Police Officer Motivation

In recent years, recruitment and retention of police officers has been a pain point for many departments across the nation. Odd and inflexible hours, uncompetitive pay, para-militaristic organizational structures, and a negative public perception have all worked to diminish the pool of applicants interested in careers in law enforcement. Add to the mix the sexist “brotherhood” police culture, emphasis on masculinity and aggression, and the nearly non-existent opportunities for advancement for women, and over half of the eligible workforce has been discouraged from even considering a career in law enforcement. In 2013, women comprised just over 57% of the labor force, but accounted for only 13% of sworn police officers (USDOL, 2013; Crooke, 2013). Not only are women sorely underrepresented in the field of law enforcement, but those who are employed experience discrimination at the hands of their supervisors and coworkers, and as a result, the attrition rate for women is often much higher than that of their male counterparts. Departments should pledge dedication to recruiting and retaining more female officers, as research indicates that not only do females perform just as well as males in patrol positions, but they also have a unique set of advantages to offer agencies when employed in law enforcement. In order to improve the recruitment and retention of females into policing roles, departments must determine the biggest deterrents for women who are considering the pursuit

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

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

My passion for education has taken me far, but I want to continue learning after high school. A degree will not only increase job opportunities, as a college education can also improve your interpersonal skills and will allow you to network with a wide range of students, professors, and alumni. College is not solely important to me because of the statistics that prove how much more job security college graduates will have and how much more they will earn, as gaining a better understanding of important subjects taught in colleges is critical. College is important to

Every society needs a form of protection to help it grow and become the society it wants to be. One of the essential conditions for any society is the safety of a community. If it were not for the armed forces known as police men the law might be ignored. As a person goes to college they get to dive into the rich history of a police officer, they are also helping society while they are getting good benefits, there are also a few cons that come to being a police officer, and they get skills that you can use in everyday life and after they retire.

What is education? Education is the process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, especially at a school or university. There are some people who think that more education for police officers is not necessary. The current educational requirement to be a police officer is having a high school diploma. However, some may argue that police officers should be required to have more education. I agree that more education is necessary for police officers. Police Officers should have an adequate level of education, such as a Bachelor Arts or Bachelor of Science. There should be  a requirement for all law enforcement officers,  be educated in the three major critical fields of knowledge in college, sociology, psychology, and criminology.

Attending college and obtaining a college degree are very beneficial because it allows you to acquire a superior job and gain knowledge. With a college degree, you receive the training, understanding, and skills required to perform well in your chosen career. A college degree, also, looks pleasing to respective employers and makes them more willing to employ you over others.

Why Police Officers Should Attend College For the most part, people really don’t take into affect the little amount of training a police officer has for such an important role on our society. The reason for this is that most people are under the impression that police officers are smart, law-abiding citizens. For some people however, getting into contact with police may be a very huge deal.

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

Police hiring agencies have certain higher (postsecondary education) requirements that are essential for potential candidates that want to work there. There are some fundamental differences when it comes to arrest and search and seizures when they are conducted with and without warrants. Packard’s crime-control model and the due process model differ in the matter of police ethics. Police supervisors may be held criminally liable for their officers’ misconduct during Police hiring agencies have certain higher (postsecondary education) requirements that are essential for potential candidates that want to work there in addition to completing a training program.

I understand your point on why you feel law enforcement should not be required to have a four year degree, but given the growth of technology and the new form of criminals, law enforcement should be required to have a further education than high school diploma. A two year degree may be substantial, but most police department is transitioning to requiring their future potential officer to have a four year degree. An educated officer has been proven to be better adapted to handling the stress of the job. The new era police officer has to be articulate and display intelligent when required, rather than

I have chosen the career of Local Law enforcement. To join this career there are many requirements. For example, there are specific educational requirements, the bare minimum for education to be a local police officer is a high school diploma or GED. Furthermore, most Law enforcement careers require a bachelor’s degree or a certain number of college credits. Although taking classes in college that have a focus in criminal justice and receiving a degree towards that focus can increase your pay and ability to get a job in local enforcement, as well as setting you apart and increasing your chances of receiving different promotions and jobs. Aside from the educational requirements to be a Law enforcement officer there are various other standard

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

I want to go to college so I can learn and be prepared for the real world. College is a place where I can get a fresh start. I can be a better person by how I matured in high school and becoming the man I am. I can break out and be who I want to be because of some peer pressure I had in high school. I want to meet people that will be my friends for a long time. My Mom had a college friend over this weekend and they shared some stories with me and I want to be able to tell my kids stories with my best friend. College education will give me the opportunity to pursue and learn something that I love. College gives me the chance to have my own responsibilities. I want to show my parents that they raised a smart