Law Enforcement Positions

Albarano, R. F. (2015). College Education and Officer Performance: Do College Educated Police Officers Perform Better Than Those Without a College Education?. International Journal of Education and Social Science, 2(7), 41-48.

They have to score a 70% or better on a written test. Of course they have to be a United States Citizen. If applicants are between 18 to 20 years old they must have 60 hours of college. Applicants must have a high school diploma or equivalent. Applicants will need a valid driver’s license when they take the written exam. Applicants must have a clean background. If they had or have anything to do with drugs they are unsuitable for the job. If they were on the military they must have an honorable discharge. Applicants need to have good financial responsibility. Applicants cannot be a member of any organization that is working against the government. Applicants can’t have any discharge coming from law enforcement. Applicants can get disqualify by: failing to turn in documents on time, missing appointments, or failing to update changes within a pacific time. Applicants need to have a good history of employment. After applicants pass the written test, they have three more phases to go. Applicants must pass the physical fitness test that is needed for duties in law enforcement. Afterwards they must have a complete background check. A polygraph examination must be turned in by the applicants. Applicants also need to pass a psychological and medical test. Finally they will be interview by a group of police officers. All this is a process into the

First, there is lack of information and knowledge on the right police training philosophy, learning approach and training program objectives (CALEA, 2010). This lack of knowledge has immense negative effects on police training, especially because it affects not only senior commanders of police departments but also management, police trainers and other staffs. The other ingredient to police training that lacks is community understanding and support for police training programs (Mitrani, 2014). It is found out that the communities that are served by officers do little to support or appreciate post-academy training programs, which have numerous benefits to communities (CALEA, 2010). For instance, post-academy and field training for newly posted officers helps in the utilization of individual and department creativity, stakeholder collaboration, and effective problem-solving skills and techniques that would improve communal safety and

Having had the opportunity to see both sides of the argument play out in the City of Memphis and as a member of the Memphis Police Department. I have become an advocate for requiring entry-level police officers to have at the very minimum an associate degree or the equivalent college credits. The college requirement can only be avoided with military experience. However, my position is not that more education makes you a better police officer or less education makes you a lousy officer. I believe that there should be a “happy medium” when it comes to police work. A good officer will be empathic, fair and in tune with the needs of the community and its members. Requiring a level of education for your entry-level officers speaks volumes about your agency and their dedication to professionalism. The benefits of having a college educated officer have shown to make a difference in the way they do their jobs. An educated police officer is less likely to utilize force when interacting with his co-workers or civilians. A department with educated officers also has shown to see a reduction in misconduct and disciplinary issues(Gómez-Mejía et al., 2016). Some years back the Memphis Police Department had relaxed their

Many businesses require their upper-level leadership to have a degree. The police departments are now starting to change to that style of education hiring. The hiring process can be very complicated because the police department wants to ensure that they are hiring the right person that fits their department. Choosing the right applicant for the job is an important decision because of the cost of the equipment, uniforms, training, and probation period because this is an investment in the departments future (Dempsey, & Forst, 2016). Because the police departments are requiring their officers to have an associate’s or bachelor’s degree for an entry-level position will make the department more completive, but the department should still consider

Throughout the story a criminologist, David M. Kennedy talks how citizens who want to be a cop are hired without being taught psychology, anthropology, sociology and criminology and other classes that will prepare them for the job. This is true, I believe people who want to work in this profession should at least have some type of college education. In the text book “Police in America” written by Steven G. Brandl explains, police officers who have

In order to become a police officer, individuals have to be twenty-years of age, a United States citizen, have basic law enforcement training, mental evaluation, physical evaluation and no crimes committed. This article compares to the next article listed below because it provides background information and insight into how to become a police officer and the training they must acquire. The article helps me understand a basic component of my essay, which is the training police officers receive.

Minimum requirements are applicant must be age 21 by the date of appointments. High school diploma or GED while bachelors degree in criminal justice is preferred. Valid drivers license with at least one year driving experience and status as a U.S. Citizen or in a process of U.S, Naturalization.

Nevertheless, there is always the need for somewhat of education and experience. For instance, an applicant can have any of the following: have a bachelor's degree, with a grade point average of 2.95 or higher, special consideration will be given to candidates with degrees in Criminal Justice/Police Science or related disciplines; Finance, Accounting or Economics; Computer Science/Information Systems; Telecommunications/Electrical/Mechanical Engineering; Political Science, Psychology; Sociology; Chemistry; and a foreign language including Spanish, French, Russian, Hebrew, Arabic, Dialects of Nigerian, Chinese/Mandarin, or Japanese. A candidate should also possess specialized professional experience conducting independent narcotics investigations of alleged or suspected violations of the law; conducting surveillance and undercover activities or operations, and apprehending, arresting persons suspected of violations; and

They accept applications from both inexperienced and experienced applicants. To apply as an experienced applicant, one must have completed the Law Enforcement Officer Basic Course, or has a basic law enforcement certificate from any state and has been sworn a full time peace officer in the last 5 years. If I were to apply for the Patrolman job, I would first go to Montana State University and receive my degree in criminal justice and then I would take the courses to become an experienced applicant. This field has a positive percent job growth, and at 5-8%, there will be positions open in the

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.

When interviewed, the Chief of Police for Wise Police Department gave statistics that most large departments have only hoped to rival. With a force of 13 officers, consisting of 6 having college degrees, one officer being one class short of his Master’s Degree, and having one officer with a high school diploma only (T. Bates, Personal Communications, November 14,2011). The department is in many ways revered for the professional services that they provide to the citizens of Wise. The Wise Police Department is also the only

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

Lawyers and psychologists require even more schooling, a minimum of around eight years. Police officers end up being all of these things, and more. To obtain the real goal of law, and prevent crime, officers must have the trust and respect of the community they serve. "Instead, policing has been defined as uneducated people's work" (Fyfe, 262). Many citizens feel that the people protecting them are not as smart as they are. This leads to disrespect, and a sense of superiority within the community. With disrespect comes uncooperation, something any department would be worlds better without. If officers were required to obtain more basic schooling, and focus on social issues and psychology more during training, they would be better equipped to take up the position of law enforcement in any community. Besides the obvious benefit of being more adept at dealing with citizens, there would be added bonuses in police departments requiring more strenuous schooling. With four years of general education, officers would inherently become acquainted with a wide range of topics that they might not otherwise be exposed to with the minimal curriculum now required. Foreign language, art, and psychology classes would be especially useful in exposing up and comers to the varied environments they might encounter in their careers. Most importantly, people in the community would have a new respect for the

     Police officers need a good understanding of the law. Recruits need training in criminal law and civil law. Within the law training blocks, recruits would be introduced to criminal procedure and rules of evidence. Training must also include how to handle incidents with juveniles and the mentally ill and domestic violence situations.