ERIC Number: EJ1382951
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023-Mar
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: EISSN-1941-3432
Should We Require the Police to Have a College Degree?
Tovar, Lynn A.
Research in Higher Education Journal, v43 Mar 2023
This paper probes whether a formal college education is linked to the quality of policing. Citizens desire a higher level of professionalism with ever-increasing demands placed on their police departments. Annual on-the-job training for police is common with proposed reform initiatives, however, the difference between police training and requiring a college degree is in debate. Other professions require higher education, however, those who work in policing often do not agree there should be a requirement of a higher education degree for employment. Can police obtain all the necessary skills from the police academy and in-house training? Or in the pursuit of professionalizing the profession should police agencies require college degrees? Further, would a college degree enhance the quality of interactions between the police and the community? This inquiry adds some pieces to the puzzle of examining the value of requiring a college education for police officers and the relationship of experimental learning in training police academies within a college curriculum. Over a three-year period, criminal justice students (N=75) enrolled in an online bachelor's program were asked "do you think police departments should require a bachelor's degree?" The respondents included traditional and non-traditional male and female adult learners many current law enforcement officers. The assumption was since they were currently enrolled in a criminal justice degree program, they would see the value in a degree and indicate a college degree should be mandated.
Descriptors: Police Community Relationship, Police Education, Training, Bachelors Degrees, Criminal Law, College Students, Experiential Learning, Professionalism, Student Attitudes, Online Courses, Police, Military Personnel, Adult Learning
Academic and Business Research Institute. 147 Medjool Trail, Ponte Vedra, FL 32081. Tel: 904-435-4330; e-mail: editorial.staff@aabri.com; Web site: http://www.aabri.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Adult Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A