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Diploma Program

Law Enforcement Foundations

Diploma

49 weeks

Qualified Instructors

This program can be offered at the campus(es) below. Please contact the campus of your choosing for program availability and delivery methods.

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Combined

Combined

Median Wage

$35 /hour

*Jobbank.gc.ca; 2024;

Make A Difference with the Law Enforcement Foundations Program

Enter the ever-changing world of law enforcement with the right training. The Law Enforcement Foundations diploma program provides practical, hands-on training in criminology, law, police authority, and ethics to give you a headstart in your future career serving the community.

  • SOCIOLOGY
  • PSYCHOLOGY
  • CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND MEDIATION
  • HUMAN BEHAVIOUR
  • PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
  • CRIMINOLOGY
  • REGULATORY ENFORCEMENT
  • INVESTIGATION TECHNIQUES
  • CORRECTIONAL SERVICES
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Approved & Designated 

This program is approved by the Private Training Institutions Branch (PTIB) of British Columbia. CDI College is designated by the Education Quality Assurance (EQA).

Program Intro Background

Program Courses

Student Success Strategies

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The purpose of this course is to provide students with the knowledge, skills and study techniques to help foster effective learning and a positive educational experience. This course explores two components of learning styles, Multiple Intelligence-based theory and Personality Spectrum – MBTI-based theory, and how learning styles and personality types affect learning. The course will cover the importance of values, their relationship to goals and goal setting. Strategies for setting personal goals, prioritizing tasks, managing time, and the stress that results from study or work situations will be explored and practiced through active participation in learner-centred activities. Effective study habits, techniques for preparing for tests and productive note taking strategies are key topics of this course that will provide the students with the necessary skills and attitudes to be successful in school. Having a sound understanding of financial, money, credit and debt matters and their implication on our lives is critical knowledge to have. Students taking this course will benefit from completing the Financial Management Workshops, which provides comprehensive coverage of financial and money management skills that will allow them to better save, budget, and manage their money and financial situations.

Introduction to Computers

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This course introduces the students to the basic elements of using a computer with an emphasis on the functionality of an operating system and tasks related to file management and word processing. Relying very heavily on a hands-on practical training approach, students learn by doing through skills based
simulations, training and assessments. The course provides an overview of Microsoft 365 where you will learn about the common features of the applications and file management fundamentals. The course then focuses on the core features of Microsoft Word where students learn proper document formatting, organization and editing using the tools and features of the ribbon. The course will then continue with more advanced topics such as working with tables, lists, objects, templates footnotes and endnotes and mail merges.

Sociology

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Knowledge of the workings and interaction of people in society will aid the student in understanding how people are influenced by their social environment. Time is also spent highlighting relevant social problems.

  • Introduction to Sociology
  • Culture
  • Socialization
  • The Social Base
  • Social Institutions
  • Crime and Deviance
  • Ethnic Relations

Psychology

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This course provides an introduction to psychology including learning, motivation, behaviour, development, factors affecting interpersonal relationships, and group dynamics.

  • Introduction to Psychology
  • Fundamental Roots of Behaviour
  • Experiencing the World
  • Learning and Thinking
  • Motivation and Emotion
  • Personality, Disorder and Well-Being
  • Social Behaviour and Psychology

Communications I

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This introduction to communications is designed to develop students’ English and communication skills so they can communicate accurately, persuasively, and credibly with individuals, groups, and multi-disciplinary teams.

  • Reading Skills - Related to Law and Regulatory Enforcement
  • Writing Skills - Related to Law and Regulatory Enforcement
  • Oral Communication - Related to Law and
    Regulatory Enforcement

Communications II

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This advanced communication course is designed to enhance the foundational skills developed in introduction to communications. These skills will focus on interpretation of written communication, factual documentation of events for reports that form part of permanent public records, advanced editing skills, and advanced verbal reports.

Ethics

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A practical approach to ethics will help students maintain professional conduct and integrity that must be paramount in their decision-making. Topics include making ethical decisions, laws of police ethics, and moral decision-making.

