Do Police Officers Need A College Education?

1 It is said that one of the most neglected areas of professional education is police work. et us talk a little !it a!out the histor" of education and its in#ol#ement in police work. $%he police education !andwagon !egan rolling in a!out 1& "ears ago' when Congress esta!lished the aw Enforcement Education Program. ( EEP)* (+herman 1,-,) %he aw Enforcement Education Program was designed and made to help create a !ond !etween the education programs and the law enforcement agencies. I !elie#e that this sprouted numerous ideas a!out a higher education re.uirement for police officers. Policemen and women should !e re.uired to ha#e a college education. A / "ear Associate0s Degree in#ol#es a completion of 1eneral Education courses. 1eneral Education courses e2pose "ou to a #ariet" of su!3ects "ou are not going to en3o". E#en though "ou ma" not en3o" the course' it is re.uired that "ou complete it an"wa". %here are going to !e man" times in the police force where "ou are going to ha#e to do things that put "ou in an uncomforta!le spot of situation. A / "ear degree will help "ou deal with those uncomforta!le and difficult times. %o complete "our 1eneral Education courses "ou ha#e to learn how to work hard' prioriti4e5 set attaina!le goals. %hese skills are in#alua!le in a career as a police officer. %his #aries on if "ou are working the streets or in the office !ut still appl" to !oth positions. %here are countless !enefits that come from working hard in the classroom. 6sing a / "ear degree as a pre7re.uisite to !ecoming a police officer will help cops immensel". %o name a few !enefits8 $9 knowledge of the fundamentals of fingerprinting' !allistics' handwriting identifications' microscopic e#idence' spectroscopic e#idence' and interrogation is imperati#e to the modern police man.* (:irich' ;oris 1,<=) Police officers with a / "ear degree will naturall" ha#e more respect for the law and law officers. A higher education will help the officer !e more aware of pu!lic relations as well.

Do Police Officers Need A College Education? / %he more a cop can learn a!out police work the !etter. If "ou want to achie#e greatness in police work "ou must first' plunge "ourself into "our studies and then' learn e#er"thing "ou possi!l" can a!out it. People who are the most successful in their particular careers are generall" the most knowledgea!le. It is a common argument that police officers need to !e paid !etter !efore people with a / "ear degree will ha#e an" interest in appl"ing. $>or too man" "ears we ha#e e2pected local law enforcement to recruit its manpower from the ranks of the un.ualified due not onl" to pu!lic disinterest and neglect' !ut also to a serious lack of communication !etween law enforcement and the citi4enr".* (:irich' ;oris 1,<=) %he police force tends to get the short end of the stick when it comes to applicants at times. Don0t get me wrong' there are some a!solutel" ama4ing police officers !ut' on a#erage there are more people who appl" !ecause it onl" re.uires a high school le#el of education. %he >?I has had a college degree as a re.uirement to appl" for "ears and the" ha#en0t seen a shortage of applicants. Although a higher salar" would !e a nice incenti#e' mone" is generall" not wh" people want to !e in the police force. ?eing a police officer re.uires "ou to ha#e e2ceptional people skills. Cops deal with people e#er" da" that ma" or ma" not like them. %hat is part of the 3o!. In earning a degree' there are man" group pro3ects that an indi#idual would complete where the" would ha#e to learn how to work with others' wither the" like them or not. %here are man" that sa" !eing a police officer re.uires a lot of hands on training and that it is onl" a#aila!le in the Police Academies we ha#e now. @es' !eing a police officer re.uires a lot of hands on e2perience !ut' learning these skills in a Police Academ" is not the !est wa". Potential police officers with degrees are more likel" to master those hands on tasks more .uickl" than a police officer who tries to learn through trial and error or e2perience on the 3o!.

Do Police Officers Need A College Education? A One of the first effecti#e Police Academies was !uilt in New @ork Cit". $New @ork Cit" has made great strides with its police academ". Not onl" are officers of that cit" !eing trained so that the" ma" ser#e the people !etter !ut the" are teaching others' and the methods of the Police Academ" are !eing copied !" other departments who ha#e sent their men to !e trained in New @ork.* (;ollmer 1,A1) Police Academies are great !ut' the program the police are put through is too short and has minimal demand when it comes to education. %o !e a good police officer it takes good communication skills and the a!ilit" to think fast on their feet. Does this mean police officers a!solutel" need a higher education to get a 3o!? :a"!e not' !ut it is highl" !eneficial. $A local officer must enforce the law on a split second' man" times' whereas the district attorne" or the 3udge ma" ha#e hours' weeks or e#en months to ponder o#er an e#entual decision in a gi#en matter.* (:irich' ;oris 1,<=) A police officer would ha#e a #er" tough time learning these #ital skills through e2perience on the 3o!. %hese are skills that "ou de#elop o#er time' !ut to learn completel" re.uires a classroom setting. Ba#ing a college education pla"s a huge part in whether a police officer is a#erage or e2ceptional. A college education teaches a person good work ha!its and good life skills like reading and writing. Police officers need to know how to write correct and clear !ecause the" write police reports almost e#er" da". Police write police reports to help the law"ers out if the case gets !rought to court. I0m sure it is #er" frustrating for the law"ers tr"ing to put a case together when the" ha#e to deal with uneducated officers who don0t know how to communicate effecti#el". Chen writing a report an officer has to know how to think criticall" and write effecti#el".

Do Police Officers Need A College Education? D I !elie#e that a college education should !e re.uired for someone to ser#e our pu!lic and keep our streets clean. A ma3or reason wh" "ou sometimes get !elow a#erage police officers is !ecause it onl" re.uires a high school diploma. I don0t know how high school was A&' D&' =& "ears ago !ut I know how the" work now. 1etting a high school diploma is not a hard task. If "ou are responsi!le and turn in "our work' "ou can graduate. I 3ust graduated last "ear from ?onne#ille Bigh in Ogden. %here is no wa" that I would !e read" to !ecome a police officer. >or man"' it is a great alternati#e !ecause it is a solid career path and "ou don0t need a degree. If police officers were re.uired to get a degree as a pre re.uisite' it would weed out a lot of mediocre cops !efore the" e#en applied. College stretches people to reach their highest potential. i#ing on m" own and going to college e#en for onl" one semester has taught me so

man" life lessons. %here are police officers in the force right now that ha#e !een there /& plus "ears and ha#e no high school education. Do the" get !"? @eah' the" pro!a!l" do !ut think a!out how much more successful the" could !e if the" had a / "ear degree to start with. Police officers with a degree almost alwa"s e2cel their wa" up the ranks faster than the officers who don0t. E#er" career path is re.uiring more from us as the "ears go on. Our world is e#ol#ing and changing' we ha#e to adapt with it or we will !e left in the dust. E#er" 3o! that is worthwhile and sta!le re.uires some t"pe of degree. It is time that all cit" and state police departments hop on the education !oat. Cithout an education in toda"0s world "ou simpl" can0t compete an"more. Ce must not stop our efforts to re.uire a / "ear degree to police officers. $>inall" in this matter of police and education' there remains a further education opportunit".* (Alderson 1,E&) %here will alwa"s !e opportunities for us to learn and grow in our indi#idual li#es as well as in our careers.

Do Police Officers Need A College Education? = ?i!liograph" Alderson' F. C. (1,E&). O2ford Ge#iew of Education. //-7/A&. +herman' . C. (1,-,). %he Hualit" of Police Education . <&. ;ollmer' A. (1,A171,=1). Fournal of Criminal aw and Criminolog". -7E. ;oris' F. F. (1,<=). %he Fournal of Criminal aw' Criminolog"' and Police +cience. =D=7=DE.

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