Law and Public Service

This introductory course introduces students to professions in law and public safety. Students will examine the roles, responsibilities and skills necessary for police, courts, corrections, private security, fire and emergency services.

This course is an overview of the history, organization, and functions of local, state, and federal law enforcement. It will focus on planning, managing, and providing legal services, public safety, protective services and homeland security, including professional and technical support services. Students will become familiar with law enforcement terminology, the classification and elements of crime, and the ethical behavior standards required for people who choose a career in law enforcement.

Certification opportunity: International Academy of Emergency Dispatch Emergency Telecommunicator. This course further explores the knowledge and skills necessary to prepare for a career in law enforcement, including the role of first responders, telecommunications personnel, emergency equipment operators, and courtroom personnel. Topics will include techniques used to manage crisis situations and maintain public safety, protocols for domestic violence situations, procedures for serving warrants and summons, crowd control methods, disaster response roles, and crime scene investigation.

This course is designed to prepare students for the certification required for employment as a correctional officer. The student will analyze rehabilitation and alternatives to institutionalization. The student will learn the role and responsibilities of a correctional officer; discuss relevant rules, regulations, and laws; and discuss defensive tactics, restraint techniques, and first aid procedures as used in the correctional setting.

This course provides an overview of the federal and state court systems. The course identifies the roles of judicial officers and the trial processes from pretrial to sentencing and examines the types and rules of evidence. Emphasis is placed on constitutional laws for criminal procedures such as search and seizure, stop and frisk, and interrogation.

This course is the first year of a two-year commitment to the Arlington Independent School District Fire Academy. This course is conducted in cooperation with Tarrant County College and the Arlington Fire Department. During the two years, students will receive the training and skills necessary to sit for the exams to become Texas Certified Firefighters and National Registry Emergency Medical Technicians at the end of the second year. Instruction will consist of classroom and field experiences. Enrollment is limited but is open to students from all Arlington high schools. Uniform purchase is required. This course is GPA exempt.

This course is the second year of a two-year commitment to the Arlington Independent School District Fire Academy. It is a continuation of Firefighter I. Uniform purchase is required. This course is GPA exempt. Certification opportunity: Basic Structure Fire Protection (Texas Commission of Fire Protection – TCFP) and Emergency Medical Technician Basic.

The Arlington Police Department and the Arlington Independent School District have joined together in a cooperative effort to design and implement a high school police academy within the Arlington ISD. The result is a year-long program that will enable participants to earn a total of two elective high school credits and be provided a hands-on learning experience for those wanting to pursue a career as a police officer. Student activities include, but are not limited, to daily physical training, team and leadership building, policing instruction from APD personnel, obstacle course activities, defensive tactics instruction, SWAT training, report writing, crime scene investigations and handcuffing techniques. Uniform purchase is required.

Through classroom instruction and first-hand observation, students will have the opportunity to observe and to perform practical application of previously studied knowledge and skills related to the public safety field. The unpaid practical application experience may occur in a school lab and/or community location appropriate to the nature and level of experience of each student and under supervision of the teacher and/or facility mentor. Students who wish to take this course must have their own transportation to travel to their practicum site(s). Uniform purchase may be required.