  • Introduction to Ethics
  • How to Make Ethical Decisions
  • Ethical Dilemma
  • The Laws of Police Ethics
  • Tools for Moral Decision Making

Wellness Management

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This course is designed to increase awareness of the lifestyle demands of the law and regulatory enforcement professions. The course also covers the extensive preparation requirements and screening processes used by agencies hiring in law and regulatory enforcement profession. The course covers topics in the physical requirements for the profession, demands of a 24-hour workplace, managing stress, identification of psychological impacts, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. This course includes fitness planning and training, lifestyle planning, and nutrition.

Contemporary Social Problems

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This subject will help students understand what is happening in Canada today; what the trends indicate; why these things are happening; how social policy is affecting areas such as poverty, child abuse, violence against women; and more.

  • Population, Human Geography, and Health
  • Women, Marriage, and the Family
  • Social Problems in the Workplace
  • Social Problems
  • Implications for the Future

Conflict Resolution and Mediation

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This subject will introduce the foundational concepts of conflict resolution and mediation. The course also introduces the foundations of incident debriefing. The demands of the law and regulatory enforcement constantly place professionals in contact with hostile and interpersonal contact during stressful situations. These foundational skills will provide students with tools to improve their ability to do their job by being able to improve interpersonal communication at critical times. Incident debriefing identifies the purpose and process for this tool.

Issues in Diversity and First Nations People

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By studying the ethnic composition and the history of race relations in Canada, concepts of culture, and sensitivity training, students will understand critical situations which may arise from racially motivated conflict. In order to better understand and deal with native issues, students will study a history of first nations people, laws, demographics, culture, and current issues.

  • The Sociological and Historical Background
  • Law and Regulatory Enforcement working with Minority Communities
  • Canadian Minority Community Profiles
  • Community Resources
  • Sensitivity Training
  • Legal Measures
  • Brief History of First Nations People
  • Demographics and Culture
  • First Nations People and the Law
  • Current Issues

Human Behaviour

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This course covers the foundations of human behaviour and the impact of deviant behaviour in the law and regulatory enforcement fields.

  • Psychosocial Behaviour
  • Addictions
  • Sociopath and Psychopath
  • Social Responses to Deviant Behaviour
  • Human Behaviour Trends in Youth

Canadian Government and Politics

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Students will gain knowledge of both the organization and management of the public sector as well as the structure, function, and powers of the federal, provincial, and municipal governments.

  • Introduction to Public Administration
  • Introduction to Government
  • Geographic and Historical Factors which Affect Government in Canada
  • The Federal Government
  • The Provincial Government
  • Municipal Government
  • Political Ideologies in Canada

Law and the Legal System

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This course covers the foundations of Canada's legal system, including the history of law, freedoms of Canadians, tort law, federal and provincial statutes, and provides an overview of family, contract, immigration, environmental, and native laws, and more.

  • Purpose and History of Law
  • Freedoms of Canadians
  • Canadian Court Structure
  • Introduction to Criminal Law and Criminal Offences
  • Civil Law
  • Negligence and Unintentional Torts
  • Intentional Torts
  • Overview of Family Law and Contract Law
  • Overview of Environmental Law, Native Law, and Immigration

Criminology and the Criminal Justice System

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Students will gain insight and understanding of both the criminal and the crime including motivation, theories of crime and criminality, psychological/social impact of crime and violence, crime analysis, and Canada's criminal justice system.

  • Introduction to Criminology
  • Crime and Criminality
  • Analysis of Crime in Canadian Society

Criminal Code and Federal Statutes

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This course provides an in-depth study of Canada’s criminal code and related federal statutes including interpretation through the perspective of a law enforcement officer.

  • Review of Sources of Criminal Law
  • Interpretation of Criminal Code Offences
  • Other Federal Acts – Interpretation
  • Application of the Code and Acts in Law Enforcement
  • Overview of Young Offenders in Canada
  • The Youth Criminal Justice Act

Professional Skills

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This course is designed to equip students with interpersonal skills identified by employers as essential for success in the professional world. Using a variety of instructional methods including case studies, group exercises, and discussion, students learn and practice key communication skills.

