Rio Hondo academy getting shut down...

[lsxowner]

http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-rio-hondo-academy-cheat,0,1646837.story

RIO HONDO ( KTLA) -- An entire police academy class at Rio Hondo Community College Regional Training Center was suspended Tuesday after "breach of test security" allegations sparked an investigation by the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training.

According to a statement issued by Rio Hondo Community College, the academy class is being investigated for a "breach of test security."

College officials said current and future presentations of identified courses are affected. The suspensions will remain in effect during the on-going investigation and until a resolution is developed.

Other classes in the college's Administration of Justice Program and Fire Academy were not affected by the investigation.

The test materials involved statewide standards, according to Susan Herney, Director of Marketing and Communications for Rio Hondo College.

Herney tells KTLA that at this point, "no one has been accused of cheating."

According to the Rio Hondo College Department of Public Safety, the Basic Police Academy class is a twenty-one week program. Cadets must successfully pass twenty-six tests on subjects such as basic law, patrol tactics, search and seizure, and evidence gathering. They must also display proficiency in other areas of training including firearms, physical fitness, weaponless defense, and emergency vehicle operations.

Upon graduation from the Police Academy, cadets receive a certificate of completion that enables them to qualify for any police department in California at an entry level.

"We recognize the serious nature of the suspension, regret its impact on our students, and are working diligently with POST to resolve the issues," Rio Hondo College President, Ted Martinez, Jr. said in a statement.

School officials say the affected tests will have to be recreated and validated in their entirety at a substantial cost to the POST Commission.

[DAL]

According to an article in today's LA Times, classes are still suspended. The only new info is:

Officials say that of 122 trainees in the academy, 22 of those trainees were being sponsored by regional police departments, where they were expected to join the ranks of officers.

http://www.latimes.com/news/la-policeacademy15-m,0,2110864.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+latimes%2Fnews+%28L.A.+Times+-+Top+News%29&utm_content=My+Yahoo

[SCV-Sop]

Study Guide?????

I guess the million dollar question is where that study guide came from?

With the way it’s being investigated it’s looking like a staff member made it. If it was a 3rd party publication it would be a bigger problem.

What would be hilarious is if this whole ordeal is simply the new “Ethics Scenario” exam.

[DAL]

My impression is that these "study guides" are often the product collaboration among students who took the test in prior classes. Students remember questions and write them down, adding to the work product each academy.

If that is what happened, then POST is largely at fault for reusing the tests, or reusing questions. I would not automatically blame the instructors.

[CA10-08]

Sad state of affairs for the academy, the student body, the TAC staff, and POST.

The following was posted by an alleged Rio Hondo student in response to this article http://www.whittierdailynews.com/new...290?source=rss :

"These tests were orginally taken from another Academy. The janitor at the another academy was cleaning out the staff's office and found several P.O.S.T.'s test with the answers on them and he gave them to his wife who was attending that academy. They were thrown in the trash and not shredded as they are now. Also, her cousin worked in the staff's office as a secretary. The recruit in turned gave them to a student AKA as her best friend who was attending Rio Hondo's academy several classes back. Then several other recruites typed the questions and answers on their computers and made copies of these CD's, Power point presentations. They were the same questions and answers that the academy had. Some names were changed so it wouldn't be obvious. This was brought up to staff and one of the staff members said, "It was cheating because no one has been caught!" It was like studying for your driver's license and using someone's driver's test sheet!!! Please don't punish the class for something that someone else did! This is the God's honest truth!!! The recruit who had all the test and cheated was eventully fired from a department. Everyone in our class knew this person had the exact exam that the academy was giving out. She carefully gave the questions to her friends and they gave it to their friends and so both academies had all the answers. Recruits with integrity didn't use them and others did. This is been going on for a long time and it is now finally surfaced!!!!!!!!!! No one will come clean for fear of losing their positions with a department but this is the TRUTH!!!! Also, do you think that any of the Tac Officers will come clean for fear of losing their positions at the acadamy. Most of the Tac Officer are retired and getting a pension from their departments. I've always remember what this tac officer said. He also said. "Niceness is a sign of weakness!"

[laco1x]

Hmmmm....lets see, could there have been some sort of study class that may have been put together in years past, to assist academy recruits. Could this so called study class may have compiled questions and possibly answers to these alleged questions....or could there have been some sort of item,,,,,Ohhh lets say maybe a study CD of the LD's or KD's (your preference depending on how old you are)........and just maybe this so called study class has been in operation for some time now, headed by an individual(s) who was or were employed by an agency that no longer exist......
Hmmmm.....

