Nick Denny Professor Butler Intro to Criminal Justice November 26, 2013 Semester Paper In todays world, the

college degree is becoming more and more important with each passing day. Many have even gone to say that a 4 year degree is becoming the new high school diploma. In many senses I believe that is true. The competition is incredible in the work force. Each person is trying to look that much better than the competitor to ensure that they are the best fit for the job. What about in law enforcement? Should police officers be required to have a college degree? I mean, since many police officers argue that they learn their skills on the job, not in a classroom (Gaines). If they learn all their skills out while on duty then why go through the time and money spent on a college education when you could just jump right in to the action and learn on the run? I believe that within law enforcement there should be a requirement of some college completed, if not a full college degree. With that being said, I also believe that if this requirement is put into place that the quality of applicants will rise and the agencies can be more confident in whomever they choose to hire will give them their very best effort to defending and protecting justice in the community. One of the most basic reasons why I believe there should be a requirement of having completed at least some college to be able to get into law enforcement is because it shows that the applicant has dedication to a specific cause. I think that in the present day, some people are

just looking for a quick career path that can get them a reasonable amount of money with as little education as possible. That is just lazy to me. If law enforcement requires at least some educational experience, it will show to the department that the applicant can commit himself/herself to a cause and to see it all the way to the end. Obviously there are exceptions to the theory as some people are forced to drop out and find a job to provide for family and other reasons but for the most part, I believe that when a student puts 4 years into an education and a profession, that they will take things more seriously. They will not do anything drastic that could put themselves or the department in danger. In an article written by Dr. G. W. Lynch, thenPresident of John Jay College of Criminal Justice in the year 1996, he states that of the police officers arrested for corrupt acts over the last four years, 86 percent of them would not have even been hired in the first place under these new standards [of educational requirements] (NY Post). As stated earlier, with a rule put in place to heighten the educational requirements, police departments can possibly avoid such dangers of corruption and bad publicity just by requiring some college experience. In defense of the opposing side of this argument, even with some college experience there is always a risk of a police department becoming jeopardized because of corruption but according to the quote earlier, 86 percent of those corrupt officers would not have even been hired in the beginning. That percentage would drop drastically with the new educational rules in place. Another argument that takes place when debating about this topic is that the stuff learned in a classroom does not apply to what you are doing in the streets. In a way I agree with that statement. Most of police work is picked up while on the job, out in the streets, and putting into action everything that you learned in the academy. On the other hand though, police officers need to be completely aware of all sides to a story. When some college education is present, the

police officer begins to understand the civilian better. They begin to understand where the normal civilian is coming from as well as it opens up the police officer to fresh new ideas. According to Dr. Lynch, University-based training provides a fresh instructional approach by those who are less subjective but who are knowledgeable in the wide range of disciplines and skills related to policing (NY Post). When a person receives a college education, as stated in the previous quote, the student receives a broad range of perspectives. They learn how to interact with a superior and to follow directions in order to achieve success. Also when a student progresses and reaches the higher level courses, the course content is more specific to the field of work that student happens to be entering into. The student is then opened up to the different methods of policing and different styles so that when they are thrown into the streets with their FTOs, they will have a little bit of a grasp as to what is going on rather than just going in blind. To go along with my last point, when a student is learning at a college level, the student picks up on many different viewpoints and learns to adapt to his or her surroundings. When talking about the criminal justice field, the student learns to study out all the different sides to an issue so that they can understand better who it is that they are fighting against and to understand how to beat them. In that same letter written by Dr. Lynch, he states that This gives officers exposure to humanities, social sciences, modern technologies, ethical issues and the knowledge of the multi-dimensional aspects of crime and its impact on society (NY Post). Accordingly, if a police officer knows and understands the effects of crime on society, this will strengthen the desire to fight crime and to protect society as a whole. It will spark in them the burning, or passion to be the very best that they can be in order to perform their duties in a rightful manner. It will also help the police officer be able to think outside of the box and to be creative in fighting crime. When a officer is well educated and has a diverse background of studies, they will know

and understand better the way a criminal thinks and acts and therefore be able to be one step ahead of them. When one goes through college and other educational processes, one works with community organizations and other agencies of that nature. This could also help with police work down the road. I have always been a firm believer that you should never burn a bridge with anyone. Meaning that you never know when that person could come back and help you. This also applies to police work. To quote Dr. Lynch again, he states that practical internships with community groups and social service agencies could help foster mutual cooperation and respect between the future officers and the community they will serve (NY Post). With this being said, the future officer starts building professional relationships with community organizations and social service agencies that can help the future officer perform his duties of defending the community. With those bonds in place, the police officer will have more of a desire to perform his duty to the best of his ability and the community will be more comfortable with the police and have more confidence in their community police force. When respect is present between the two parties, that is when the most success is achieved when fighting crime. Both sides are willing to work together to achieve the goal. In conclusion, having an educational requirement to be able to even apply for a position in the police department will greatly impact society. Even though most of the learning is done in the streets with law enforcement, the more educated a police officer is in the classroom the more positive effects that can have on the community. Society will have a greater respect for police officers, the police officers themselves will know how to fight crime more effectively and they will know how to work with community leaders. When one looks at the huge responsibility a police officer has, many will wonder if we can prepare them sufficiently before sending them out

into the field. Dr. Lynch says, we have enormous expectations of our police officers, but we don't invest enough in preparing them for their enormous tasks. Police officers need not only physical courage but sound judgment, good reasoning ability, knowledge of the law and maturity. A college degree can help provide these qualities (NY Post). One can never have enough education. Life in general is all about the pursuit of more knowledge. There are only positive effects to raising the bar a little bit higher when it comes to applicants to fight crime.

Bibliography Gaines, Larry K., and Roger L. Miller. Criminal Justice In Action. 6th ed. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print. Lynch, G. W., Dr. "Police Officers Need College Training." NY Post 14 Feb. 1996: n. pag. Web.