How many U.S. police officers have a college degree?

What is it about?

This article describes the findings of a recent national survey of 958 local (municipal and county) law enforcement agencies on the subject of higher education in US policing. Findings reveal that minimum education requirements to be hired, which are primarily dictated by state standards, have not changed significantly since 1988 but CEO education has changed and is highly important for agency policy and practice. Although a college degree is not usually required to be hired, it is usually required to promote to higher ranks. About half (51.5%) of sworn officers in the US who work for local agencies have a 2-year degree or higher, 28.6% have a 4-year degree or higher, and 5.4% have a graduate degree but this varies considerably by agency size, type, region, Chief/Sheriff education level, and union presence. Implications for improving education in policing are discussed.

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Photo by Leon Wu on Unsplash

Photo by Leon Wu on Unsplash

Why is it important?

It is the first national study in 30 years to examine the issue and in 40 years to examine higher education in small departments. We now have data to try and assess how higher education can be relevant to the practice of policing. That’s a big deal because we have the potential now to actually conclude whether police departments and/or communities are served better by officers with four-year degrees, thereby also having the potential to improve policing in this country, both for the public but also for officers.