Very simple and straight forward.
Change POLICE OFFICER to PEACE OFFICER, this simple change shifts the perspective of people from a negative view of officers to a more positive. Read more to understand better.
All Peace Officers must be required to have a Batchelor’s degree in law enforcements, with a focus on their appropriate field. (where they focus their attention the most on the job)
All current officers who hold a Batchelor’s, but not in the appropriate field may have the opportunity to gain this degree with a grant provided by the station of employment.
All current officers who do not hold a Batchelor’s shall have a set period of time to enroll into a college of choice to acquire their Batchelor’s in the appropriate field.
All officers who fail to enroll in the appropriate time shall be demoted to in office, no field allowed duties. Not as a punishment, but as a reflection to how important education is when constantly in situation that require high levels of quick thinking. Education is important to have for those in the field because it allows officers to make smarter, and safer decisions for any given situation they are in. Officers hold a key, and pivotal roll in our society, so it is important we can rely on them to make well rounded, and highly educated decisions. The reason for changing police to peace is a perspective one. No one wants to be policed, however, a peace officer who is tasked with keeping peace within our communities, gives a more subtle touch that is not so forced into peoples faces, and more importantly, the officer should feel more incline to keep peace and not enforce.
Feel free to add to this in the comments. But it is very important officers have an education above and beyond a high school, or GED education.
Definetly WILL NOT VOTE on this. It is hard enough already to get a job in law enforcement and still those of whom commit obliviously improper acts are employed over those who want to do the job with integrity and correctly.
One reason as they have a higher education such as a bachelor degree DOES NOT substitute common sense.
A point of this page is to submit ideas to reform issues and not continue with what does not work.
Wait, so those who commit obliviously improper acts get employed over those who have a higher integrity? Does that mean you agree with if an officer is to have a higher education they would be less incline to commit those obliviously improper acts?
Yes it is hard to get into law enforcement, and do you think that is because the standards are so low many people apply creating an overwhelming supply of candidates?
I value your opinion, and what you are saying does make sense, it probably is hard to get into law enforcement, but having higher standards would only weed out the low hanging fruit allowing those with a higher education, who we rely on might I add, to get the position.
Would you not agree that a higher education would lead to better understandings of situations, and better decision making?
For instance, Finland, here are their requirements to become an officer
Sufficient educational background
You have to have at least one of the following studies completed:
General upper secondary syllabus
Matriculation examination
Vocational upper secondary qualification
Vocational qualification
Specialist vocational qualification
A police degree under previous regulations
A foreign education giving eligibility to higher education in the country in question
500 Hours? I would need more hours to get a license to cut hair in California than I would to enforce laws.
Common sense is subjective, education is not. It is very evident that a higher education level provides for a better understanding of situations. Hours of training also provides a better understanding of experience.
And I agree the point of this page is to submit ideas to reform issues. A lack of officers who have an education I do feel is an issue. There are many officers who I have interacted with, are friends with, and grew up with. I am for them, but I only want better for them. Education is better for them. Can you provide to me where this would not work? Because from what I can tell, your response is in half agreeance to this entire idea, and the rest is a fallacy.
Do you have any constructive ideas to add to this? or do you still think we should fast track people to law enforcement?
Before all these requirements were mandated there was one case of mishandling: Rodney King
Forward to today, 60 credits are required which would mean I should not be able to come up with the instances such as George Floyd, Sonya Massey, Freddie Grey, Jacob Blake etc. These are just examples mainstream.
Then dig around to find the thefts, misconduct with children and victims, DUI’s etc locally.
Where did things go wrong? Well I think its obvious in comparison.
Yes all those are terrible issues, and 60 credits does not seem to be enough… Obviously…
The more you reply, the more it sounds like you agree that police should be more educated, and have more training, to prevent these kinds of issues… I do not understand what the qualm is here?
Thats just a twist youre putting on there. The more educational requirements you are pushing for have done nothing but to make it more difficult to recruit
It does not take a bachelors or an associates degree to determine right from wrong. It does not take any degree of any kind to know kneeling on a handcuffed subject is wrong, using your electronic conductive weapon as an AED is wrong, stealing from those within our custody is wrong, etc.
The purpose should be to reform, and continuing the same thing over and over expecting a different or better result is called insanity. It would appear there were less problems when it was back before mandating all this extra education requirements.
One individual who got hired apparently checked all the boxes, barely passed academy, came out and only gave 18 days on field training and stopped showing up. There is no degree for common sense, civility and moral character but apparently an extra college degree trumps the basics. That is wrong and unfair.
The education system in this country needs major overhaul as is. We SHOULD NOT be sacrificing public safety to appease an education system that is more about business and making more money that providing quality.
I agree with you, it does not take either of those to determine right from wrong, but it does seem as if there is a huge public disconnect with officers. Why does the public fear them so much? Why is the public so hostile towards them? You keep claiming that being more educated does nothing, yet you can not provide anything that says that. Where as above there is statistical proof that more training and education does provide a system with more safety.
There is no sacrificing public safety to appease an education system, it is simply an observation I have had for well over a decade interacting with officers. The more educated officers had a more calm demeaner, a better understanding of situations, and were more self aware of what they were doing… (IE: not being so rough with someone)
I completely understand where you are coming from, but it just feels that there is a bunch of anger and hostility from the point of view you have obtained. The police need reform 100%. But where is your ideas of reform? All that has come from this is agreement, and anger towards an education system. Help me understand if more training and more education is not the solution, what is? Those 2 things aside, what is another or even better alternative? What in your opinion would help reform peace officers? We have a great dialog here, and I do hope many many others read the whole thing to help even both of us come to an excellent conclusion! That is what this forum was created for after all
There is an appeasement, We can say this, when you require so much more to do a job not many want to do or risk themselves for the right reasons, a candidate can take that education elsewhere for more money and less risk. All to them for that for themselves.
Therefore creating one major issue that all LEO administrators complain about. Low recruitment and short staffing. They did it to themselves by getting in bed with the college systems. Once again you cant name a college course on common sense, temperment, sound judgement etc.
Erase that college credit requirement across the board, across the country. Open up to more individuals and up the academy training hours where those basics can be taught and reinforced. If they cant then they fail out.
Staffing needs are met at least some more, better chance at retainment. Treated as a trade school that has less inclusion and has the freedom to mold candidates to the job. Completely shut down and shut out those special interest folks from these universities and those who helped to create that problem.
What would it sound like if you were to rewrite the original post?
Take out the Batchelor’s degree, and replace it with a minimum amount of hours of police training/trade, or a set number of credits needed in a pass fail training/trade school setting?
Definitely agree that officials who are sworn to not only uphold but ENFORCE the law on the people should at LEAST know what the laws ARE!! I believe some sort of schooling is required because we all see these audits and how police have zero clue what our constitutional rights are much less what our laws are so that tells me they are forcing policy and incorrect teachings onto the people and violating the rights of the people, which is unacceptable!! Police/peace whichever need to know the laws and be trained sufficiently in gun safety and using non lethal as first line of defense. (When appropriate, I understand when lethal is necessary as a defense against someone with a deadly weapon)
