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Educational Requiremenmts for Police Officers

analytical Essay
1840 words
1840 words
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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.

Post Secondary Degree Requirements for Police Officers

Perceptions of what constitutes a qualified police officer have been crafted as a result of numerous television shows and movies. They are often portrayed as heroic, invincible, and possessors of brute strength. While some of these physical attributes are in fact expected and required of police officers, they are not the only ones and at times, may come secondary to alternative methods, such as the use of strong communication and critical thinking skills. Policing has changed immensely since the days of resolving issues with a night stick. There is a desire for today’s police officers to possess the educational capacity to develop and implement community policing initiatives. Additionally, there exists a desire to professionalize policing. This drive for professionalism has led to the desire for increased educational requirements (Brecci, 1994).

The emphasis on the need for police officers to have a post secondary education is not new. During the Political Era of policing, police officers were often politically appointed, regardless of their level of capacity to do the job. Forms of corruption like nepotism, bribes, and politically based decisions were commonplace. As such, the public’s perception of the police was that they were lawless and their trust and confidence soon eroded away. This era resulted in a need for reform. ...

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...can Bar Foundation.

Hays, K. L., Regoli, R. M., & Hewitt, J. D. (2007). Police Chiefs, Anomia, and Leadership. Sage .

Hickman, Matthew J; Reaves, Brian A. (2003). Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Marklein, M. B. (2006, October 30). Minority enrollment in college still lagging. Retrieved October 28, 2011, from USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2006-10-29-minority-enrollment_x.htm

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Standards for the Urban Police Function. (1972). American Bar Association.

Stojkovic, S., Kalinich, D., & Klofas, J. (2012). Criminal Justice Organizations: Adminstration and Management. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Strock, B. K. (2007, September). Command College Independent Study Project. Retrieved October 25, 2011, from http://libcat.post.ca.gov/dbtw-wpd/documents/cc/41-strock.pdf

In this essay, the author

  • Argues that 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 post-secondary degrees to work and will college-educated police officers resist organizational change.
  • Argues that police officers should be viewed as a profession and not as separate from others such as nursing, teaching, or engineering.
  • States stojkovic, kalinich, and klofas (2012) argue that organizational change takes place within the context of general social changes that are created by new perspectives and ideas.
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