  • Customer Service
  • Team Building
  • Presentation Skills
  • Personal Marketing Skills

Introduction to Law Enforcement

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Beginning with an introduction to the history of policing in Canada, studies will also include police jurisdictions in Canada, police administration, how police agencies use their resources, and more.

  • Origins of Policing in Canada
  • The Context of Canadian Policing
  • Police Jurisdictions in Canada
  • Recruitment Practices of Police
  • Agencies in Canada
  • The Basics of Police Administration
  • Assignment to Duty
  • Funding for Law Enforcement and How Police Services Use the Funding

Regulatory Enforcement - Provincial

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This course explores the history, purpose, and range of provincial regulatory bodies including crown corporations that maintain an enforcement or investigation function. The course also reviews the jurisdiction and provincial acts that support the functions of regulatory provincial enforcement agencies. Enforcement agencies include fish and wildlife, transportation, motor vehicles, forestry, social services, air, land, water, liquor and tobacco, gaming, taxation, and municipalities. Provincial crown corporations include railway, insurance, and public utilities.

Regulatory Enforcement - Federal

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In this course, the student will be exposed to the purpose of Federal Regulations, enforcement, and compliance strategies as well as methods for obtaining compliance. Students will outline how Regulations are a form of law and how Acts that authorize the making of Regulations are called enabling Acts. The student will compare and contrast the enforcement of Regulations in its two forms: compliance and sanctioning/deterrence.

Investigation Techniques

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This course will build on the concepts and ideas taught in earlier foundation courses and will provide the student with the base skills required to be a successful investigator. Course content will include an examination of the following areas:

  • The Investigative Sequence, Principles and Initial Investigations by Patrol Officers
  • Crime Scene Protection and the Handling of Exhibits
  • Interviewing of Witnesses
  • Interrogation of Suspects and Accused
  • Rules of Evidence
  • Surveillance

Policing Authority/Search/Seizure/Arrest

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This course is designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills to carry out common law enforcement operations including powers of arrest, rules of evidence, seizure, process of interviewing (both those under investigation and witnesses), and documentation. This topic also covers provincial and federal legislation that govern law enforcement practices in these areas.

  • Review of Law and Regulatory Enforcement
  • Powers of Arrest
  • Investigation
  • Preserving Evidence/Forensic Science
  • Rules of Evidence

Correctional Services

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This course covers topics related to post-law enforcement or regulatory enforcement including federal and provincial correctional services, probation, parole, halfway houses, rehabilitation processes, and restorative justice.

  • Court Sentencing and Judgments
  • Rehabilitation Services
  • Federal and Provincial Corrections
  • Alternative Sentencing
  • Working with Addictions

Basic Standards Training

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Security professionals working in the province of British Columbia are required to complete mandatory training to being eligible for provincial licensing. You must be 19 years of age before you can apply for your Basic Security Training Licence.

  • Mandatory BST training must be a minimum 40 hours in length, and focuses on the following content:
  • Professionalism and ethics
  • Legal studies
  • Report writing
  • Personal safety

As an approved security training school, our college’s course meets the training standards for the security industry as outlined in the Security Services Act.

Practicum

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This practicum work experience is a mandatory diploma requirement and the host organization does not pay for the services of the student during the practicum.

Career & Employment Strategies

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In addition to learning career-oriented skills, students learn how to get a job in their chosen profession. Our Employment Services department will assist the graduate in resume writing, as well as preparing for job interviews. Our staff is sensitive to current job market trends and the needs of employers in each local market.
Our graduates receive guidance and training to use career tools that help job seekers build a better resume and cover letter, manage an online portfolio, hone interviewing skills, and develop a personal brand online.
Students will have the use of a computer lab which has unlimited Internet access, as well as job search resources. Facilitators will also be made available to advise on job finding resources, interview skills and techniques and to carry out mock interviews.

