upon several assumptions.  You are a new command level officer in a mid-sized local police agency, Soma-Pseudo City Police Department (Pseudonym) brought on board by a new Chief of Police.  You and the Chief previously worked at another very innovative police agency.  The Chief of Police was hired by Soma City upon the dismissal of the previous chief, Jeffrey Cox.  It seems as though morale was low throughout the department and that much of the low morale was associated with leadership failure and leadership deficiencies. The Chief knows you are taking CJUS 730 – Advanced Criminal Justice Leadership for class and wants to rely upon your expertise to create a dynamic leadership training program for Soma City Police Department.  The program may be a holistic program that incorporates broad based – broad audience leadership training (every leader in the department) or your program may address one specific audience within the department. The Chief wants the program grounded in solid research that you have learned in your class. The Chief said you may use the research paper in class as your proposal to the chief.  The Chief realizes that your proposal will look like an APA academic paper with numerous references and that is okay.

Prepare an academically rigorous research paper grounded as a leadership training and development program for Soma City Police Department.  The paper should have definitive links to solid leadership research, be relevant to police agency leadership training, and be usable as a leadership training and development proposal. Do not submit a reiteration of the IACP Leadership in Police Organizations training or the associated West Point Leadership training programs – most of your professors are well familiar with these programs.

Your research paper should be a minimum of 15 to 18 pages.  The project must use current APA style, and the page count does not include the title page, abstract, reference section, or any extra material. You must incorporate a Christian Worldview section in your paper.  You must use a minimum of 15–20 recent, relevant, and academic (peer review journals preferred and professional journal allowed if used judiciously) sources with at least 1 source being the Holy Bible and no more than 4 books.  You may use .gov sources as long as the writing is academic in nature (authored works).  This paper must reflect graduate level research and writing style.

You may use the Soma Police Department Annual Report 2017 Case Study document to help design your program(s) if you wish.

Soma-Pseudo

Police Department

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

 

Introduction

 

This report provides information related to Soma-Pseudo Police Department, a fictional agency, operational activities during calendar year 2017. During 2017, the SPD operated with 140 officers. The authorized staffing is 173 sworn police officers and 35 non-sworn personnel. Soma-Pseudo is 50 square miles and an estimated permanent residential population of 77,874. In that Soma-Pseudo serves as the hub of a new regional technology initiative. Additionally Soma-Pseudo has five institutions of higher learning and the City’s estimated daily work/school/recreational population grows to 110,000 or more.

 

Although Soma-Pseudo has received pressure from city administrators to become CALEA accredited, Soma-Pseudo PD has not sought CALEA accreditation.

 

Soma-Pseudo Police Department thinks of itself as a community policing organization. In this approach, Police Department employees work collaboratively with residents and other community partners toward attaining a common goal: a safe and vibrant community environment for everyone to enjoy. SPD’s community policing success is built upon having the right people in place: people who can overcome challenges; people who can effectively communicate and collaborate; people who can make and seize opportunities for positive achievement. This is the reason that maintaining a dedicated, engaged and experienced workforce must always remain is a SPD priority.

 

Once again, I want to thank the men and women who are the Soma-Pseudo Police Department for the hard work, the commitment and the creativity they bring to bear in providing effective public safety services within our diverse and growing community. I also want to thank those community members whom the SPD has found willing, ready and able to involve themselves in being part of the solution to community problems. All segments of our community working together is the dynamic that makes Soma-Pseudo a great place to live, work and visit.

 

May 15, 2017 Jeffery Cox, Chief of Police

 

 

SPD 2017 Annual Report

 

Mission, Vision, Values and Goals

Mission Statement

 

The Mission of SPD is To Protect and Serve

 

Vision Statement

 

SPD will Protect and Serve the Community

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crime in Soma-Pseudo – 2017

 

One of the hallmarks that most governments and citizens and many prospective residents look to in evaluating a community is crime and the perception of crime among residents. The Soma-Pseudo Police Department recognizes that crime control is one of our critical missions.

 

However, it is important to make the distinction between the totality of crime and the subset of crimes that are reported, and are therefore become known to the police. Although there are many factors that influence the reporting of crime, it is generally accepted that only a modest percentage of crime is ever reported to the police. The law enforcement community’s primary objective with regards to the collection and analysis of crime data is to provide a reliable set of crime statistics for criminal justice and law enforcement administration, operation and management, as well as providing an objective measurement and indication of the overall level of crime.

