Police Officer Preparation & Law Enforcement Resource - Archive

I am doing a paper on dept. requirements and views about degrees. The question is does a college graduate make a better officer? If you have an opinion or could share your dept's policy I would greatly appreciate any feedback.

A college graduate should make a more intelligent, well spoken , better able to communicate officer BUT , with so many officers on the job now who do not have a degree and who yet excel at what they do...it is apparent that simply possessing a piece of paper that says you have a degree by no means makes you a better officer.

FYI...

A 2 year CJ degree earns $500 extra per year.

A 4 year CJ degree earns $750 extra per year.

A honorably discharged from active duty vet gets 10 extra points added to their final score at time of application.

In our outfit, most new members have some sort of post secondary degree, doesn't really mean thier actually a better police officer. In my opinion, having good common sense and a good work ethic makes the best LEOS. I have never been in the military, but the miltiary people that come over, make excellent LEOS as well.

It does not make a better officer; however, it does make a better administrator. It is easier to negotiate with county and city commissioners when everyone is on the same playing field as far as education goes. It also makes the agency and the administrator appear more professional to the private sector since degrees are so essential there.

I have both working for me. I am done with my Associates in International Relations in a couple months and I will start working on my BA, all a while I have been in the U.S. Coast Guard.

Taking these two aspects into account I think the degree makes a book smart cop while the military experience makes a confident and experienced cop (especially one that does civilian LE like the CG).

I know a few cops on the NYPD that are family friends and they prefer working with prior military guys because of their work ethic and dedication.

Either way, I think the best cop would be one that has military experience and is ambitious enough to complete his degree as well, even after he gets appointed to the job.

I really dont understand what a college degree and police work have to do with each other. Eather your able to be a cop or not. I think that law enforcement is more of a personality trait then how well you can do on tests and how many degrees you hold.

When I was in college I took a few courses for criminal justice before finally deciding on business management and accounting :confused: I'm really glad I didnt stay with criminal justice because all the training I have had over the years has either prooved the criminal justice classes are wrong and/or not applicable to law enforcement.

In some larger departments a degree of any kind will probably help in promotions and upper management. Dont get me wrong - get all the education you can stand but, if I were to do it again, I wouldnt have any criminal justice classes and I would take computer classes or something that will be benificial to me when I realize there is no money in law enforcement and I want to go and make some real money in a non-law enforcment field :eek:

I use the critical thinking and writing skills I learned in college at work. I have noticed I do not write or speak at the same level as I did in college. Mostly because the Sgt was kicking back my reports because they had too many big words he did not know. Obviously I can't speak the same to the people I contact daily that I did with the people I spoke with in school. I did it one day when one of the boneheads called me a dumb s$%^. All I got was a blank stare from him and laughter form my back up.

As far as the course work being relevent. It isn't. This job is constantly changing and it is impossible for the colleges to keep up with the changes in the law.

I had a degree in molecular biology and not all the coursework was relevent when I worked in a cancer lab.... some was, but much was not. It is no different anywhere! Getting a degree does much more than merely feeding you info to use when you work. Some old proverb about teaching you to fish comes to mind. :)


In regards to the military vs. education commetn made by NYUSCG is a bit setereotypical. First, why is it an either/or thing? MOST guys that i work with have BOTH degrees and military.

I have never seen anything in USCG guys that make them any better than other military guys... maybe becsue you are a coastie :) PERHAPS, if you are talking strictly in terms of SOME LE tactics, but tactics change and they can be tought... that is not the issue you seem to be bringing up. Confidence and command presence, for example, come no easier to a coastie than an infantryman. I can teach tactics and firearms... command presence is something altogether different.

I am doing a paper on dept. requirements and views about degrees. The question is does a college graduate make a better officer? If you have an opinion or could share your dept's policy I would greatly appreciate any feedback.

Just my opinion, working hard to get a college degree makes you realize that with hard work you can attain anything you strive for. A degree is the ladder to reach your professional goals. If anything, it might not make you into a better officer per say, but it does make you into a better person because it is a permanent mark that you sought a higher education and attained it.

I think in larger metropolis cities that I have worked in, having a degree looks better in the eyes of a jury, judge, and ADA/AUSA. You appear to be able to sell yourself more to the CJ system.

Again this is just my opinion.

I'm not an LEO but I am getting a degree to become one. The department I want to get hired onto requires one. They don't care what the degree is as long as you have a degree. I'm getting mine in Law Enforcement Justice Administration. So far I can't say that I have learned a lot about being a good police officer. One of the most valuable things I have done was to get a part-time Police/Fire Dispatcher Job at my local airport. I have learned very much and have gained much insight into the job. I think what I learned at the airport will be worth more than what I learned at college when/if I become a Police Officer.

