German Espinoza

CJ-1010-410-F16
Term Paper

Police Officers Need a Degree

Police officers and other law enforcers have an extremely difficult job. Some days might
come easier than others, but many of the things that police officers have to face on a typical day
can be, but not limited to; drug abuse and misuse, violence, child endangerment, domestic abuse,
prostitution, suicide, murder, exploitation, individuals with mental health needs and so much
more. Police officers are the first responders to a scene, whether its an accident scene or a crime
scene. Although, policing is typically done by general patrol (monitoring areas detecting crimes,)
around 40-60 percent of police activity is the result of a 911 call. (Gaines, Miller page 186 2013.)
Response to the scene with a better education on how to handle the situation when they arrive to
the scene would be a tremendous benefit to them and our community and might reduce reactive
arrests.
Research by Professor John Violanti at the University of Buffalo found that there is a lot
of stress that effects the officers mentally that is a result from the day to day activities of being a
police officer. (Gaines, Miller 196, 2013) Because of this stressful occupation, officers need to be
trained on relaxation and have a different state of mind than the typical working civilian. Some
things that officers are commonly stressed out about are; Fear of being a victim or exposed to
violent crimes, staying in compliance, lack of community support and negative media coverage.

Police officers would benefit from taking required readiness classes to prepare them for stressful
situations and stress management when obtaining their associates degree.
Currently there is no national required curriculum for officers, and what is required is
dependent on the state and the jurisdiction. The training that officers typically get is about six
months before they get their Badge and Uniform. They start off in the classroom and then
receive the field training. The classroom items they are trained on, and how long are:
Training
Topic

Academic
Percentag
e

Average
hrs.
instructe
d

Training Topic

Academic
Percentag
e

Average
hrs.
instructe
d

Training Topic

Academic
Percentag
e

Average
hrs.
instructe
d

Firearms
skills

99%

60
hrs.

Stress
prevention/manage
ment

86%

6 hrs.

Investigations

98%

45 hrs.

Basic
firstaid/CPR

99%

24
hrs.

Hate crimes/bias
crimes

85%

4 hrs.

Patrol procedures/
techniques

98%

40 hrs.

99%

36
hrs.

Mediation
skills/conflict
management

83%

8 hrs.

Juvenile law and

procedures

98%

8 hrs.

99%

44
hrs.

Domestic
preparedness

78%

8 hrs.

Constitutional law

96%

11 hrs.

Criminal
law

98%

40
hrs.

Problem solving (for

example, SARA,
CAPRA)

64%

6 hrs.

Cultural diversity

95%

8 hrs.

Domesti
c
violence

98%

12
hrs.

Computers/informati
on systems

59%

8 hrs.

Health and fitness

95%

50 hrs.

Ethics
and
integrity

98%

8 hrs.

Basic foreign
language (such as
survival Spanish)

35%

16
hrs.

Officer
civil/criminal
liability

93%

6 hrs.

Human
relations

92%

11
hrs.

Use of non-lethal
weapons

91%

12
hrs.

Community
policing

90%

8 hrs.

Emergen
cy
vehicle
operatio
ns
Selfdefense

(http://discoverpolicing.org/what_does_take/?fa=training_academy_life)

Our law enforcers should receive the proper training and education before entering the
job, like many specialized trades require. An associates degree is usually around 60 credit hours
with about 16 classroom hours per credit hour. To get a basic associates degree, would require
around 960 classroom hours. However, becoming an officer is a specialized trade that does need

specific classes so this would add on another 320 classroom hours that officers would need
before receiving a badge. According to discoverpolicing.org, field training for officers is
around 160 hours or 8 weeks, and classroom training is around 479 classroom hours. Requiring
officers to have an associates degree would practically double the information and experience
they receive, oppose to what they are currently receiving. If an Associates degree in Law
Enforcement and General Studies was required to get them through the door. They should be
required to have a four year degree to go out in the field, and to be promoted will come with
either a Masters Degree to begin with or have the equivalent experience.
The police officers here in Utah earns on an average around 45K annually and their
supervisors earn around 65K. (Lawenforcementedu.net 2016). This amount is shifted depending
on experience. Obtaining a bachelors degree in law enforcement is very realistic considering
the amount they are paid on the field.
Another circumstance to requiring a college education; is will the education benefit the
officers satisfaction while on the job? Officers are targets of tens of thousands assaults each
year. (Gains, Miller, 197), the use of force is often justified as they are protecting themselves and
civilians. Years ago a study was done a Michigan State University with publishing information
that officers with a four year degree were less likely to use force. However, the most recent study
from the same University, explains that officers with that high of an education are dissatisfied
with their job. The article published by MSU stated college-educated officers who join the
force wanting to make a genuine difference in society are instead met with the reality of
patrolling high-crime areas at night. (William Terrill. 2015.) This article also states that in
todays society, officers are primarily focused on social work and resolving disputes. An

education in social work and physiology will assist the officer on better managing these types of
situations.

All too often, organizations will find experience more valuable than the degree itself, and
why would becoming a police officer be any different. Police officers deal with human
interaction on a daily basis. Exceeding a basic education in human relations and communication
skills is extremely vital for them. Hands on involvement often provides the best know-how,
therefore; some might say that working in the field is the best type of education itself. Although
this may be true for several types of careers, a college education provides more of a broader
outlook and enlightens you in so much more than just a specific trade. Because of the high stress
of the field our officers are in, lack of knowledge on how to handle these situations result in high
blood pressure and heart problems (Gaines, Miller. 196 2013). It is important for our officers to
remain healthy as they are serving the community.
A college degree requires courses that train you in ways to problem solve, communicate
with peers and how to fact check. It also helps you relate with multiple diverse backgrounds
because of class discussions. It is unfortunate that a degree has created some dissatisfaction on
the job for some officers, but if we change the way we shape our Police Departments as a whole,
it could improve the satisfaction of the department and the community.

Work Cited

Gains, Larry K., Miller, Roger L. Criminal Justice in Action 7th Edition. Cengage Learning.
2013. Pgs. (186, 196)

Henion, Andy, William, Terrill. Do Cops Need College? 2FEB15. WEB.

http://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2015/do-cops-need-college/

International Association of Chiefs of Police, Training/Academy Life Discovering Policing.

2008-2016. WEB.
http://discoverpolicing.org/what_does_take/?fa=training_academy_life

Lawenforcement.edu.net. Utah Law Enforcement Salaries. 2016. WEB.

http://www.lawenforcementedu.net/utah/utah-salary/