Benefits Of A College Education As A Police Officer

Albarano, R. F. (2015). College Education and Officer Performance: Do College Educated Police Officers Perform Better Than Those Without a College Education?. International Journal of Education and Social Science, 2(7), 41-48.

CALEA (yr) reviews procedures and policies of agencies and has a specific Law Enforcement Accreditation Program to enhance law enforcement as a profession to internationally accepted standards of other law enforcement agencies.Almost as far as a century ago, The Wickersham Commission and the President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice indicated the need of higher educational training within the officer selection process (Rydberg & Taylor, 2010). Within a variety of different police officer ranks and positions; research conducted by Rydberg & Taylor (2010) confirmed that possessing a college degree influenced officers’: use of discretion, force, the inclination to arrest while on daily duty, and lastly a reduction of authoritarian characteristics. For the very same reason, Gustafson & McClellan (2012) also agree and add that officer education: lowered numbers of citizen complaints, provided higher levels of critical thinking skills, and empathically embraced diversity more; as part of the respect to provide to the community as public servants. Furthermore they believed the perceived professionalism of officers would be elevated, impressing upon surrounding communities as a superior, efficiently retained increase in standards; enabling additional benefits to: officers, social discourse, and the law enforcement industry as a whole (Gustafson & McClellan, 2012). Also, with the bureaucratic system of operations within law enforcement, police officers start at the very bottom of the hierarchical chain are able to work their way up to higher positions in ranks through promotions; higher education of individual officers’ aids in receiving promotions

Having had the opportunity to see both sides of the argument play out in the City of Memphis and as a member of the Memphis Police Department. I have become an advocate for requiring entry-level police officers to have at the very minimum an associate degree or the equivalent college credits. The college requirement can only be avoided with military experience. However, my position is not that more education makes you a better police officer or less education makes you a lousy officer. I believe that there should be a “happy medium” when it comes to police work. A good officer will be empathic, fair and in tune with the needs of the community and its members. Requiring a level of education for your entry-level officers speaks volumes about your agency and their dedication to professionalism. The benefits of having a college educated officer have shown to make a difference in the way they do their jobs. An educated police officer is less likely to utilize force when interacting with his co-workers or civilians. A department with educated officers also has shown to see a reduction in misconduct and disciplinary issues(Gómez-Mejía et al., 2016). Some years back the Memphis Police Department had relaxed their

Many businesses require their upper-level leadership to have a degree. The police departments are now starting to change to that style of education hiring. The hiring process can be very complicated because the police department wants to ensure that they are hiring the right person that fits their department. Choosing the right applicant for the job is an important decision because of the cost of the equipment, uniforms, training, and probation period because this is an investment in the departments future (Dempsey, & Forst, 2016). Because the police departments are requiring their officers to have an associate’s or bachelor’s degree for an entry-level position will make the department more completive, but the department should still consider

Throughout the story a criminologist, David M. Kennedy talks how citizens who want to be a cop are hired without being taught psychology, anthropology, sociology and criminology and other classes that will prepare them for the job. This is true, I believe people who want to work in this profession should at least have some type of college education. In the text book “Police in America” written by Steven G. Brandl explains, police officers who have

A Need for Change: The Importance of Continued Training and Education for Modern Day Police Officers Michael- Criminal Justice Institute

Every society needs a form of protection to help it grow and become the society it wants to be. One of the essential conditions for any society is the safety of a community. If it were not for the armed forces known as police men the law might be ignored. As a person goes to college they get to dive into the rich history of a police officer, they are also helping society while they are getting good benefits, there are also a few cons that come to being a police officer, and they get skills that you can use in everyday life and after they retire.

If you currently are or will be considering becoming a law enforcement officer you will hopefully find the following information useful. I will be conveying to you not only the importance of professional appearance and means you can use to be more efficient at presenting such an appearance. While representing a state, city or county a less than professional image as an officer is not acceptable. As a public servant an officer’s appearance is the public’s first impression of who you are and what you represent or stand for. Not caring about your own appearance as a professional may lead some to assume you do not care about your job. We will discuss the reasons an officer should take extra pride in their appearance as well as steps to take that will assist in achieving a more professional appearance. Hopefully you will consider the advice given to you and make yourself a more professional looking officer or officer to be.

Due to the popularity of higher education in the workforce, a plausible assumption and hypothesis is that higher education has a positive impact on police performance. Krimmel (1996) claimed that college educated police officers promote creativity or innovation when faced with ambiguous situations. In addition, college educated officers may present themselves as

A growing number of entry-level criminal justice practitioners have college degrees. This paper will explore whether or not law enforcement agencies should require applicants to have a post secondary degree as a condition of employment and will college-educated police officers will be resistant to organizational change.

Law enforcement like much of the economy and society has had to adapt to the rapidly changing Atmosphere of the technological advances. To counter these advances, education has served in the forefront to combating the technological sophistication that is rapidly sweeping the workforce. The need and desire to remain competitive with the technology that we have is a need that can be satisfied with more education. Much like technology, education has benefits elsewhere in the equation of remaining competitive. Education on the higher tiered level provides a professionalism to accompany by the demands placed on students during their scholastic years of study. Activities required by many professors in the higher education

There is a debate that is as controversial as police officers holding a degree and that is whether the law enforcement career is a profession or craft. Although, the classification of police work as a craft, trade, or a profession was the subject of intense controversy, there appeared to be little doubt that the trend toward professionalization was exerting a powerful impact on the field of law enforcement. Many officers argue that policing is a craft that you must have passion for and academies are irrelevant to learning police work. In order, to become a good officer one must gain experience and knowledge on the job. Then you have others who say that policing is a profession with education a central feature. They believe that one

Lawyers and psychologists require even more schooling, a minimum of around eight years. Police officers end up being all of these things, and more. To obtain the real goal of law, and prevent crime, officers must have the trust and respect of the community they serve. "Instead, policing has been defined as uneducated people's work" (Fyfe, 262). Many citizens feel that the people protecting them are not as smart as they are. This leads to disrespect, and a sense of superiority within the community. With disrespect comes uncooperation, something any department would be worlds better without. If officers were required to obtain more basic schooling, and focus on social issues and psychology more during training, they would be better equipped to take up the position of law enforcement in any community. Besides the obvious benefit of being more adept at dealing with citizens, there would be added bonuses in police departments requiring more strenuous schooling. With four years of general education, officers would inherently become acquainted with a wide range of topics that they might not otherwise be exposed to with the minimal curriculum now required. Foreign language, art, and psychology classes would be especially useful in exposing up and comers to the varied environments they might encounter in their careers. Most importantly, people in the community would have a new respect for the

     The curriculum that is devised for a police officer is very important to the police officer and his or her success in their chosen career path. An officer’s training is also very important to the community in which they serve and the department in which they work. An officer must receive training in a variety of fields to help them be a well-rounded police officer. Officers receive training in such areas as: law, community relations, firearms, vehicle driving, search and seizure, and cultural awareness. The basic curriculum that is offered to a new recruit is focused on giving the recruit the best overall training that will give him or her the tools necessary to become the

In Unit 2 we discussed the pros and cons of officers having a degree in higher education. This along with time on the force, conduct, and productivity should be the basis for initial pay, raises, and incentive. (Dempsey & Forst, 2016). As with many other jobs benefits are part of working for a company regardless of education. With my job our benefits come with full-time employment and after the employee has been with the company for 6 months. That way, time, effort, and company money won't be waisted, on employees who don't plan on staying. Although most companies who require individuals with college degrees and specific qualifications for hire usually don't hire employees with the minimum amount of qualifications. They are more sought out