Essay - Should Law Enforcement Agencies Require A College Degree? There Have...

Should Law Enforcement Agencies Require a College Degree?

There h*****ve been continuous debates over the last decade concerning the educational requirements of new recruits for law enforcement agencies. How important is formal education compared to 'street smarts' and common sense? Does a two ye*****r or four year college degree make a cadet a better *****ficer on the force and in the community he serves? Does such a requirement limit or h*****der the hiring of min*****ities who might otherwise make fine officers serving and defending their communities as well if not ***** than an educated officer. These are but a few of the questions and concerns ***** all across ***** country are debating regarding the requirements for new hires among ***** en*****ment agencies. However, many agencies have gone ********** with new educational requirements that are now effective in their communities.

The federal g*****nment, citing the advantages of ***** education, provided funds throughout ***** 1970's for thousands ***** police officers to go to college. In 1973, a federal task *****ce recommended a four-ye*****r ***** requirement and projected that such a policy would be widespread by the 1980's. However, ***** didn't happen, although many departments do provide extra pay for officers who earn college credits ***** degrees, and some require college degrees for promotions (Mooney 1991).

In Leonia, a bedroom ***** in New Jersey that takes pride on being a bastion of artists and scholars, the requirement for a police officer is ***** four-year college degree. Only a third of the ***** have degrees next door in Englewood, where police must deal with a crime rate twice as high. Englewood is like the vast majority of forcers across the state that only requires a high school diploma and courses ***** a county police *****cademy (***** 1991). Many state and county police officials feel communities should reexamine how ***** and well-schooled their *****s should be as the role of ***** officers grows incre*****ingly sensitive and complex. Ronald Calissi, director of the Bergen County Police and Fire Academy states, "I don't think we can say anymore ***** this is a blue-collar profession. We ***** ***** *****er standards" (Mooney 1991).

Wayne F*****her, deputy director of the ***** Jersey Division of Criminal Justice contends, "There are college requirements to be teachers, social workers, and many other services. A police *****ficer's job certainly equals those" (Mooney *****). Moreover, police officials state that the strongest arguments for more education are the cultural exposure, thinking skills, and maturity gained in college. Accord*****g ***** Calissi, college-honed communication skills are vital as well. He states ***** thousands of rookie police *****ficers have trained at ***** academy and despite a course in writing, some officers "border on the functi*****ally illiter*****e" (Mooney 1991). Many supervisors ***** the ***** level of an ********** is evident in their crime and accident reports, such ***** Englewood Sgt. Arthur O'Keefe who says he spends much of his time correcting *****' reports (Mooney 1991).

***** 1996, New York City implemented a 60 college credit requirement for its officers, although