 

 

Crime Factors:

 

Historically, the causes and origins of crime have been the subject of investigation and research by many varied disciplines. Factors that are known to affect the volume and type of crime occurring include, but are not limited to, the following:

 

· Population density and degree of urbanization

· Variations in composition of the population, particularly youth concentration

· Stability of population with respect to residents’ mobility, commuting patterns, and transient factors

· Modes of transportation and highway system

· Economic conditions, including median income, poverty level, and job availability

· Cultural factors and educational, recreational, and religious characteristics

· Family conditions with respect to divorce and family cohesiveness

· Climate and weather

· Effective strength of law enforcement agencies

· Administrative and investigative emphases of law enforcement

· Policies of other components of the criminal justice system (i.e., prosecutorial, judicial, corrections, and probation).

· Citizens’ attitudes toward crime

· Crime reporting practices of the citizenry

 

Crime Reporting

 

In 2000, the majority of law enforcement organizations throughout the nation including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the State Police, and the Soma-Pseudo Police Department, switched from the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) system to the Incident Based Reporting (IBR) system. The IBR system utilizes 22 “Group A” offenses — involving 46 individual offense sub-categories – as the basis for calculating jurisdictional crime rates. Under the IBR system, all offenses are counted for each incident so that criminal justice agencies can more effectively and realistically track and document criminal incidents and violations.

 

The following chart outlines criminal offenses as defined by IBR reporting standards:

IBR “Group A” Offenses IBR “Group B” Offenses:
1 Arson 1 Bad Checks
2 Assault Offenses 2 Curfew/Loitering/Vagrancy
3 Bribery 3 Disorderly Conduct
4 Burglary/Breaking and Entering 4 Driving Under The Influence
5 Counterfeiting/Forgery 5 Drunkenness
6 Property Damage / Vandalism 6 Family Offenses, Non-violent
7 Drug/Narcotics Offenses 7 Liquor Law Violations
8 Embezzlement 8 Peeping Tom
9 Extortion/Blackmail 9 Runaway Juveniles
10 Fraud Offenses 10 Trespass of Real Property
11 Gambling Offenses 11 All Other Offenses
12 Homicide Offenses  

The number of Group A Offenses occurring in a jurisdiction determines that jurisdiction’s overall crime rate.

 

Only those Group B Offenses that are cleared by an arrest are reported under the IBR system.
13 Kidnapping/Abduction  
14 Larceny/Theft Offenses  
15 Motor Vehicle Theft  
16 Pornography/Obscene Material  
17 Prostitution Offenses  
18 Robbery  
19 Sex Offenses, Forcible  
20 Sex Offenses, Non-Forcible  
21 Stolen Property Offenses  
22 Weapon Law Violations  

 

SPD “Group A” Criminal Offenses Highlights 2012 – 2017

 

 

 

 

 

There were a total of 6,057 “Group A” offenses reported in 2012, 5,700 “Group A” offenses in 2013, 4,950 “Group A” offenses in 2014, 5,000 “Group A” offenses in 2015, 6,100 “Group A” offenses in 2016, and 6,350 “Group A” offenses in 2017.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Violent Crime 2012 – 2017

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were a total of 1,600 violent crimes reported in 2012, 1,400 violent crimes reported in 2013, 1,410 violent crimes reported in 2014, 1,570 violent crimes reported in 2015, 1,700 violent crimes reported in 2016, and 1,780 violent crimes reported in 2017.

 

Property Crime 2012 – 2017

(Arson, Burglary, All Larceny, Stolen Vehicles)

 

 

 

 

 

There were 850 property crimes reported in 2012, 625 property crimes reported in 2013, 550 property crimes reported in 2014, 625 property crimes reported in 2015, 690 property crimes reported in 2016, and 755 property crimes reported in 2017. Unlike many communities in America, Soma-Pseudo has significantly more violent crime than property crimes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Drug Crime 2012 – 2017

 

 

 

 

There were 740 drug crimes reported in 2012, 775 drug crimes reported in 2013, 860 drug crimes reported in 2014, 945 drug crimes reported in 2015, 1010 drug crimes reported in 2016, and 1025 drug crimes reported in 2017. A component of reported drugs crimes is the proactive arrests of officers. When officers make numerous drug arrests the rate of drug crimes seems to go up.

