1

Violet Maw
CJ 1010
Michael Cupello, MS, BS, AS
Term Paper
November 24, 2015

Knowledge is Power
Knowledge is, and always has been, the key to power. Having knowledge whether it is in the
form of street smarts or book smarts, is always beneficial. But, when the two are combined, it
creates a double threat of sorts to those who possess both. The question of whether or not Police need
both, has been debated for quite some time. Many wonder if it would create a difference with regards to
how police conduct themselves while on the job, and also how civilians would view and respect them.
While this topic is broad in terms of specifics with regard to whether or not police should have a college
education, there are four areas that can be focused on for further discussion to lead to an educated
viewpoint of this topic. Those four areas are: 1. Police with an education are more desirable to employ
and garner advancement; 2. Police who have a Bachelors in Social Science or Arts, are less likely to
abuse power; 3. Police who have a college education will have more respect from the community they
are trying to serve; and, 4. Police who obtain their college education before entering service as a cop,
will have a reliable foundation to fall back on after retirement. The research behind these four subjects,
leads me to believe that police should most definitely obtain a college education before entering the
policing workforce. Before discussing the four areas mentioned above, we will take brief look at the
history behind the notion that police should obtain a college education.

In the 60s the relationship between cops and the community had become rather strained.
Because of this strain, August Vollmer, who was an advocate for educating officers past their high
school education, had a vision for all cops to receive a college education. His vision was eventually set
forth. According to an article written in 2014 by authors E. Paoline III, W. Terrill, & T. Rossler, titled
Higher Education, College Degree Major, and Police Occupational Attitudes, it says, Vollmers
advocacy for educating officers beyond a high school diploma fell largely on deaf ears until the late
1960s when the Presidents Commission on Law Enforcement Education and the Administration of
Justice endorsed the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, (Journal of Criminal Justice
Education). This program helped to fund the financial assistance needed for police to obtain their degree.
The program proposed a ten year plan to incorporate this new Act for American police. But,
unfortunately, to date, the goals of both Vollmer and the Law Enforcement Education Plan (LEEP), have
not been reached. Even though these goals were never met, there is strong evidence that their goal of
educating police can be greatly beneficial. The evidence lies in taking a closer look at those policeman
who have actually obtained their college degrees.
First, lets take a look at how a college education is beneficial for police because it makes them
more desirable to employ and garner advancement. Some might say, oh, I am going to be a cop, I dont
need a college education. But that couldnt be farther from the truth. According to author Victor E.
Kappeller, Ph.D., in his article Why Should I get a College Degree When I Just Want to Be a Cop?,
published in January of 2013, he states as one of the first reasons to obtain a college education is, many
police departments have adopted educational standards that go beyond the high school diploma, and this
number continues to increase, (EKU Online: Police Studies). So, if more police departments are
increasing their general requirements just to apply, it would make sense to follow the trend. Any

potential employer is going to view someone with a college education as more employable. Kappeller
goes on to say that a degree makes you more attractive to the best law enforcement agencies. Also, it
makes sense to think that if you have obtained a Bachelors Degree, especially one that focuses on
management of some sort, you would be a better candidate for advancement. According to Kappeller,
these agencies offer the best starting salaries and the most potential for advancement in the field.
Kappellar is referring to the agencies who are already requiring an education before becoming a
Policeman. Advancement, in many agencies also requires someone who will not abuse the power they
are commissioned with. Next we will take a look at how obtaining a Bachelors Degree helps prevent
cops from abusing their power.
Referring to the statement Knowledge is Power is key when discussing potential abuse of
power. The more educated a cop is with regard to social and economic science, the better able he is
going to be at using judgment when dealing with critical situations. In his research paper, The Impact of
Higher Education on Police Officer Attitudes Regarding Abuse of Authority, author Cody Webb Telep,
Master of Arts, documented the results of a study that he conducted. One of the areas that he researched
was how higher education effected policeman with regard to their abuse of power. Teleps conclusion
was the following: The results analyzing the authority scale show fairly strong evidence that
postsecondary education has a beneficial impact on abuse of authority attitudes compared to just a high
school diploma, (Journal of Criminal Justice Education). With the recent conflict over abuse of power
by police, especially with regards to shootings, these findings are extremely critical in weighing whether
or not cops should be required to obtain a college education. It shows that those who can couple their
street smarts and book smarts with regard to how society functions, are better able to facilitate wiser

