Importance of Tertiary Education for Police Officers

Running head: CRIMINOLOGY SKILLS 1
Criminology Skills
Name
Date

CRIMINOLOGY SKILLS 2
1. INTRODUCTION
a. Hook- Higher education is a means to better and professional policing. From as early
as 1967, law experts have studied the relationship between police performance and
education. The arguments presented were that with the police officers educated, the
general population becomes educated with police officers being more intelligent than
the average populations (Smith, & Aamodt, 2017).
b. Claim-Studies show that officers with college degrees show overall better performance
compared to their counterparts without college degrees.
c. Plan- Setting higher qualification standards attracts candidates with high standards,
and moving the professional closer to a graduate profession. Setting tertiary qualification
ensures that policing grows as a profession. Therefore there is the need for tertiary
education so that the police force and individual police officers rip additional benefits
from tertiary education.
2. GROUNDS 1: Such benefits from tertiary education include better behavior.
a Evidence- Researchers have linked the police behavior with education levels; more
educated officers are likely to show good behavior and less educated officers are
likely to be disciplined for bad behavior (Dunham, & Alpert, 2015).
b Warrant- Officers with tertiary education are seen to be more disciplined and ethical.
In a study carried out by Association of Chief of Police in Florida shows that only 11
percent of officers who had tertiary education were subjects of disciplinary action. On
the other hand, only 7 percent of those with a college education were accounted to
have had disciplinary action taken on them.

CRIMINOLOGY SKILLS 3
c Backing- Studies conducted at Michigan State University by Dr. William Terill and
Jayson Rydberg in 2014 shows that officers who have a tertiary education are less
likely to use force (Rydberg, & Terrill, 2010).
3. GROUNDS 2: Education gives police officers the skills of being creative and
improves their critical thinking skills.
a Reason- The critical thinking skills make the police officers better at the
administration, investigative procedures, and thinking.
b Warrant- Tertiary education increases their opportunities and improves their abilities
to hold higher positions and grow in their place of work.
c Further Evidence- The study conducted by Terrill and Jayson also shows that
officers with tertiary education have better negotiating skills, performance and better
techniques for solving problems (Rydberg, & Terrill, 2010).. The study further made
observations that officers with tertiary education had better communication skills.,
had better work ethics (spend less time on sick leave), were better in making a
decision independently and had fewer records of injury.
d Warrant -In a study carried out by Association of Chiefs of police in Florida shows
that officers that held undergraduate degrees had a performance which was at per
with other officers who had an experience of ten years.
e Backing -Therefore, tertiary education not only improves the overall performance of
the police but brings more positive outcomes in the work place (Josi, & Sechrest,
2008).