This course also looks at the planning, preparation, execution, and follow-up stages of an interview:

  • How people find jobs
  • Employer expectations
  • Presenting an enthusiastic attitude
  • Focusing on the right job and the hidden job market
  • Transferrable skills
  • Thank you letters
  • Effective telemarketing
  • Handling objections, self-confidence, and self-esteem
  • Individual counselling and coaching

Stay up-to-date with the industry’s latest leading software and tools

Admission

Benefits of this program

Employment Opportunities

  • Standard Admissions:
    • High school graduation or equivalent

 

  • Mature Admissions:
    • Passing CDI College admissions test

 

  • Work Experience Placement Requirements
    • Criminal record check (in accordance with the 
      Criminal Records Review Act). 
  • Approved by the registrar of the Private Training Institutions Branch (PTIB) of the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training
  • Career Services department provides assistance in finding jobs and building resumes
  • Tight-knit, supportive community with classmates, instructors, and support staff
  • Industry-required skills
  • Industry-experienced Instructors
  • Hybrid learning environment
  • Civil Enforcement (Bailiffs, Process Servers, etc.)
  • Armed Forces (Military Police and Intelligence)
  • By-Law Enforcement
  • Provincial Regulatory Bodies (Forestry, Social Services, etc.)
  • Private Investigation or Security Firms
  • Federal Regulatory Bodies (Canada Food Inspection Agency, etc.)
  • Public and Private Insurance Investigators
  • Federal Enforcement Agencies (CMP, Ports Canada Police, Customs Officers etc.)
  • Campus Enforcement Agencies
  • Corporate Loss Prevention Departments
  • Conservation Officers/Park Wardens
  • Armed Forces (Military Police and Intelligence)
  • Civil Enforcement (Bailiffs, process servers, etc.)
  • Public and Private Insurance Investigators
  • Standard Admissions:
    • High school graduation or equivalent

 

  • Mature Admissions:
    • Passing CDI College admissions test

 

  • Work Experience Placement Requirements
    • Criminal record check (in accordance with the 
      Criminal Records Review Act). 
  • Approved by the registrar of the Private Training Institutions Branch (PTIB) of the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training
  • Career Services department provides assistance in finding jobs and building resumes
  • Tight-knit, supportive community with classmates, instructors, and support staff
  • Industry-required skills
  • Industry-experienced Instructors
  • Hybrid learning environment
  • Civil Enforcement (Bailiffs, Process Servers, etc.)
  • Armed Forces (Military Police and Intelligence)
  • By-Law Enforcement
  • Provincial Regulatory Bodies (Forestry, Social Services, etc.)
  • Private Investigation or Security Firms
  • Federal Regulatory Bodies (Canada Food Inspection Agency, etc.)
  • Public and Private Insurance Investigators
  • Federal Enforcement Agencies (CMP, Ports Canada Police, Customs Officers etc.)
  • Campus Enforcement Agencies
  • Corporate Loss Prevention Departments
  • Conservation Officers/Park Wardens
  • Armed Forces (Military Police and Intelligence)
  • Civil Enforcement (Bailiffs, process servers, etc.)
  • Public and Private Insurance Investigators
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Industry Leading Employers

Our extensive network and reputation for excellence ensure that graduates are in high demand in today's competitive job market. Prepare to excel in sought-after roles with renowned companies and unlock limitless career opportunities. Elevate your career trajectory and secure your future with our program tailored to meet the demands of industry leaders.

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Hear From Our Graduates

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CDI College changed my life by helping me gain the necessary tools to advance my career opportunities and make a better living. It has been a long time since I have been in school, and the instructors here at CDI College really helped ease my transition.

Clem A.

Law Enforcement Foundations Graduate

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I am happy to have attended such a wonderful college where the administrative staff and teachers are doing a great job. Teachers in the program were very knowledgeable and know their craft.

Norbert N.

Legal Program Graduate

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