Law enforcement and corrections professionals with a bachelor’s degree are more likely to advance their careers in the emerging model of the modern police department. They have the background federal agencies require of potential agents.
Agencies within the Department of Homeland Security that investigate organized and white-collar crime and terrorism — including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Central Intelligence Agency and U.S. Secret Service — require at least a bachelor’s degree for job candidates.
Researchers who measured police activity against recommendations of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing identified five areas in which higher education could reduce crime and build better relations between police and the communities.
Research on the Ferguson task force was conducted over five years following the publication of the presidential Task Force Recommendations. The findings showed that officers with college degrees have the following five qualities compared to their colleagues without college experience:
- Less likely to use violence: Research shows that college-educated officers generated fewer citizen complaints and were less likely to face termination for misconduct, including unjustified use of force.
- More oriented toward problem-solving: Community-policing strategies require on-the-spot creative thinking and problem-solving skills, which are associated with better community approval of law enforcement and corrections services.
- Better at building community relations: Previous educational experiences allow law enforcement officers and corrections professionals to develop their critical-thinking and reasoning skills and experience diverse opportunities leading to cultural awareness.
- More competent in best practices: Degree-holding officers can better identify information and research-based evidence to evaluate procedures and on-the-job training related to use of force.
- More likely to be better leaders: Higher education enriches leadership and executive management skills essential to implementing transformational change in law enforcement agencies.
Essentially, educational training and experience helps law enforcement and corrections professionals approach their careers with necessary critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. “Higher education and police reform efforts are at a critical juncture. Educated law enforcement professionals will be better equipped to lead much-needed reform efforts,” the article concluded.
Many agencies and organizations provide scholarships or tuition reimbursement opportunities to encourage law enforcement professionals to advance their education. For example, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) awards scholarships to law enforcement professionals of African descent. Another organization, Women in Federal Law Enforcement, encourages women studying criminal justice or a related field to apply for a chance to receive scholarships and other financial support.
What Undergraduate Curriculum Is Best for Law Enforcement Professionals?
The William Paterson University (WP) Bachelor of Arts in Criminology & Criminal Justice – Accelerated Professional Track permits active-duty officers to leverage their training for up to 30 transferrable credit hours toward the degree.
Designed for law enforcement and corrections officers, WP’s online program equips graduates with action-oriented insight into the U.S. justice system, cultural awareness and evidence-backed community harm-reduction methods. Among its core courses, the curriculum includes an overview of intersectional inequalities such as race, ethnicity, class, gender and sexual orientation in crime and the administration of justice, which is central to the emerging model of effective law enforcement. The Inequality and Criminal Justice course provides graduates with an in-depth understanding of how policies and procedures impact marginalized populations including racial minorities, disadvantaged communities, women and LGBTQ people.
Why an Undergraduate Degree at WP?
Agencies within the Department of Homeland Security that investigate organized and white-collar crime and terrorism — including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Central Intelligence Agency and U.S. Secret Service — require at least a bachelor’s degree for job candidates.
WP’s online program curriculum includes specific exploration of relevant topics through the following courses:
Organized Crime covers, among other topics, an analysis of the distribution, structure and operations of organized crime theories and law enforcement tactics to investigate them and present evidence for use in prosecution. The course critiques stereotypes linking organized crime and ethnicity and to the consequences of those generalizations.
White Collar Crime provides students with a broad understanding of deceit, concealment and criminal activity to steal money or gain a competitive advantage in business. The studies equip graduates with insights into the scope and impact of domestic and international white-collar crime and strategies to combat it.
Terrorism investigates the sociology and criminology of international and domestic terrorism through case studies into motivation, organization, strategies and tactics. It also critically assesses the military and law enforcement responses and analyzes the framing of terrorism within political, media and popular culture.
The WP Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and Criminal Justice – Accelerated Professional Track provides an ideal opportunity for law enforcement professionals to fortify their career experience with the understanding and insights the future of policing demands.
Learn more about WP’s online Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and Criminal Justice – Accelerated Professional Track program.
