Police Officer Education Essay

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Throughout the years, issues have been brought up whether a police officer have the proper education or level of training to perform the job that the public have entrust them with. As many individuals know, education is an important qualification that employers look for nowadays. The question arises whether law enforcement agencies should require their officers to possess a two-year, or a four-year college degree along with a police academy certification in order to become employed as a police officer. Additionally, other issues arises of whether an officer’s education level play a major role in their ability to understand and protect the rights of the public they serve. Critics may often argue that an officer without any type of education …show more content…

All types of incident have occurred all over the nation such as uses of force, many which have made national news. This negativity that the public have towards law enforcement could be due to the perception that police officers tend to use excessive use of force to innocent people due to the lack of proper training. (3051). According to research conducted, it indicates that the role of education of police officers who have received higher levels of education and training would lead to more restrained use of force (3051). It is no doubt that when making critical decisions such as use of force that active thinking is necessary. Additionally, it is said that today’s police forces must become more representative of the community they serve, and that they must possess proactive communication skill in order to be able to defuse hostile incidents (3051). For these reasons it is crucial that departments seek qualities that are important for effective modern police work. Unfortunately, hiring requirements do not seek those qualities and department often recruit candidates that have not graduated from college and as a result lack the ability to effectively communicate and lack critical thinking skills (3051). Some of the characteristic that a candidate must possess to become a good police officer are: life experience and maturity, communication skills, good judgment, integrity, respect for authority, confidence and many more (3051). Education can be related to many of these characteristics (3051). According to

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