Preview

The Value of Higher Education for Police Officers

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1391 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Value of Higher Education for Police Officers
The debate on the value of higher education for police officers continues to be one of the most persistent and pervasive issues in policing. Although there are several different interpretations of what constitutes a professional police officer there appears to be a consensus about the need for professionalism in policing. Researchers have attempted to measure performance through such variables as officer attitude, discretion, ethics, cynicism, decision-making, and use of deadly force. Despite the different measures of performance used, several studies have reported a positive relationship between educations and "job performance" found that college-educated officers consistently received higher performance ratings from supervisors. College education police officers have a positive effect on academy performance and career advancement and have a positive relationship between educational levels and officer promotions.
College-educated officers tend to have better peer relationships than non-college-educated officers do are likelier to take a leadership role in the organization, and college-educated officers tend to be more flexible, be less dogmatic and less authoritarian. College-educated officers take fewer leave days, receive fewer injuries, have less injury time, have lower rates of absenteeism, use fewer sick days, and are involved in fewer traffic accidents than non-college-educated. These benefits are all important in citizen-officer interaction ability to communicate, to be responsive to others, and to exercise benevolent leadership, ability to analyze situations, to exercise discretion independently, and to make judicious decisions.
Strong moral character, which reflects a sense of conscience and the qualities of honesty, reliability, and tolerance, a positive relationship between higher education and fewer citizen complaints, fewer disciplinary actions against officers, and fewer allegations of excessive force.
Citizen complaints and departmental



Cited: Bibliographies Blumberg & Niederhoffer, The Ambivalent force: Perspectives on the police 1985 Criminal Justice A Brief Introduction: by Frank Schmalleger 2010 Ethics, Crime, and Criminal Justice: by Christopher R. Williams and Bruce A. Arrigo The Impact of a College-Educated Police Force: by Rebecca L. Paynich, February 2009 http://utsa.edu/swjcj/archives/7.1/Davis%20&%20Sorensen%20Article.pdf http://www.ncjrs.gov/policing/fem635.htm http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/Content/getdoc/a68d0fd7-2cb3-4236-a378-81005626dd34/Horne2.aspx http://www.moolanomy.com/3572/the-pros-and-cons-of-a-college-degree/ http://www.pic.nsw.gov.au/RoyalCommission.aspx

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Cop in the Hood

    • 2662 Words
    • 11 Pages

    “So what’s the point of the academy? Primarily, it’s to protect the department from the legal liability that could result from negligent training. To the trainees this appears more important than educating police officers.” And second, despite the lax approach toward academics, instructors were very concerned with officer safety, the aspect of the job they emphasized most: “The most important part of your job is that you go home. Everything else is secondary.” This philosophy is reinforced at all levels of the police organization. Formal and informal rules concerning officer safety are propagated simultaneously. By the end of the academy, less than half the class saw a relation between what police learn in the academy and what police need to know on the street. A strong antimedia attitude, little changed from sociologist William Westley’s observations in the 1950s, grew steadily in the police academy. At the end of training, just 10 percent of trainees believed that the media treat police fairly.…

    • 2662 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Police officers are charged with keeping the peace. They pursue and apprehend individuals who breakthe law, enforce traffic laws, arrest suspected criminals, resolve community issues, respond to emergencies, and investigate crimes. Police officers are typically assigned to patrol specific areas in a geographic district and have to become familiar with their patrol areas when investigating suspicious circumstances. Training to become a police officer could be a smart career move if you are looking for a challenging job that exposes you to new situations every day.…

    • 230 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    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.…

    • 1663 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Police Officer Profession

    • 1408 Words
    • 6 Pages

    In the daily life of police officers, the day can begin with abject boredom and transform into harrowing danger. There is never a pattern to what may occur. Many come into a police career with the desire to help others and make a difference in their community or even the world. During the time when I began my career as an officer, there was a push for professionalism and a return to protecting and serving of the public. This came from the decades of racism, enforcement of white supremacy, and using officers as a way to take civil liberties. During the latter portion of the eighties and early nineties, professional police service was the work ethic being installed into new police officers. Throughout my career, I have witnessed a change from professional teachings, to more militarized elitist teachings. This has been particularly evident in the past ten years. In past studies, researchers have found attitudes toward police have been mainly cultivated through officer interaction with people, and through media effects (Mazerolle, et al., 2013, Avdija & Giever, 2010). However, it is my belief that things have significantly changed with regards…

    • 1408 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    References: Walker, S., & Katz, C. M. (2011). The police in America: An introduction (7th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.…

    • 359 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Article Review cjus300

