Importance of Law Enforcement Agencies to Require a College Degree for Employment

Argue for or against the requirement of law enforcement agencies that applicants have a bachelor’s degree to be eligible for being hired.

I think it would be great if the requirement of law enforcement agencies required applicants to have a bachelor’s degree to be eligible for employment. Although, hiring college-educated candidates in the law enforcement field does not guarantee they will be good officers. Individuals who receive the required degree in law enforcement have demonstrated their desire.

The role of education should place importance in aiding police officers with knowledge of the legal aspects of policing as well as report writing, ethics, and procedures. The President’s Commission (1967) reported that without higher educational requirements, quality in police services could not be achieved or attained. Only about 36, less than 1% of all departments in the U.S. require the applicants to have a bachelor’s or 4 year degree. (Hickman and Reaves, 2006)

Bostrom (2005) addressed differences in levels of performance and work habits among officers who had obtained Bachelor of Arts degrees and Bachelor of Science degrees, finding that officers with Bachelor of Arts degree have better work habits (measured by sick time usage, traffic collisions, discipline) than officers with a Bachelor of Science degree.

Chief of Police Hawkins (2006) reiterated his department’s four-year requirement in Burnsville, MN, Burnsville’s four-year degree requirements “helps to recruit big-picture thinkers who are creative, culturally aware, and technically sound in constitutional law, and who look for the best solution to the multitudes of challenges they encounter”. (Friedmann, 2006, p.28)

Sherman and McLeod (1979) speculated that the education offered at the higher educational institutions is quite similar to the education and training officers receive in police academies. I