Genecia Tyler

CJ-1010-F16-Cupello
Term Paper/ Eportfolio
Nov. 2016
Do police officers need a college education?
Does education produce a better work performance? What are the benefits of education?
Would education effect how a police officer works? These are all current questions that I am
going to evaluate and discuss in my paper today. With this subject, my opinion on the matter is
that everyone should have some sort of formal education. Education, in a sense, leads towards a
more promising future. Education helps society progress by enabling citizens to improve their
knowledge and skills. Every career field needs to acquire knowledge to help prepare for the
evolving society. To become a police officer, one must obtain a high school diploma or
equivalent. Some task forces require a post-secondary education. To become a police officer, one
must take part and complete the required training. These training programs consist of intense
physical and mental training. Education, like money, holds the power in our current society.
Whoever has a better income and higher education seem to be the ones who run our everyday
lives.
The expenses that come with college are the main reason as to why it a lot of people
dont attend college. To attend a public an in-state public university, it would cost an average of
$15,000 for all the expenses (according to CNN money). This is a cost that many lower and
middle class citizens cant afford. The salary of a police officer depends on his/her rank. Their
salary must not only support their life and everyday expenses, but now also school expenses.

The annual pay for a police officer in 2015 was $60, 270 (according to the Bureau of Labor
Statistics). Some community and four year colleges offer financial assistance to officers who
pursue a degree in law enforcement and criminal justice. Most fields of work want to encourage
their employees to further their education after high school. The police department is no
different. They want their applicants to be prepared to face any obstacles physically and
mentally.
I believe that a person who lacks in education, can still achieve high expectations. I
believe that education would just improve a persons capability to statistically think about
something. A higher education would not necessarily mean that the person would have a stronger
work ethic. The person would just have a broader knowledge about a certain topic. Take the
police force for instance. An education would potentially put an officer above another when it
comes to their comprehension, but when it comes to manual work, the playing field could be
equally matched. The amount of effort put in all depends on the person. No matter what level of
education a person achieves, the characteristics that make up that person is ultimately going to
result in their posterity.
Having a higher education is assumed to improve problem-solving skills and provide
police with a wider range of solutions outside legal sanctions. Under the models of policing, a
higher education, (alongside training), is assumed to improve actual skills involved in the daily
activities of policing such as communication with the public, subduing potentially dangerous
situations, and skills necessary to effectively solve crimes or prevent them from happening. The
question that pegs every work field is, would a college-educated individual be able to outperform
an individual without any formal education? Taking the task force as an example, the argument is
that an officer that has a higher education would out preform an officer with lower education in

fields such as comprehension of social and civil rights, society and political perspective, and
basic legal issues.
A proper four-year college program in any discipline requires obstinacy, critical thinking,
advanced literacy skills and a clear perspective for the subject matter. Law enforcement falls into
this category because it requires those to use critical thinking skills on a regular basis. Police
officers must be solid in their commitment to themselves, their department, and their community
to forcefully enforce the law and conduct investigations. These actions require intelligence,
common sense, and diligence, all which one cannot be born with but rather earned through
experience and applied learning. I believe any level of education would be exceptional for Law
Enforcement. General requirements for Law Enforcement include a high school diploma, with
some areas requiring more, but I deem that all police officers should continue their education to
further their skills and traits. Any degree would be valuable for the individual. It makes the
person more desirable and aids to their behavior and performance. It also improves ones critical
thinking skills and situational sensitivity.
Education empowers an individual to think, question, and see beyond the obvious. It
enhances one's knowledge, gives one a broader view of the world and how things work. For Law
Enforcement, it provides a sharpened outlook for social and civil rights. Does a persons position
or role matter when it comes to education? No, it does not matter what position you hold to
further your education. Its never too late to continue school or training. I have witnessed people
3x my age perusing a degree. Education helps one feel more confident with themselves and
career choice. It doesnt matter what age or position you hold, if you have a desire to learn more,
than an education is fulling.

Joining the workforce is becoming a task many citizens, including police officers, are
failing to achieve because they are undereducated. Having a degree under your name gives you
an upper edge due to the fact that the idea of an educated individual is appealing to profiteers.
Advancing through life, one must bring the necessary requirements for life. The trick is that these
requirements change with every new generation and adapt to this evolving society. With our
current social and work society, it seems that one of the necessities is having an education.
Promotions and pay increases tend to be less complicated for those who have received a higher
level of education. With the task force, pay rates and salaries correspond with a local jurisdiction.
Since their pay wages go through a strict jurisdiction, there tends to be an altering scale of rates
and how they are dispersed. Many of these task agencies offer unique benefits, such as early
retirement and allowances that help the individual provide for uniforms and other needs.
So, do police officers need a college education? My findings conclude that police officers
would likely benefit more from a college education. Any sort of formal education would never
withdraw from a persons life. With the task force, an education has proven to be a substantial
help. On numerous accounts, education has brought multiple benefits (such has a higher pay
increase and a fast-track to a higher promotion). With this topic comes many variables. A
major conjecture is the thought of how much effort an individual is willing to put in. An
education could be wasted if the person that holds it is not willing to take advantage of it. To
summarize my statement, I am going to conclude with the thought of a how education is always
going to be a positive aspect in our society, whether you obtain it or not. Everyone has the brain
capacity to further their education, but it all depends on their willingness to strive and go after it.

References
Haberfeld, M. R., Curtis A. Clarke, and Dale Sheehan. Police Organization and Training:
Innovations in Research and Practice. New York: Springer, 2012. Print.
Police OfficersCareer Q&A: Professional Advice and Insight, Films Media Group, 2016,
fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=102595&xtid=113308.
"Summary." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 17 Dec. 2015.
Web. 27 Nov. 2016. <http://www.bls.gov/ooh/Protective-Service/Police-and-detectives.htm#tab5>.
Paterson, C. (2011). Adding value? A review of the international literature on the role of higher
education in police training and education. Police Practice & Research, 12(4), 286-297.
doi:10.1080/15614263.2011.563969