Self-Control as an Investigator
Sarah McClure
Kaplan University

Self-Control as an Investigator As a citizen in your community, how do you know what law enforcement agents you can trust, and those that are unreliable? One key attribute to someone who would be trustworthy is Self-control. How do they handle themselves in stressful situations and daily life? Self-control is the supporting foundation of trust within our communities when it comes to law enforcement, be it in actions, words, or behavior.

A prime example of self-control as an action within our law enforcement would be a case that happened in Los Angeles. A man was running around the streets naked firing shots from a rifle. When two officers approached, he ran into his bedroom, snuck out a back door, and came up behind them, shooting them in the back. SWAT was called, a shot rang out and a call made over the radio saying it was done. They had not killed the man as was first thought. (Vernon, 2006) The man who pulled the trigger exercised self-control during this episode. In the criminal justice field of work, if a fellow officer is shot, everyone is emotionally charged. You become a family, so the man who shot the suspect without killing him withheld his emotions while taking action.

We can use this same story as an example for self-control using communication. The two men who had been shot in the back were believed to be attempting to coax him out of his bedroom professionally. Also the call made over the radio “Mission Accomplished” (Vernon, 2006) was professional. We must keep in mind that this police department and any police department are close like a second family. The emotions run high when a fellow officer is shot.
Self-control becomes second nature when you put your mind to it and keep working on it. It is much like a muscle. It gets tired when you use it more frequently at the beginning, but it gets easier with time. Self-control takes commitment and detailed planning. Just like you can’t expect to start walking before you crawl, you can’t exercise self-control without working on it. Start with smaller goals so you avoid discouragement and the feeling of failure. We propose that high-self-control people are perceived relatively less risky partners and therefore are more often chosen as people to rely on than low-self-control people. (Righetti & Finkenauer, 2011)

References
Vernon, R. (2006). Leadership & self control. Law Officer Magazine, Retrieved from http://pliglobal.com/services/resources_1/a-Leadership-Self-control.html
Righetti, F.; Finkenauer, C. (2011) Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 100, No. 5, (pg 874 – 886) Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

This is a good start to an outline, and now I would like you to focus more on the second half development. I would like to see more supporting evidence throughout. For instance, you can add personal experience, history, definitions or background information, statistics, other facts, hypothetical scenarios, or other pieces of detail to help support your point. I have highlighted what I believe to be your thesis statement.

For your final Unit 9 project, I would like for you to start thinking about how you are going to integrate quotes, paraphrases, and outside sources in your claims. You should still have your own main ideas around a topic, but I would like to see more detail throughout. Work on this for the next essay.

Unit 6 Project: 150 points
A (135-150 points)
Outline is in appropriate sentence format and is detailed .
Draft has a clear main point or thesis.
Paragraphs are effectively organized with clear transitions.
Ideas are developed well but may still need some additional clarification or research information before the Final Project submission.
Sentence structure is effective and sentences have complexity and variety.
Grammar and mechanics are effective, although some minor errors may be present.
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