[SoCal.LE]

I am in another academy right now and I heard pretty much the same story last week week from a fellow classmate that has a friend in the current Rio Hondo suspended class. He said there was a CD going around that had the test questions and answers on it. It was widely known and finally someone blew the whistle. I can't verify the story, but I heard the same. Hopefully the honest students will move forward and graduate elsewhere. Good luck to them! I would be very upset if my class was suspended so close to graduation!

[Garbage Man]

something similar happened in my first academy. (Reserve academy at South Bay) Things had been going fine up until the final exam that was completely different than what we had been studying. We all gathered in the hall afterwards with the same WTF look on our faces. We all thought we had failed. Turned out I did fine. I later learned that an assistant to the instructors had a copy of the original test and offered it to those students he liked. He offered it to a buddy of mine who turned him in. They decided to pull a final exam out of the old archives and substitute it. My friend never told me about the switch until much later because he was told not to tell anyone. In the end it wasnt a big deal for me, but my point being there is nothing new under the sun.

[SCV-Sop]

My impression is that these "study guides" are often the product collaboration among students who took the test in prior classes. Students remember questions and write them down, adding to the work product each academy.

If that is what happened, then POST is largely at fault for reusing the tests, or reusing questions. I would not automatically blame the instructors.

Totally agree. I have three letters after my name, and earned it by taking a series of tests (among other things) over the course of several years.

Anyway, no test was the same from year to year. Each year the study material had some modifications, and the test was only made after the study material was given out. So it was impossible to get the test ahead of time because by time the test was completed in design the exam was around the corner.

In fact, past questions were given out as study material by the overseeing organization.

To take the exam one had to provide their driver's license and keep it on the table next to them so proctors could inspect it at any time to make sure it jived with the exam entry ticket. The only materials allowed into the exam were pencils and one of two approved calculators, a watch, and water bottle in a clear container. One's seating was also decided based on one's ticket number.

Talking to one another was strictly forbidden.

The exam was given worldwide on the same day, and efforts were made to make sure time zone differences could not be manipulated.

All exams with essay type answers are graded by the same group of scorers. No one person grades an entire exam. A team grades only one question, and they grade them ALL. So EVERYONE'S exam is graded the same.

POST exams are like taking a high school quiz while the teacher is out hitting on the cheerleading coach.

[Garbage Man]

If I were runing the academy I would have some "prior cadet" offer everyone the next test at some point in the academy. Fail the ones who take it. Knowledge can be taught, honesty is an attribute you either have or dont.

[SCV-Sop]

If I were runing the academy I would have some "prior cadet" offer everyone the next test at some point in the academy. Fail the ones who take it. Knowledge can be taught, honesty is an attribute you either have or dont.

EXACTLY!!!!!!! THAT'S what the "Ethics Scenario" sould be.

Instead they give some unrealistic thing where you KNOW you are being TESTED.

We were told we are going to have 4 scenario exams on that given day, and that Ethics was one of them.

So, knowing what the other topics are it’s quite easy to deduct WHICH one is the Ethics Scenario.

So KNOWING that one is in a situation where ETHICS is being TESTED how many do you think FAILED????? So here I have an unethical situation being presented to me and someone is standing next to me with a clipboard grading me. What do you think my actions and actions of my fellow classmates were?????

What a JOKE!!!!!!!!!!

Garbage Man is spot on. I mentioned the same idea in my academy about Ethics needing to be tested with a mole in the class and people being tempted, and I was told “that’s F’d up”.

It doesn’t even have to be that deceiving. Simply leave a decoy exam and answers lying around with video surveillance. See who takes it and what actions they do.

I think my academy instructors were always looking for this. They gave ample opportunity for us to slit our own throats. Our exams were almost never proctored. We were intimidated into lying to avoid petty punishments.

One guy got kicked out for lying about the reason why he didn’t clean is gun. He made up an excuse when the reality was he was just lazy.

So my impression was they gave an Ethics exam for the sake of complying with POST, but really tested us throughout the entire academy.

[SoCal.LE]

Was told yesterday at class that academies are now being looked at statewide (due to Rio Hondo) and that we may be contacted and questioned. Our instructor asked if any of us had copies of the CD's or had seen one. Serious situation! Nobody at my academy has seen the CD's - so they say!

I agree. I think that would be a great ethics test! Honesty is not something that can be taught!

[calicopper]

That ethics testing you speak of SCV is damn good idea. I have my academy coming up in a few weeks and just because of that post I am going to pay extra close attention to those little things.

[avalon42]

Deja vu but doesnt think bear striking similarities to the problem with Southwestern College's Police Academy (allowing numerous remediations until passing)? I'm sure there are a lot of recruits who put forward the effort, but it's narrowing the list down on approved extended academies in So Cal.

[DannyOCSD]

Calicopper, you with SD, or OC?