Running head: DELAWARE STATE POLICE AVIATION UNIT 1

Research Paper

Delaware State Police Aviation Unit

Margaret Valencia

Criminal Justice 101 – 5W1

Delaware Technical Community College

Dr. Claude Thomas
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Abstract

By furthering my education in the criminal justice department specializing in law enforcement I

plan to obtain my college Associate’s Degree and enter the Delaware State Police Academy.

After two years of field training and observance my plan is to initiate training to receive my

advanced life support license and apply to work with Delaware State Police Aviation unit as a

Trooper Paramedic. My determination for obtaining this goal is will not subside and I will make

the necessary sacrifices to successfully complete the necessary training to reach my occupational

goals. Making differences, as a minority within community relations is a necessary goal within

this occupation for myself, I plan to protect and serve this community and attempt to restore

better policing strategies to the Delaware occupants.

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With my current major I plan to enter the Delaware State Police Academy and initiate my

training as a state police officer. After two years of working as a police officer I may apply to

further advance my career with Delaware State Police Aviation Unit. This aviation section of

Delaware State Police has been actively serving the community for 48 years, and provides

twenty-four hour coverage from two locations in the state to Delaware State Police Paramedics.

(Delaware State Police, 2017) The primary mission of this aviation sector is to provide rapid

transport of the critically sick or injured persons to medical facilities and to support law

enforcement ground personnel in the apprehension of criminal suspects. Additional search and

rescue operations, homeland security operations, narcotics interdiction, and pursuit and maritime

security are all additional services the aviation units provide to the state.

Minimum hiring requirements for candidates for Delaware State Police are that they must

initially apply, and schedule to take a written exam and physical fitness test. After passing both

exams documentation must be provided stating that you are a United States Citizen, and

identification providing that you meet the age requirements. Applicants must also have a high

school diploma or GED, and must have attained a minimum of 60 semester credits, from an

accredited college or university. A valid driver’s license is required, and in regards to criminal

records the candidate must not obtain any felony conviction and no prior arrests must be

expunged before hire. Weight must be in compliance with Delaware State Police’s document

chart provided on their home webpage. After meeting all requirements, the candidate must have

normal hearing and vision as inspected by medical examiner upon hire.

For Delaware State Troopers there is a competitive salary, during training you are earing

over $48,000. After training you are subject to earn over $57,000. (Delaware Employment Link.

(2018)(Annual DSP Report, 2016) The pension plan for troopers is that retirement is mandatory
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at fifty-five years old and you also have the option to retire after twenty years on the force.

Troopers have the option for additional optional shifts for the court, and state-share health

insurance. Troopers are also eligible for college tuition assistance, vacation time and sick leave,

tax-deferred medical/child care program as well as investment and deferred compensation plans

through the state.

Becoming a Delaware State Trooper involves performing duties such as demonstrating

good judgment, thoroughness, conscientiousness, common sense, motivation, and enthusiasm for

the job. Troopers must be dependable and willing to get involved in order to help deal with the

problem’s of today’s society. Troopers must be able to assume responsibility, make decisions

often under pressure, work without supervision, follow orders, function in physical danger, act

under pressure, communicate well, and combine physical and mental resources to protect and

serve the community. Becoming a state police officer may become unpredictably hazardous and

require hyper-vigilance even when in danger. Troopers operate alone often, and typically

additional police resources are not readily available. Troopers are required often, without

preparation, to run long differences, traverse rough terrain quickly, climb obstacles, remove

injured persons from harm’s way and engage in physical confrontations using defense tactics to

subdue dangerous individuals and to effectively carry out forceful arrests.

In preparation for this occupation I will face the constant challenge of time management in

regards to my studies. Going to school full time and working several part time jobs is difficult.

Entering a male dominated field is also slightly intimidating, but I know it is a fact I will adapt to

and overcome with success, as I have proven to myself as well peers in the past. The presence of

women in law enforcement has slowly increased over the last three decades. Current statistics on

women in law enforcement indicate that women comprise about 12 per cent of all sworn law
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enforcement positions in the United States. (Archbold, C. A., Hassell, K. D., & Stichman, A. J.

(2010).

However, I have managed thus so far and will continue to stay organized and motivated

to maintain the grades needed to be accepted to my program and be an exceptional student. The

further I plan a head, look over syllabi and have an active schedule maintained the more time I

have to dedicate to my studies. In regards to fitness assistance, I personally have lost weight

with managing healthy food intake and exercise regularly. I am overweight, but I am confident

with strict diet and intermittent exercise leading up to applying to the program I will not

disappoint when it comes to preparation for the job.

A main reason why joining the force is so important to me is because I feel as though over the

last decade especially the community has lost faith to some extent in the police force. Racial

tensions are at all time high and now more than ever more proactive minorities willing to work

on community relations will be key. “One thing is clear: A focus on—and demand that police

focus on—changing crime rates to the exclusion of other issues that are equally, if

not more, important, such as enhancing trust in police, is a serious problem.” (Meares, p.1365)

The tasks related with operating in the occupation as a police officer are mostly not foreign to

me. For example maintain order on a scene, responding to emergencies, protecting people and

property, rendering aid to victims, and promoting good community relations are all tasks that I

have been prevalently well versed with. Between working as a first responder and spending long

periods of time on busy scenes or danger ones, these are skills that I have excelled at and become

very comfortable with.

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References

Delaware State Police Aviation Unit. (2016). Retrieved April 02, 2018, from

http://dsp.delaware.gov/aviation_unit.shtml Information obtained from 2016 DSP Annual

Report

Recruiting. (2018). Retrieved April 08, 2018, from

http://dsp.delaware.gov/dsp_recruiting_become_a_trooper.shtml Edited by Delaware.gov

Delaware Employment Link. (2018). Retrieved April 08, 2018, from

https://jobapscloud.com/de/auditor/ClassReports.asp?Ladder=

Archbold, C. A., Hassell, K. D., & Stichman, A. J. (2010). Comparing promotion aspirations

among female and male police officers. International Journal Of Police Science &

Management, 12(2), 287-303. doi:10.1350/ijps.2010.12.2.175

Meares, T. L. (2017). THE PATH FORWARD: IMPROVING THE DYNAMICS OF

COMMUNITY-POLICE RELATIONSHIPS TO ACHIEVE EFFECTIVE LAW

ENFORCEMENT POLICIES. Columbia Law Review, 117(5), 1355-1368