 

 

 

 

 

Locality Crime Rate Comparison

 

The national Incident-Based Reporting (IBR) System defines a locality’s “crime rate” as the number of Group A offenses occurring per 100,000 population. This formula allows for crime rate comparison among localities with varying populations. For purposes of Soma PD, the actual number of crimes are shown.

 

The most recent Crime in the State publication from the Department of State Police reports the following (calendar 2013) crime rates for regional localities:

 

Soma-Pseudo 7,298.12 (population 77,376) ^

Chaulkville 7,024.43 (population 46,623) ^

Demonstration 6,902.34 (population 43,912) ^

Belkmont 5,500.76 (population 98,913) ^

 

Soma-Pseudo reasonably compares to other regional communities, both larger and smaller in relative population. Soma-Pseudo continues to be a safe and vibrant community, thanks to the collaborative efforts of the SPD and our many community partners – individuals, businesses, neighborhoods and other agencies.

 

^ Locality population figures provided by the State Police

 

Annual Arrests by SPD

 

 

 

Calls for Service

A “Call for Service” (CFS) is defined as any incident in which police officer response or intervention is either requested by a complainant or initiated by an officer. CFS include criminal and non-criminal matters. 2017 CFS average: 103 calls/incidents per day.

 

Criminal Case Clearance Rate by SPD

 

 

 

 

SPD 2017 Annual Report

16

 

Traffic Safety

These numbers include the number of reportable accidents handled by SPD officers during 2017. Accidents must include an injury or $1,500 in combined property damage to be reportable.

 

 

 

Number of Accidents 1,683
Number of Pedestrian Accidents 17
Number of Injury Accidents 282
Number of Injuries 443
Number of Fatality Accidents 3
Number of Fatalities 3
Total Estimated Property Damage $6,675,018

 

 

Traffic Enforcement

 

SPD officers issued 9,979 citations for traffic violations during 2017. The following table charts SPD’s top 10 traffic enforcement offense categories for the year.

 

  Traffic Infraction Citations Issued in 2017
1ST SPEEDING 1,901
2ND EXPIRED STATE REGISTRATION 1,092
3RD EXPIRED / NO STATE INSPECTION 1,090
4TH DRIVING UNDER REVO/SUSPENSION 774
5TH SEAT BELT VIOLATION 611
6TH FAIL TO OBEY HIGHWAY SIGN 424
7TH RECKLESS DRIVING 412
8TH FOLLOWING TOO CLOSELY 357
9TH FAIL TO YIELD RIGHT OF WAY 324
10TH DEFECTIVE EQUIPMENT 168

 

 

Complaint Investigation

 

Complaints made against SPD employees are classified into two general types: 1) allegations of inappropriate employee performance or demeanor, or 2) allegations of employee misconduct — to include misuse of force, employee violation of law or significant violation of policy. All allegations of misconduct, inappropriate performance or demeanor are thoroughly investigated and documented by supervisory staff members.

 

Forty-Six allegations of misconduct were filed against SPD employees during 2017. In comparison, 34 allegations of employee misconduct were filed during 2016, 22 during 2015, 26 during 2014, and 20 during 2013.

 

Investigative findings related to 2017 allegations of misconduct were as follows:

23 allegations were determined to be “sustained” (50% of total allegations)

10 allegation was determined to be “non-sustained” (21% of total allegations)

13 allegations were determined to be “unfounded” (28% of total allegations)

 

Thirty-eight performance or demeanor complaints were filed against SPD employees during 2017. In comparison, 31 performance or demeanor complaints were filed during 2016, 18 during 2015, and 26 during 2014.

 

Investigative findings related to 20147allegations of inappropriate employee performance or demeanor was as follows:

18 complaints were determined to be “sustained” (47% of total allegations)

8 complaints were determined to be “non-sustained” (21% of total allegations)

3 complaints were determined to be “exonerated” (8% of total allegations)

8 complaints were determined to be “unfounded” (21% of total allegations)

1 complaint was withdrawn by the reporting person (3% of total allegations).

 

Budget Information

 

The Soma-Pseudo Police Department annual operational budget is one component of City of Soma’s annual General Fund budget. The City and SPD fiscal year extends from July 1 through June 30. The SPD’s operational budget is comprised of two component budgets – Police Operations and Firing Range Operations.

 

The SPD amended budget for FY2017 (the current fiscal year) is $15,536,685. Of that total, $13,377,868 is committed to personnel costs for salaries and benefits; the remaining $2,158,817 covers all other operational costs. Personnel costs constitute approximately 86% of the SPD’s FY17 budget.

