Guest Editor: Sharon M. Reese, Deputy Director, Washington State Gambling Commission, Lacey, Washington

In April 2006 the IACP Education and Training Committee asked me to serve as the guest editor for the November 2006 issue of the Police Chief magazine with a focus on training. The objective is to bring to the attention of law enforcement administrators the changes occurring in training for the 21st century. Four articles were developed for this purpose.

“Using Problem-Based Learning in Police Training” discusses this new learning method that uses realworld problems requiring police officers to develop critical-thinking and problem-solving skills while acquiring knowledge.

“Emotional Intelligence in Policing” describes incorporating the core competency of emotional intelligence (EI) in the learning process. EI includes personal competencies such as self-awareness, accurate self-assessment, self-control, and social competencies such as conflict management, empathy, and leadership.

“Ethics Training for Police” focuses narrowly on what training to provide to the police officer. By design, this article does not encompass all facets of ethics training and responsibilities that have been covered well by other articles in the magazine.

“Biannual Driver Qualification Program” announces that in 2007 the Washington State Patrol will require biannual driving qualification for all officers and all ranks. Law enforcement–related collisions are a significant liability issue for most departments, but few departments require requalification after initial training.

Some of the changes described in these articles have not been well received by those who adhere to the traditional training philosophy; other trainers believe these changes are occurring too slowly. What I can report is that the mission has been accomplished; I have brought to the attention of today’s police executive contemporary changes in law enforcement training. —Sharon M. Reese