Fleming College

Program Highlights

By choosing a career in police services, you are making a decision to work with and for a wide diversity of individuals and communities. You will rely on your well-rounded education and background in not just law enforcement, but critical interpersonal, communication and team-building skills. Today's police services personnel must be able to keep up with the pace and challenges of societal change, keeping in mind integrity, honesty, enthusiasm and maintaining personal physical and mental well being.

Fleming College's Police Foundations program has evolved to meet the changing needs of police services and the communities in which they serve. New curriculum addresses the increasing role of civilian policing in Ontario. We now provide options for students who are interested in a career in law and justice and want to take the program as a foundation for continuing educational pathways or for career opportunities other than a police constable.Students can graduate with a Police Foundations diploma by taking the curriculum stream that emphasizes civilian policing over fitness.

Why Choose Fleming College for Police Foundations

Test – drive Your Career

While policing is a rewarding career, it is also extremely demanding. Completing the extensive experiential learning in our program, where you are exposed to many aspects of policing, will allow you to make an informed decision on your future career choice in law enforcement.

Innovative Curriculum - Mental Health Strategies In Policing

Fleming College is leading the way in providing specialized training to respond to increasing numbers of mental health calls-for-service. Recent inquests have highlighted that these calls can be fatal, and often the individual officer’s level of training factors into successfully resolving the situation. Officer duties frequently involve incidents that result in mental health issues for the officer, commonly PTSD. The new Mental Health Strategies In Policing curriculum also examines the relationship between mental health and the student, as both a member of the community and as a candidate for policing.

Field Placement:

The placement experience really does set Fleming apart from other police programs at the college level. With our close associations and partnerships with a number of police services, you will have an opportunity to take advantage of a wide variety of placements and practicum experiences. NOTE: Placement experience will be subject to a clearance check by the police service. Field placement may extend beyond the 15-week block in semester four, depending on the experience you choose and the preference of the police service placement.

Students who meet specified standards are eligible to participate in one of our two field placement programs, which generally consists of 100 hours working directly with officers at a police service. Students assist officers with community policing initiatives and participate in ride-a-longs with uniformed officers on general patrol.

Communication Skills

Our program emphasizes the most important skill a police officer can possess; the ability to communicate. The capacity to show assertiveness, diffuse conflict, display empathy and establish rapport and trust are hallmarks of any good police officer. This skill set is not only important in policing, but transferable to nearly any career that involves community interaction. To facilitate learning, course curriculum emphasizes scenario and problem- based instruction.

Instructors

Faculty has extensive policing experience with several different police agencies within the Province of Ontario. They are knowledgeable in a range of policing issues including recruiting, investigations, federal and provincial law, officer safety, fitness and communications.“Core” police courses such as Criminal Code, Interview and Investigation and Police Powers are taught by former or current police officers.

Reputation

The Police Foundations Program at Fleming College has been in existence for over thirty years and has cultivated an excellent reputation with police services across the province. Our students are recognized for their professionalism, commitment to community and integrity. Hundreds of graduates have gone onto very successful careers in policing including Chief Murray Rodd from the Peterborough / Lakefield Community Police Service.

Recent graduates, Megan Hickey and Jesse McDonald featured in our video about their placement experience are now both full-time constables: Meghan was hired by the OPP, West Region and Jesse is with the Anishinabek Police Service.

University or College Grad?

With a university degree or a college diploma in a related field, you are eligible for direct entry into second year of the program. Start in September and you can graduate with your Police Foundations diploma in just two semesters. Contact the program co-ordinator for details.

Common First Semester

Students enrolled in Law and Justice diploma programs take the same courses for their first semester after choosing and being accepted into one of our programs. This common focus exposes you to a variety of career options and other programs, while you acquire a base of knowledge and fundamental skills. It also enables you to change direction if you find another program or career area is more appealing. You can enter that program in semester two, provided that you have achieved academic success in first semester, and subject to enrollment capacity.

Career Considerations

A balanced approach to personal well-being and health is essential, as both the career and the program are challenging both mentally and physically.

view instructional videos on fitness tests in the Police Foundations program

If a career as a police officer is your goal, we strongly urge you to check the qualifications required to ensure that you are eligible, before committing yourself to the Police Foundations program. These requirements are available at the Ontario Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services website under the Constable Selection System. Pay particular attention to the physical requirements, including vision and hearing. Answers to questions regarding criminal records that affect qualifications to apply are also available on this website.

Career Opportunities

Graduates from this program hold the following police services positions:

• Police cadet
• Police officer

Which may lead to:

Expect to start off earning a salary of $45,000 - $58,000. After three years of service average salaries are approximately $83,000. Graduates can also find employment opportunities in such job sectors as Canada Border Services, correctional services, the Canadian Forces, private civil and criminal investigation, private security, court enforcement and security, municipal by-law enforcement, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources or Ontario Parks.

Indigenous Perspectives Designation

The Indigenous Perspectives Designation (IPD) is an option available to students studying in the Child and Youth Care program. To qualify for the IPD, students must take and successfully complete GNED49 - Introduction to Indigenous Studies and GNED128 - Indigenous Knowledges, along with a minimum of four approved co-curricular Indigenous events or experiences that will be incorporated into the final portfolio assignment in GNED128. The student’s transcript will indicate the IPD designation. Upon graduation, students with an IPD will have a strong foundational basis in Indigenous Studies, and a designation that will be marketable in the employment sector.

Additional Costs

You should expect to spend around $740 per year for books and supplies.

Transfer Agreements

You may be able to use credits obtained at Fleming College to continue your postsecondary education in pursuit of a degree. The articulation and credit transfer agreements with our partner institutions are summarized below.