Counterdrug Training In The Field
The busy lives of many law enforcement officers have made it difficult for some to travel to a school setting for training. In addition, training opportunities are limited for many law enforcement officers because many agencies lack the funds to support additional training, and officers do not have the money to pay for such training themselves.
However, the Multijurisdictional Counterdrug Task Force Training (MCTFT) Program–which has been providing unique, tuition-free, state-of-the-art training since 1993 covering all aspects of counterdrug law enforcement and training support for community anti-drug coalitions–has been the solution to these problems for many law enforcement officers and the agencies they work for.
In 2002, MCTFT added online courses on several topics, including drug identification, criminal street gangs, and airport narcotics investigations. Each course is interactive, student-centered, and non-credit with a measuring criteria in the form of a final test. The design of each course has major learning outcomes and objectives in the introduction; training modules including text, graphics, audio, and video; interactive learning modules; resources; glossary; and an evaluation survey.
Every course also includes a discussion forum that allows students to share information with their peers regarding issues in their own jurisdictions.
MCTFT has also partnered with D.A.R.E. America to help the anti-drug organization develop two online courses to support its new training program. Both the elementary and middle school courses include major learning outcomes and objectives in the introduction, training modules with text, graphics, audio, and video; interactive learning modules called SkillBuilders; resources; a discussion board; a final test, certificate; and an evaluation survey. MCTFT has also made its flash interactive course activities available to D.A.R.E. officers and youth on D.A.R.E.’s Web site.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center(NLECTC) from Law Enforcement Technology (05/06) Vol. 33, No. 5, P. 106; Peterson, Carlene Ed.D.