By Michael Sale
In the August/September 2012 edition of Blue Line Magazine, psychology columnist, Dr. Dorothy Cotton, asks an old question: “Is it useful for a police officer to have some higher education?” By higher education, she means something beyond the traditional high-school diploma.
It was not so long ago that many police officers with a post-secondary education would not let it be known that they possessed a university degree for fear of incurring a negative reaction from peers and supervisors. There was popular feeling within the police subculture that a higher education didn’t necessarily make one a good police officer. Some of the most successful police leaders of all time left high school, entered the work force, found policing, and rose through the ranks to executive positions without ever cracking a textbook after recruit training.
Police work has changed over the years, becoming more complex and with greater public participation in matters relating to police governance and service delivery. Many officers have changed with the times and grown professionally with what they have experienced, prompting them to return to school to obtain the education they passed up when they entered policing. They realize that a dialogue with members of a modern community requires more insight and sophisticated messaging that can only be developed by one who has benefitted from an education that has opened the mind to diverse points of view.
Dr. Cotton acknowledges that a lot of what police officers used to do (e.g. parking enforcement, court security, etc.) is currently undertaken by people who don’t require much more than basic entry requirements of yesteryear. She does point out, however, that “the value of higher education increases as one goes up the hierarchy and the issues become more obtuse and less well defined.”
As the dynamic of police work has changed, combined with more active input from well-informed and well-educated citizens, the need for professional performance has increased significantly. Dr. Cotton refers to studies that have indicated that police officers with university degrees are more able to deal with complicated community issues, social dilemmas and changing legislation. Improved performance ratings, an inclination toward problem solving without the use of force and fewer public complaints, are positive benefits the profession now enjoys, thanks to the skills applied by well-educated officers.
Some colleges and universities have made it much more convenient for active police officers to return to the classroom to acquire an education that matches the qualifications possessed by today’s well-educated applicants. Online programs, team studies and effective experience-based learning assessments have made adult education more convenient, and often more rewarding, for police officers looking to equip themselves to move up the ladder or be more effective in their community work. A well-educated leader is also better able to interact with a modern workforce with the sensitivity and awareness needed to understand the concerns and priorities of today’s employee/police officer.
Police work, arguably, is an education in itself. Enriching that education with formal studies that lead to a degree can effectively enhance the police officer’s ability to serve the public while managing complicated issues. There’s never been a better time for the profession to attract and develop the right kind of people for this most important of public services. The establishment of a productive learning environment and a supportive culture for the pursuit of knowledge are emerging priorities for today’s police leaders and those who oversee their work on behalf of the community.
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