Advantages For Police Officers To Have College Experience/Education

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

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.

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.

First, there is lack of information and knowledge on the right police training philosophy, learning approach and training program objectives (CALEA, 2010). This lack of knowledge has immense negative effects on police training, especially because it affects not only senior commanders of police departments but also management, police trainers and other staffs. The other ingredient to police training that lacks is community understanding and support for police training programs (Mitrani, 2014). It is found out that the communities that are served by officers do little to support or appreciate post-academy training programs, which have numerous benefits to communities (CALEA, 2010). For instance, post-academy and field training for newly posted officers helps in the utilization of individual and department creativity, stakeholder collaboration, and effective problem-solving skills and techniques that would improve communal safety and

The police academy does prepare you physically and also provides theory that you may use. The academy is also where you learn proper handcuffing procedure, self defense etc. However, to have the academy without FTO or vice versa is ludicrous! When you bring the craft and the profession together then you have a great officer in the making. Most of us learn our skills and knowledge

Becoming a police officer takes a lot of heart and determination. To become a police officer you must obtain a high school diploma or GED, pass the law enforcement entrance exam, graduate from the police academy and work towards promotion. In order to graduate from the police academy recruits must undergo 21 weeks of intense training. At the police academy recruits will learn all the following: state laws, criminal investigations, patrol procedures, firearms training, traffic control, defense driving, self-defense, first aid and computer skills (“An Overview of Police Academy Training”). The final step before graduating from the police academy recruits will take the Oath of Honor. “On my honor, I will never betray my badge, my integrity, my character, or the public trust. I will always have the courage to hold myself and others accountable for our actions. I will always uphold the constitution, my community and the agency I serve” (“What Is The Law Enforcement Oath of

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

In some small towns, new officers get their training by working with an experienced officer. Inexperienced officers always are accompanied by veteran officers in order for them to learn. In bigger cities, police departments give classroom instructions in laws, accident investigation, city ordinances, and traffic control. Also they give instruction in the handling of firearms, methods of apprehension and arrest, self-defense tactics, and first-aid techniques. Even when you become an officer, you might still have to be trained in order to use new equipment as technology becomes more advanced.

Law enforcement officers are inducted into the police subculture early in their career. As early as the academy, law enforcement recruits begin learning about ethics, rank structure, ethos, and other values. During the academy, recruits are trained on specific tasks tailored to police work from 8 to 16 weeks. They are taught combative skills, marksmanship, defensive driving, and other techniques unique to law enforcement by the academy staff. The academy staff normally consists of seasoned officers that usually have military training or backgrounds. In most cases, recruits tend to emulate or try to identify with these officers.

     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

Police officers attend academy for a designated period of time. Every state is different some states require that classes to be taken at a community college, while other states require that training is taken at a local academy. While in the academy police officer are trained to protect and serve the citizens within the community. There are physical and educational courses that are taken to prepare officers to handle crimes that may happen at any given time. Some of the courses include: report writing, patrol procedures, investigations, traffic accident investigation, defensive tactics, use of force, nonlethal weapons, criminal and constitutional law and juvenile justice law/procedures. While in the academy training courses are offered to prepare academy students emotionally, physically, and mentally to handle themselves professionally on the scene of a crime. Training does not end with the academy, officers are required to complete continuing education hours yearly to stay current with training.

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.

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

Becoming a police officer is not just a choice one makes, but in actuality a life decision. Officers must make sure they follow morals as well as the code of ethics. No matter if you’re an officer that patrols the city streets night after night, or an officer patrolling school grounds or malls, you’re still important. Everyone feels a sense of comfort when they know they are safe.

Recruits graduate from the Academy approximately every six months and within those six months, rigorous training and scholarly classes go on to prepare these recruits for real world scenarios. There are different training methods for certain scenarios but the real question here is, how did the idea that police recruits needed training begin?