The evolution of higher education in law enforcement: Preliminary findings from a national study

Abstract

The preliminary results are reported in a national study of police education. All state police agencies, all municipal agencies serving populations greater than 50,000, and all sheriff's departments with more than 100 sworn officers were surveyed to obtain data on the level of higher education in the departments, policies in support of college education, and the effect of higher education on policing. The survey was followed by indepth site visits to San Diego, San Jose, and Sacramento, California; Kansas City, Missouri; New York City; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Largo, Florida. Significant findings showed that the average educational level of police officers has risen steadily over the past two decades; that only a small proportion of police departments formally require college for employment of promotion; that the great majority, however, have educational support policies and an “informal” criterion of college for selection and promotion or officers. The data also show that minorities are being recruited effectively and hired with educational levels competitive with those of whites; that women are being recruited effectively with mean educational levels nearly a year higher than those of males; and that employment of minorities in law enforcement in the study population is proportionately comparable to the proportions of minorities in the general population.

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