I got mine in business so I can use it beyond law enforcement.

People always say to me that a CJ degree is useless. To which I respond the criminal justice system is one of the biggest government sectors that employs more people than any other single organization. So how is it useless?

Excellant thought. CJA Degrees also, depending on the college, is still a learning process. The degree is what you make of it. I have AS in Liberal Arts and now in process of BS in CJA. Having been a chief I have the first hand experience to do the job and quite well for a small agency. I want to progress again higher into a small town chief position and CJA degrees are the ticket for it.

I DO NOT think tha tthe degree makes a better cop! I have worked with some with degrees that still cannot write a report to save their butt is it were on fire! Some have had great book smarts, know every state law and can cite it verbatim. But when asked to handle a situation on the street, they lack every ounce of common sense and officer safety. Great woth the books, poop with people. Now this is NOT all inclusive. There are some with degrees that are great officers. But to relate my experiences with officers with degrees.....if I may use a favorite old singer's words."when you're hot, you're hot. When you're not, you're not". Jerry Reed......

A business or public administration degree will get you all those things and have uses beyond criminal justice. Why limit yourself?

I don't have a college degree, yet I know of many officers with degrees.... but I can still spell and write better than they can.

College may teach you critical thinking, to a certain extent. But it can't compete with valid military experience.

I don't understand why they lump all military experience together. I really don't think that a Navy Electronic's Mate has NEAR the LE experience someone who spent a year in the big ol' sandbox as a combat troop does.

I don't have a college degree, yet I know of many officers with degrees.... but I can still spell and write better than they can.

College may teach you critical thinking, to a certain extent. But it can't compete with valid military experience.

I don't understand why they lump all military experience together. I really don't think that a Navy Electronic's Mate has NEAR the LE experience someone who spent a year in the big ol' sandbox as a combat troop does.
You are comparing apples and oranges. The majority of police work, like many military jobs, involves vocational training. If I am a homicide investigator, I go to several homicide related classes etc. A college degree does not do much to improve the abilities of the day to day job.

The push toward college degrees comes as law enforcement agencies try to change the image of the police officer. In the past, officers have been thought of as only having a minimal education.police work was always considered a job instead of a career (very blue collar). Nowadays, police agencies want to be considered more "professional" and have adopted many of the benchmarks that are utilized in private corporations (advanced degrees and certifications) in order to accomplish this goal. These law enforcement "professionals" are on a more level playing field to interact with attorneys, business leaders and other government entities.

You can research the history of this a little more or I am sure you will have to write a paper on it if you choose to pursue that degree. Don't get me wrong. I've been a cop for 16 years and college was not a requirement for hire or promotion when I started. I have had to get my degrees and work fulltime in order to earn promotions and keep with the times. I loathed every second of it...lol.

But, when Officer Smith addresses the city commission for pay increases or even a community group. A bio with a BA in Criminal Justice or an MA in Public Administration sounds better than a GED from night school.

I wish it wasnt this way because I have to start my graduate work now....I HATE IT!

I hear what you are saying. It's the same way with the PD I work for (communications bureau). You can get on with HS/military, but if you want to make SGT you better have a bachelor's, and if you want to make CPT you better have a master's.

They aren't required, but when there are 50 of you applying for 1 position, and 47 of them have degrees.......

They aren't required, but when there are 50 of you applying for 1 position, and 47 of them have degrees.......


I totally agree. I am just a jr. jr member, but I have applied to a couple of departments, each time the 5 spots that were open were either given to a lateral transfer or a degree holder even though those were not part of the minimum qualifications. With so much competition, you've got to make yourself standout someway. Experience or education. :)

No one goes out and hires from the minimum standards if there are others in the process that offer a more competitive candidate.

The goal is to make yourself as marketable as possible.

I think a four-degree shows that you can be responsible and can stay focused on your own. I am not saying that if you have 2 yr degree or military experience that you are not responsible, but study for 4 yrs and get goods grades should be rewarded. Do you guys know of any degree requirements for PD's when it pertains to making Detective? Also, I have talked to some police chiefs in Minnesota and they are now looking for applicants with four-year degrees. The department in my home town only hires new cops that have a bachelor’s degree.

Sampras2

I'm an Army MP... What LE experience I gain out of the military will not transfer in to domestic law enforcement mostly due to the part about the UCMJ.

As far as I'm concerned, the only thing I will be able to do with my expericence is be an over qualified security guard:)