Law Enforcement Education and Training in the 21st Century and its Relation to Police Professionalization
There is a great debate over the question of whether American law enforcement has achieved the status of a profession. In order to answer this question, there is a need to define what a profession is and identify the requisite attributes that qualifies an occupation to be identified as a profession. Criminal justice administrators have been actively pursuing professionalization for their chosen vocation while police researchers have been making recommendations which require increasing levels of higher education and an expanded college curricula for law enforcement service (Carter, Sapp, & Stephens, State of Police Education: Policy Direction for the 21st Century, 1989). However, it seems that part of the challenge of professionalization is the lack of general understanding of the concept. Professionalization occurs when an occupation ceases to be irregular in operation and transforms itself by "…the development of formal qualifications based upon education, apprenticeship, and examinations, the emergence of regulatory bodies with powers to admit and discipline members, and some degree of monopoly rights." (Bullock & Trombley, 1999, p. 689).
A substantive definition for profession has been elusive in the literature review; therefore, a profession can be constructively defined as a full-time, remunerated, services-oriented vocation governed by a code of ethics and based on
Differences and Similarities in Police Training and Policy in the United States and other Countries
A Need for Change: The Importance of Continued Training and Education for Modern Day Police Officers Michael- Criminal Justice Institute
A growing number of entry-level criminal justice practitioners have college degrees. This paper will explore whether or not law enforcement agencies should require applicants to have a post secondary degree as a condition of employment and will college-educated police officers will be resistant to organizational change.
There is a debate that is as controversial as police officers holding a degree and that is whether the law enforcement career is a profession or craft. Although, the classification of police work as a craft, trade, or a profession was the subject of intense controversy, there appeared to be little doubt that the trend toward professionalization was exerting a powerful impact on the field of law enforcement. Many officers argue that policing is a craft that you must have passion for and academies are irrelevant to learning police work. In order, to become a good officer one must gain experience and knowledge on the job. Then you have others who say that policing is a profession with education a central feature. They believe that one
The profession of policing derives its effectiveness from its ability to attract and employ quality individuals who will strive to better their community. Therefore proper recruitment and selection of officers is incredibly important to a police organization. Some major needs to Missouri’s recruitment process will be addressed in the following paragraphs.
I believe the military-style training positively effects the recruitment in law enforcement. When attempting to select a new recruit, it is difficult to gauge their flaws with only a few moments of contact prior to their hire. The academy provides an opportunity for the department to see what type of person they have hired and if they have the will power and self-discipline to do the job. I have seen it at my own department where a recruit was hired, sent to the academy, and then gone within the first day. Police departments across the nation could use a more military style approach in their training to instill the warrior mindset to persevere through bad situations in all new recruits (Stoughton, 2015).
One major advantage in having a college education is proficient in technology Law enforcement has changed dramatically in the last 30 years with the vast growing of technology. Adoption of new technology, computer skills are a basic requirement to function and communicate in a modern technical society. Understanding forensic science and how this evidence can strengthen a case, as well as the technical skills to understand ways to fight cybercrime, require educated detectives using a multi-disciplined approach. Modern police departments need highly educated people capable or leading change in an evolving technology-oriented society. With the trend of citizens with video cameras watching uniformed police officers perform their duties, research indicates that educated officers will act with more discretion, tolerance, and restraint when confronting resistance. By police officers continuing their education they make themselves a current
The field of police work is constantly being forced to develop and improve its protocols, procedures, and practices in an effort to keep pace with the ever-changing society in which it operates and criminal behavior it seeks to eradicate. While the history of policing has been marked by substantial changes throughout time, the work of modern-day police officers and officials demonstrate some of the most substantial adaptations to its surrounding environment that the field has ever seen. In order to understand where the future of policing is heading, it is important to first understand these current trends that are affecting the current landscape of the profession. By
The two most recent trends in Law Enforcement Training is the requirements of the training that the Officers must obtain. What we have found in many states, is that the mandated hours have risen, but the departments are not getting a rise in their budget to allocate receiving the training. The biggest factors that have made it more challenging is the City and County Governments approving the purchase of Virtual Academy. In many cases, what we run into is the Department is sold on our product and services, but the ultimate purchasing decision is not up to them. We do at times run into a roadblock with competitors, but our product is superior to theirs so typically it is not an issue.
I agree education is something that will be a necessity within law enforcement. The growth of technology has changed the playing field for law enforcement and the pass requirement for a police officer to just depend of their street smarts in not enough. The new era police officer is required to not only be street smart, but also book smart. That combination strengthens law enforcement position, especially with the expansion of technology.
Rachel, I agree with your comments about higher education in the police system. The textbook listed several possible ways that higher education could benefit officers, but after reading them I believe that by acquiring a higher education some of these things would be not just be possible but would be accurate. One of the points it talks about in the text that I think would help officers greatly in their field was the point that stated that it would teach “the history of the country, the democratic process, individual rights, and the values of a free society” (Samaha 167). It is important that police officers understand why their job was created in the first place. After they understand this, it is easier for them to carry out their jobs. Some
Police Agencies in modern society are a part of the American fabric to serve and protect the American public. The United States currently have more than 15,000 police agencies, (Walker & Katz, 2011). Police Departments across the United States face similar critical issues policing. All police officers face dangers in the job of policing the dangers can emanate from internal and external origins. Police officers have continued to evolve to serve communities by finding better less than lethal alternatives to weapons used. In addition, police departments have continued to keep up with
Law enforcement like much of the economy and society has had to adapt to the rapidly changing Atmosphere of the technological advances. To counter these advances, education has served in the forefront to combating the technological sophistication that is rapidly sweeping the workforce. The need and desire to remain competitive with the technology that we have is a need that can be satisfied with more education. Much like technology, education has benefits elsewhere in the equation of remaining competitive. Education on the higher tiered level provides a professionalism to accompany by the demands placed on students during their scholastic years of study. Activities required by many professors in the higher education
Training is a critical component of the professional Law Enforcement Officer, entering the profession is in fact entering into continuous mode of training. It’s a commitment and its time consuming, new officers out of the academy are just beginning their journey, and it takes 3-5 years of additional training and experience to become a proficient Law Enforcement
Study of ethics in police training has emerged as an issue of concern because issues concerning police corruption and brutality have emerged all over the world. Police are usually taken as individuals who control crimes. However, their role should be viewed as protecting the citizens out of goodwill from criminals or individuals who break the law. According to the responsibility associated with the police, the police should enforce the law. The police officers always receive instructions while training. One of the instructions given to a new police officer is that there exists no qualification more necessary to a police officer than having a perfect command of temper; he should not suffer being moved to any degree, by threats or language used,