decision making in critical situations. Having this greater critical thinking ability, along with the respect
of an education can also go a long ways in the ever locked eyes of society upon the police.
With society watching the polices every move, respect is crucial. Whether it is respect from
peers, supervisors, or from everyday citizens, having a degree will help a cop obtain some of the respect
he/she needs to carry out their duties. In a study of the Saint Paul Police Department, it was found that
several work habits and the connection with education could be quantitatively documented. This study
found a strong correlation between work habits and a bachelors degree in arts. In this study that was
printed in 2005, Chief of Staff, Matthew D. Bostrom, D.P.A., states in his article titled The Influence of
Higher Education of Police Officer Work Habits, that: The reason officers with bachelor of arts
degrees did well in this study could be related to the type of course work required to earn a bachelor of
arts degree. For example, a bachelor of arts degree emphasizes problem-solving from a variety of
viewpoints, develops understanding of how perceptions influence behavior, increases a persons comfort
level with ambiguity, and assumes that he things going on in the world are fluid and interrelated, (The
Police Chief). With these greater work habits, and understanding of the world, brings greater respect for
these officers. Deeper understanding almost always brings greater respect by peers and others. They
will have a deeper connection to the community that they serve.
So far Ive listed several reasons why an education is beneficial for a cop while being
employed by an agency, but what about after his tenure is over? Will an education help a cop after
retirement from service? We can use another finding from Teleps study to answer this question. He
states that, the results indicate that the impact of college education may be able to withstand the
effects of police culture, workplace pressures, and other occupational influences, (Journal of
Criminal Justice Education). There is a high degree of depression and isolation that come with

being a cop. But according to Teleps study, having this education can help with the negative effects
that being a cop can have with regards to mental welfare. Also, what happens after retirement? If a
cop still wants to work, having an education will not leave him scrambling to figure things out after
retirement. They will already have a degree in their pocket, and will make finding a job a lot
easier.
In conclusion, I have discussed four areas where having a college degree is beneficial to
being a cop. Again, they are: 1. Police with an education are more desirable to employ and garner
advancement; 2. Police who have a Bachelors in Social Science or Arts, are less likely to abuse
power; 3. Police who have a college education will have more respect from the community they are
trying to serve; and, 4. Police who obtain their college education before entering service as a cop,
will have a reliable foundation to fall back on if after they retire from police service they decide to
continue working in a different field. The research that has been done on this topic is extremely
comprehensive, and includes many different aspects with regards to how an education can effect
being a policeman. It is hard to fit all of the information into a four to five page essay. But, as stated
at the beginning of this paper, I believe that a combination of both street smarts, and book
smarts is the best line of defense, and has led me to my thesis of: Knowledge is, and always has
been, the key to power. This power can come in many forms. It might be the power of being more
desirable, which leads to the ability to make more money; less likelihood to abuse power; power of
having respect from community and peers; and, last but not least, the power of mental health and
life after service as a cop.

Sources
Eugene A. Paoline III, William Terrill, & Michael T. Rossler (2015) Higher Education, College Degree
Major, and Police Occupational Attitudes. Journal of Criminal Justice Education, 26:1, 49-73,
DOI: 10.1080/10511253.2014.923010. Web Nov. 2015.

Victor E. Kappeler, Ph.D., (2013) Why Should I Get a College Degree When I Just Want to Be a Cop?
EKU Online: Police Studies. www.plsonline.eku.edu. Web Accessed Nov. 2015.

Cody Webb Telep, Master of Arts., (2008) The Impact of Higher Education on Police Officer Attitudes
Regarding Abuse of Authority. Journal of Criminal Justice Education, 22:3, 392-419, DOI:
10.1080/10511253.2010.519893. Web Nov. 2015.

Matthew D. Bostrom, D.P.A., (2005) The Influence of Higher Education on Police Officer Work
Habits. The Police Chief. 72:10, Alexandria, VA. USA. Web. Nov. 2015.