serve to discourage potential applicants. Furthermore, it was reported that because “… departments are struggling to get people many have lowered the standards just to fill positions” (Townes, 2015).
Aside from those difficulties, another challenge supporters of this issue face, is a difference of opinion regarding the courses or programs necessary to raise the educational standard for police officers. For instance, professor and chair at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Maria Haberfeld, feels that critical thinking and strong communication are “skills that can be learned” to help police officers do their jobs (Townes, 2015). She also believes that courses “specifically geared toward the police profession should be the standard” (2015). Mike Aamodt, author and Radford University professor, has agreed with the President’s Commission on Law Enforcement Administration (COLEA) and the National Advisory Commission on Criminal Justice Standards and Goals that the educational standards for police officers should be raised, and contends that other law-enforcement organizations have recommended that law-enforcement agencies revisit their educational standards. However in contrast to Haberfeld’s assessment, Aamodt asserts “a criminal justice degree is no more beneficial than degrees in other areas… and instead, research should emphasize why people with a college degree tend to be better officers” (Townes, 2015). In order to enforce a nationwide mandate that would require
Baro, A. L., & Burlingame, D. (1999). Law enforcement and higher education: is there an impasse?. Journal of Criminal Justice Education, 10(1), 57-73.
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
Concepts like crime prevention, authority, professionalism and discretion have evolved in modern law enforcement since the twentieth century. August Vollmer instituted university training as a tool for young officers in training and under Vollmer’s teachings; O.W. Wilson pioneered the use of advanced training for officers and is also known for the start of criminal justice as an academic field. Wilson was also instrumental in applying modern management and administrative techniques to policing. Vollmer’s drive for educational innovations and improvements has changed policing tremendously and is still practiced heavily upon in today’s modern law enforcement society.
Many people might argue that the lack of training in the police force is more harmful to the officers than the effect it has on society. Leslie Pfeiffer mentions in her article “” that the Federal government devotes a shocking amount of money toward training, yet local police agencies are often left to fend for themselves” (Pfeiffer). Whatsoever the federal government may be doing with the funds should undoubtedly be providing effective programs and necessities to ensure a complete and sufficient training process for officers. Often time’s people forget that although the officer is vulnerable to failure, error, and possible injury, in the event of a possible suspect or wrongfully accused person the lack of knowledge perceived by the officer can cause outcomes such as hostility, hatred, and death. Not only are officers fending for themselves but in
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
Ultimately this course provided me with new ideas on how to handle certain situations in several criminal justice occupations. This course relates very well to officer discretion, corruption and discrimination. In today’s society police officers are faced with problematic situation each day and although we cannot teach fight or flight in a classroom we can try to learn what not to do in a difficult situation. When observing the different controversial decisions that are being made, you learn that when police officers are faced with critical and life changing decisions officers do not have the convenience of time. The decisions are made while that person has adrenalin rushing through their bodies and time moving faster than any person can anticipate. This is the synopsis of ethical issues, the different controversial decisions that must be made as a police officer, judge or correctional officer. What is the correct decision being the topic for discussion? A discussion in which the professor allows all voices to be heard so that we all can learn from one another perspectives.
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.
Transparent accreditation also provides law enforcement agencies the opportunity to demonstrate that they can meet established professional standards. Professional certification strengthens the accountability of an organization, the performance of an individual, and it helps to define a verifiable previously agreed upon set of standards. Maintaining this type of compliance with professional certification most definitively helps to shape and mold individual performance. (CALEA, 2010). Therefore, by creating nationally recognized policing guidelines and nationally recognized policing policies, we can begin to establish the requirements for nationally recognized professional achievement and accreditation of our law enforcement officers. The public at large deserves the established professionalism guidelines nationwide and the law enforcement profession deserves the acknowledgement and recognition of their tremendous work and effort put forward on a daily basis by each and every
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
During the 1960’s, police officers executed arrests and dealt with problems in a way that greatly differ from law enforcement of today. This time frame involved racial riots, women rights, civil rights and important court cases. Mapp v. Ohio was concluded in 1961, and concluded that the fourth amendment applied to state courts and not just federal. Women achieved major milestones in the 1960’s, and Civil Rights were one of the biggest topics of the times. In the criminal justice field, a law enforcement official is expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner on and off duty.
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
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