Opportunities abound for prospective employees in the protective services. On the surface, it appears that few employers require a college education as a condition of employment at the state or local level. But the reality is that many employers use at least some college as a screening tool for prospective employees. Although the federal government requires a bachelor's degree for many of the investigative positions, some agencies consider a combination of education and experience, while other federal agencies require an associate degree. In this article, the authors discuss how the community college has become increasingly important in the protective service fields as a screening device and for the skills and knowledge taught. They stress that community colleges are best poised to provide future police officers, firefighters, corrections officers, and security personnel with critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The authors assert that the community college experience provides an academic segue into these professions.