    • 617 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Our society has become corrupt at each level, and the police force is no exception. While most officers are committed to maintaining honor and integrity in their service to the public, there will be crime or misconduct among both female and male officers (Gottschalk, 2011). Police officers should be upholding the image of sacrifice, dignity, and overall competency (Gottschalk, 2011). Unfortunately, corruption can happen and add distrust amongst the public toward the public service of police officers. These actions of misconduct can include oppression, racial profiling, physical or emotional abuse of power, overall mistreatment of citizens or prisoners in their care, extortion, misuse of information or perjury, and overall manipulation (Gottschalk, 2011).…

    • 617 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    All officers grew up in different ways of life, believing and having different morals that set them apart from one another. This is can either affect…

    • 241 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The hiring process for a law enforcement agency is crucial to its success. The hiring process is the first step in either obtaining or creating an outstanding officer or the first step in creating a future disappointment. If a department hires the officer who’s integrity is beyond reproach and has a passion for law enforcement then you are on your way to creating a “cop’s cop.” Conversely, if a department hires an uninspired questionable officer, then they have created a career long problem at best. The worst case scenario is an officer who gives law enforcement a black eye across the…

    • 797 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Discrimination in Policing

    • 2768 Words
    • 12 Pages

    Discrimination in policing is persistent behavior against minorities and women. Unfortunately, the US has as extended history of job discrimination that involves the prejudicial treatment of people in the workforce on the basis of their race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, national origin, or religion. It involves the restriction of members of one group from opportunities or privileges that are available to another group, only in the past few decades minorities and women have been able to share the concept of equal employment opportunity. Discrimination in police departments has been around for many years and the prejudice is identical, if not the same in other professions. The primary reasons of discrimination are ignorance, insecurity, hatred, and intolerance for progression. These main examples of discrimination are an unfavorable concept that plagues police departments and it hinders equal opportunity. Fortunately, the federal government acknowledges the fact that discrimination is prevalent and there have been civil statutes, court rulings, and affirmative action to help ameliorate the situation. In spite of that, discrimination in policing still exists and there are continuous efforts for equality.…

    • 2768 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The article "Suspect Searches: Assessing Police Behavior Under the U.S. Constitution," by Gould and Mastrofski explores the police usage of unconstitutional searches. Unconstitutional searches are those that are in violation of the fourth amendment. The fourth amendment rights, along with certain case laws put forth the guidelines for legal stops, frisks, and searches. Gould and Mastrofski perform a direct observation study which concludes the frequency of unconstitutional searches. This article puts police procedure under the spotlight and investigates the factors that seemingly increase the likelihood that an officer would engage in unlawful searches. In some cases, differentiating between constitutional and unconstitutional searches can be a difficult task, while in other situations police officers may obviously infringe on citizens ' rights. Any violation of rights poses many serious implications and consequences for policing, especially when it comes to effective community oriented policing.…

    • 992 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Besides being able to meet psychological and physical challenges, as well as display good communication skills, officers have to be able to think clearly during times of stress, admit faults, and defend what is right. Knowing the requirements of the administration and the role of a police officer along with the particulars of the justice system is imperative. Not knowing what to expect and the proper means to get things accomplished can prove detrimental to the officer and the public.…

    • 333 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    M., Marcum, C. D., Jennings, W. G., Higgins, G. E., & Banfield, J., 2014). Furthermore, empirical examinations have express possible contributing relationship between individual personality, impulsivity, youth, inexperience, gender, race, prior military service, academy performance, and police misconduct (social learning, strain, and organizational characteristics of how they conduct business) (Donner, C. M., Marcum, C. D., Jennings, W. G., Higgins, G. E., & Banfield, J., 2014) (Harris, C., 2014).…

    • 497 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Walker, S. & Katz, C.M. 2011. The Police in America: An Introduction, 7th ed. New York, NY. McGraw-Hill.…

    • 946 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    We must see that to be a better police is our main target of educating them . Education won 't have to stop after college or after holding degree . What is the use of you're diploma if your intention of being a policeman is to use your power against other people…

    • 1036 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Discipline is an essential quality in the law enforcement career. Many people would agree that discipline consists of training, correcting, or helping citizens and oneself to obey the laws and codes of behavior. Discipline brings forth good leadership and courage when dealing with issues in the community and country. For example, Police officers can help the community by patrolling the streets, responding to emergencies, and dealing with members of the public. In addition, discipline is necessary in the work performance. One of the requirements of law enforcement is training. In order to determine whether a candidate has the needed strength and tolerance to do the job of a police officer, they would have to take the physical agility test. Although many people criticize this test, it is critically important because flexibility, strength, and endurance are necessary for the job, or it could result in injury or death of an officer or a citizen. Furthermore, officers are role models to the citizens and should obey the laws as well as codes of behavior. As role models, they have to act properly since they are constantly under review by government agencies: the courts, and the judicial review. In other words, positive role models are necessary to avoid crime from increasing. In conclusion, discipline is the key of being successful as a law enforcement officer.…

    • 323 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays