Proposed Law Would Require CA Police Recruits to be 25 or Hold 4-Year Degree

Anyone who wants to be a police officer in California would have to get a bachelor’s degree or turn 25 before starting their careers under a proposed new law.

Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer, D-Los Angeles, who planned to introduce the proposal Monday, said the change could help reduce the number of times police officers use force, the Sacramento Bee reports.

“These jobs are complex, they’re difficult, and we should not just hand them over to people who haven’t fully developed themselves,” said Jones-Sawyer, who is chairman of the Assembly Public Safety Committee.

Jones-Sawyer points to a 2010 study that found college-educated police officers in two cities were less likely to use force in encounters with suspects.

A broader review performed by the National Police Foundation, a nonprofit research organization based in Washington, D.C., also found college-educated officers use force less often and have fewer complaints against them than their non-college-educated peers.