Grace Mayernik

Term Paper
CJ 1010
8/4/14














Should Police Officers Be Required To Obtain A College Degree?

The police officer is perhaps one of the most important government officials in
our society. They are bestowed with great responsibilities of protecting and maintaining
ones community. Our trust is given to those with a badge without hesitating, yet we know
nothing about their backgrounds. The question in matter is whether police officers should
be required a college degree. I do not believe they should, I think that the duties and skills
of a police officer are learned and improved from first hand experiences. Of course the
benefits of an advanced education are abundant. It puts you a step ahead of others in the
hiring process, expands your knowledge base and installs you with high levels of
responsibility but I do not think departments should make degree requirements higher.
This issue has been a debate for quite some time, be aware of the long history, the new
innovations of education and technology, and complications before making your
decision.

Education has always been important, it is required by the law. You started with
elementary school, maybe even preschool, then moved up to middle school, followed by
high school. That senior year of high school you are tackled with life changing decisions
of what youll do next and where you will go to college. Some kids jump into college
without having an actual goal or career in mind, while others take an alternative route and
skip that step. No matter what you choose I believe its a privilege to be able to learn
anywhere in life, with or with out college schooling. A lot of this learning comes from
first hand experiences. Police officers have an occupation where I think you can exceed
without a college degree. There are two ways to learn police ethics. One way is to learn
on the job, to make your moral decisions in haste under the time pressures of police work.
This is by far the most common method of learning police ethics, the way virtually all of
the half million police officers in the United States decide what ethical principles they
will follow in their work (Sherman 1982).

The issue of education in relation to the police is a long-standing one. The roots of
this issue date back to the 1960s. In 1967, the Presidents Commission on law
enforcement and administration of justice made it clear that they supported a 4 year
degree requirement for all law enforcement officers and suggested that it would become
more important for higher educational standards in order to keep up with complex
changes within law enforcement. Year after year following that national commissions
recommended that higher requirements be set for promotion, and that higher education
should be viewed as an occupational necessity. By comparison to the past, there has been
improvements. There has been steady growth in education levels over the past 20 years.
Although, the current education level requirement of a police officer is a high school
diploma. Police officer candidates are then required to take basic training before they
become working police officers.

Many departments have been restructuring the training strategies for the
academies. There has been a widely popular abandonment of the paramilitary structure of
academies and replaced with ones that more closely resemble an institute of higher
education. Because of this I believe college is an unnecessary requirement. Recruits are
no longer required to wear uniforms and the academies are beginning to be run by
civilian directors. One of the more important changes refocuses on the curriculum.
Formerly the emphasis being on physical training has now transcended to problem
solving, conflict resolution, diversity training, and acquiring organizational skills. In
addition to state requirements, recruits study problems such as sexual harassment, bias
and hate crimes, and violence against women. Course options range in conversational
Spanish and American Sign Language, among others. The conventional classroom setting
is a foreign concept. Instead, there is an open exchange of ideas and discussion of
information.

With expanding technology, police officers have had to learn to adapt to such
surroundings. Computers have become faster and more prevalent in the community and
in those living there. Processes done before by hand are now being computerized and
those without computer skills are left behind in any industry. Along with the good that
computers and technology brings, it carries with it new challenges for officers to deal
with. Crimes such as identity theft, cyber stalking, and online predators are just a few
problems that police officers have to learn to deal with. In stride with these technology
improvements, many colleges and academies have designed special online classes to help
future police officers fulfill their knowledge.

In a research study done about the relationship between a police officers
education level and job performance done by Richard Wiles presented that it would be
inappropriate to advise that a 4-year college degree is needed for entry-level police
officer positions. Wiles additionally added that there are several other things to take into
consideration. A college degree requirement would severely limit the pool of qualified
applicants. Many departments would have to raise salaries to compete with private
industry in attracting college graduates. In addition, although the type of college degree
showed no relationship in this study, it would be best to specify the type of college
classes that would assist the prospective police officer in his/her duties as a member of
the front line in the fight against crime in our society (Presidents Commission 1967).

A lot of characteristics that police officers portray on the job everyday are not
learned in college classes. I think it would be most appropriate to specialize police
academies and training in the reliable and useful skills that one will use as a police officer
but I still believe a college degree is not required. Lets not judge the fit of someone who
is offering to protect our community on their highest level of schooling but on their
overall acts of character and personalities. Being a police officer is a big responsibility
and entails a lot of tasks. I think the discussion should be on how we can ensure the
continuing improvement of police officers throughout their work instead of the argument
of requiring them to obtain degrees.







Bibliography

Sherman, Lawrence W. Ethics in Criminal Justice Education. Hastings-
on-Hudson, NY: Hastings Center, 1982. Print.

Wiles, Richard D. A Study of Relationships Between a Police Officer's Education
Level and Job Performance. Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas (LEMIT),
1994. Web.
Travis, Jeremy. "Education in Law Enforcement: Beyond the College Degree."
National Institute of Justice. N.p., 3 Dec. 2007. Web. 04 Aug. 2014.