 

Use of Force Review*

 

Among the most complex of a law enforcement officer’s duties is the responsibility to use force under law if and when required in the accomplishment of local government objectives. SPD policy defines a “use of force” as an application of physical force, OC spray, impact weapon, taser or means of potentially deadly force in performance of an officer’s duty.

 

During 2017, there were a total of 97 use of force incidents that involved 135 applications of force by individual officers. Multiple incidents involved either application of force by more than one officer, or a single officer applying more than one type of force to take a resisting arrestee into custody – for example, use of physical force in conjunction with use of a taser or of OC spray.

 

Every incident in which force is used by an SPD officer is investigated and documented by supervisory staff members. Use of force investigation is reviewed by the involved officer’s entire chain of command.

 

During 2017, LPD officers utilized force in a total of 97 out of 2,850 total arrest situations: this equates to officers using force in approximately 3.4% of all arrest situations. Viewed within the context of annual calls for service, officers utilized force in only 62 of 37,880 service call interactions with members of the public: this equates to use of force in only .2% (less than one percent) of these contacts. 2017 figures are slightly higher than historical use of force data.

Organizational Chart

 

 

 

 

Sworn Positions in SPD

 

 

Sworn Positions  
Position Authorized Strength Actual Strength 2017
Chief 1 1
Deputy Chief 3 3
Captain 5 4
Lieutenant 10 8
Sergeant 25 23
Master Police Officer 38 23
Police Officer 91 78
Total 173 140

 

2017 Average Years of Police Service by Rank in SPD

 

 

Chief of Police

 

 

Chief Aide – Captain

 

 

Deputy Chief Uniform Division

 

 

Deputy Chief Investigative Division

 

 

Deputy Chief Support Division

 

 

Captain Patrol North

 

 

Captain Patrol South

 

 

Captain Investigative Division

 

 

Captain Interal Affairs

 

 

Budget Analyst

 

 

Lieutenant Property and Evidence

 

 

Lieutenant Fleet Maintenance

 

 

Property Crime

2012 Property Crime 850 2013 Property Crime 625 2014 Property Crime 550 2015 Property Crime 625 2016 Property Crime 690 2017 Property Crime 755

 

 

 

 

Drug Crimes

2012 Drug Crimes 750 2013 Drug Crimes 775 2014 Drug Crimes 860 2015 Drug Crimes 945 2016 Drug Crimes 1010 2017 Drug Crimes 1025

 

 

 

 

Total Arrests (2008 to 2017)

2008 Total Arrests 3500 2009 Total Arrests 3680 2010 Total Arrests 4250 2011 Total Arrests 4300 2012 Total Arrests 4650 2013 Total Arrests 4000 2014 Total Arrests 3500 2015 Total Arrests 3350 2016 Total Arrests 3200 2017 Total Arrests 2850

 

 

 

 

Call for Service 2008 to 2017

2008 Calls for Service 35655 2009 Calls for Service 37072 2010 Calls for Service 31730 2011 Calls for Service 30750 2012 Calls for Service 29990 2013 Calls for Service 32345 2014 Calls for Service 35550 2015 Calls for Service 36345 2016 Calls for Service 37200 2017 Calls for Service 37880

 

 

 

 

Case Clearance Rate All Crimes

2008 Clearance Rate 0.41 2009 Clearance Rate 0.41499999999999998 2010 Clearance Rate 0.38 2011 Clearance Rate 0.44 2012 Clearance Rate 0.45 2013 Clearance Rate 0.48 2014 Clearance Rate 0.46 2015 Clearance Rate 0.43 2016 Clearance Rate 0.41 2017 Clearance Rate 0.36

 

 

 

 

Years Service

Series 1 Chief Deputy Chief Captain Lieutenant Sergeant Master Police Officer Officer 38 34 28 14 7 6 2.5

 

 

 

Total Group A Crime

2012 Group A Total (per thousand) 6057 2013 Group A Total (per thousand) 5700 2014 Group A Total (per thousand) 4950 2015 Group A Total (per thousand) 5000 2016 Group A Total (per thousand) 6100 2017 Group A Total (per thousand) 6350

Thousands

 

 

 

 

Violent Crime

2012 Violent Crime 1600 2013 Violent Crime 1400 2014 Violent Crime 1410 2015 Violent Crime 1570 2016 Violent Crime 1700 2017 Violent Crime 1780