RE: How far should it go?

You need a thick skin, fast legs, a loyal german shepherd, night vision goggles.

I think a degree does nothing but impress people.

RE: How far should it go?

There is only one problem that I can see with requiring a college degree. Most departments are already having a shortage of qualified applicants. If we require the degree, it shortens the pool even further UNLESS we also increase the salary enough to justify the cost of college.

I strongly recommend college to any police applicant and to officers already on the force. In addition to producing better officers (literacy is a big part of the job), it is a competitive edge over the other applicants who do not have it. And most departments are moving towards requiring some college to hire on and degrees to be supervisors.

RE: How far should it go?

One theory, as explained to me years ago, was that completion of a bachelor's degree equated to better discipline, organizational and writing skills, and rational thinking than someone without a degree.

I've been in law enforcement for 18 years and have worked for two agencies: the first did not require college, and the present one does. I've seen situations, especially in management, where having a degree might have made a difference in ability, and situations where managers with advanced degrees (i.e. MBA) ran and hid hoping a problem (s) would simply go away. I've worked with investigators who didn't have the diploma who were far better cops than I'd ever hope to be. I've seen college grads trying to write multi-page investigative report with no paragraph breaks and more errors than a first grader would make.

I would still recommend that anyone leaning toward a career in law enforcement, or anyone already on the job pursue higher education.  If I were sitting on a hiring board, my experience would cause me to give my nod to the guy or gal who had military combat arms military police experience (whether they had a degree or not), particularly as an officer or NCO. I say that because the one thing that law enforcement in general (and America in general) is sadly lacking is leadership.

Last edited @ 2/15/2008 7:31 AM

making a lot of sense

I appreciate the responses. I have to agree that for police management a degree should be required obtaining knowledge to be able to effectively understand how to lead (such as learning diverse issues or learning how to manage an organization). I agree that military experience would be preferential over a degree. The thing about law enforcement is the experience and the knowledge comes from being out in the field applying what you have learned in the academy. The entry level patrol officer isn't stuck at a desk job, but rather involved in an active job in keeping the mind and body busy (one of the reasons why I like the profession. I hate desk jobs) through hands on work.

I think to require entry level police officers to have a bachelor's degree when the information they need to know will be taught in the academy is just a waste of people's time. they will be reluctant to take a job where they have to go through much of basic police information (such as constitutional law, basic criminal investigation, etc.) all over again. Besides...who in the hell would want to rack up that kind of money in student loans and get a entry level police officer position that traditionally doesn't pay real good money? These folks with bachelor's degree's are going to want to go somewhere where they can get paid more with less worry about trying to defend their life and provide peace and safety for the public.

You need a different set of skills in law enforcement that doesn't come from studying books. It's hands on learning how to keep your ass from getting killed as well as hunting down the bad guy. Law enforcement is a form of hunting really.

Thanks for your folks' input Any more opinions and or arguments? I would like to continue to hear from fellow LEO's.

"Is your number still 911?" - Ofc. Rachel T.

RE: How far should it go?

I think I disagree on one point about officers learning everything they need to know, they get from their academy. I have seen local deputies not know anything about penal code sections, and I as a civilian working in security had to teach them. I have seen officers totally devoid of critical thinking skills. Thinking outside of the box is not taught in the academy, it is taught in college.

Police in general do not know they work in a "business" that is customer service oriented, you do not learn business management skills in the academy, you learn them in college. I think every law enforcement agency should require a college degree. In California, you are "rewarded" for having advanced education through POST. This reward is higher pay in step level. I also think agencies should be more proactive in setting up educational incentive plans for personnel.

College Degree

I currently have a BS in Criminal Justice and I am working on my Masters for post retirement purposes.  I will be blunt about this - in my 31 years as an officer to date, the degree has had minimal, if any impact on my law enforcement career!  I have worked side by side with  officers who had a high school education for the same pay.  I advanced well through the years.  I attained the rank of Captain with the Sheriff's Office where most of my career was spent, and I have been an instructor at our state academy since 1997.  Not because of any degree.  I credit it to work ethic, and going the extra mile to do the job right.  Early in my career, I would say it was more of a hindrance than a help.  There were times when I was perceived as a threat to the upward mobility of some, just because I had the degree. 

The only place I can say it has made a definite difference is with my second career as a National Guard Officer.  Without it, that would have not been possible.

Unless the agency has hiring requirement, pay differential, or recognizes it in some other way.  The money and time can be invested in other ways for a better return.  If you still want the degree, go for it, but be realistic.   Few people today stay in the same career field for a lifetime.  If I had it to do over, I would have obtained my degree in some other field.  You never know when additional options may be beneficial.

Your original question about it being a requirement - a lot of the smaller agencies have difficult time finding and keeping good qualified personnel because of pay scales and benefits.  My state is currently one of the lowest for pay and benefits to officers in the nation.  We have a lot of agencies that only pay their officers minimum wage.  Requiring a degree in those situations is not even realistic.

Last edited @ 1/1/2009 7:07 AM

thanks for the response

Thanks PM...

I am finding that most cops think the best officer is one that is out on the streets getting their education hands-on. Policing is a not a text book world.

"Is your number still 911?" - Ofc. Rachel T.