Constitutional trainings for law enforcement with the Robert H. Smith Center for the Constitution focus on both the legal and aspirational components of constitutional policing. That is, participants engage in discussion about the legal framework of policing under the Constitution, and they also consider the ways in which they are the Constitution by upholding the values and ideals of America’s governing documents through their actions.
Through 3-day residential seminars, participants tackle complex constitutional topics from sources of power in a democracy, to minority vs. majority rights, Supreme Court decisions involving the 4th Amendment, and advancements in 21st-century policing. Every program ends with scenario-based training.
These trainings are recognized by the Department of Criminal Justice Services in Virginia as a certified criminal justice continuing education program for police officers in Virginia.
Listen to Sean O'Brien, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President at The Montpelier Foundation, on Right Now with Coy Barefoot, discuss the importance of the law enforcement program.