Monster Media 1994 #1/monster.zip/monster/TEXT/LEB94JAN.ZIP/94JAN001.TXT

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              HIGHER EDUCATION FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT
                       THE MINNESOTA MODEL

                               By
                     Michael G. Breci, Ph.D.
                       Associate Professor
                    School of Law Enforcement
                  Metropolitan State University


     For decades, the call for professionalism in the law
enforcement field focused on increasing the educational levels
of police officers. The President's Commission on Law
Enforcement and Administration of Justice (1967) and the
National Advisory Commission on Criminal Justice Standards and
Goals (1973) both supported the 4-year degree as a prerequisite
for employment in law enforcement. The President's Commission
accurately predicted that the complexities of policing would
require higher levels of education.

     Indeed, since the 1960's, policing has become increasingly
complex. For example, many police agencies have implemented
community policing, which is based on the premise that police
officers can better address crime problems by examining complex
social issues and developing solutions that involve the police
and the community working together. Effective community policing
requires skills officers acquire through higher
education-research, critical thinking, problem solving, effective
oral and written communication, and an understanding of group and
community dynamics.

     Recognizing the need for highly educated officers, the
Minnesota legislature took the initiative to implement minimum
entry-level educational requirements beyond high school. In 1977,
it created the Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST)
Board.

     The POST Board adopted the position that law enforcement, as
a profession, requires a broad-based education. Therefore, it
mandated increased levels of education for  police officers,
while creating standards to ensure the safety of citizens in the
State. To accomplish this, the board required that prospective
law enforcement officers complete a 2-year degree program in
order to be licensed in the State of Minnesota. This article
examines Minnesota's policy of licensing law enforcement officers
and discusses its implications for the State and law enforcement
as a whole.

THE MINNESOTA MODEL

     The State of Minnesota has an unusual application process
for law enforcement officers. The POST Board licenses prospective
peace officers before they seek employment in police agencies.
The licensing process consists of both academic and clinical
programs. The academic component, which candidates must complete
before pursuing the clinical skills component, requires a 2-year
or 4-year degree from a POST-certified college or university.
Currently, Minnesota has 20 such institutions.

     Minnesota's clinical program is similar to police academies
operating in most States-with two significant differences. While
police departments usually pay to train new recruits after hiring
them, candidates in Minnesota must pay for and complete the
program before seeking employment as police offi-cers. The skills
component consists of a 9- to 12-week course at one of the three
approved centers located in the State. Students may also attend
institutions that combine the academic and skills components. Two
POST-certified colleges in Minnesota currently offer this option.

     After successfully completing the academic and skills
components, candidates must pass the Minnesota Peace Officer
Licensing Examination. This examination, similar to other
occupational licensing tests, assesses students' proficiency in
both theory and practice. Those who pass receive a temporary
license that allows them to apply for openings in law enforcement
agencies in Minnesota. This license remains valid until they find
a position with a law enforcement agency.

     After a law enforcement agency hires an individual, POST
issues the officer a 3-year license to "practice" in Minnesota.
In order to renew the license, an officer must earn 48 hours of
continuing education credit. This education may include college
courses and/or agency-sponsored training.

INCREASED LEVELS OF EDUCATION

     Educational levels of police officers have increased in
Minnesota and nationwide over the past several decades. To
illustrate, in 1970, 14.6 percent of American police officers
completed 2 or more years of college. A 1988 national survey,
commissioned by the Police Executive Research Forum, found that
44.7 percent had completed 2 or more years of higher education, a
30-percent increase nationally. (1)

     By comparison, a 1990 survey of the 7,501 law enforcement
officers in Minnesota found that 71.4 percent possessed a 2-year
degree or more. (2) The findings also indicate that respondents
continued their education after being hired as law enforcement
officers. The figures further suggest that State-mandated higher
education may do more to increase overall education levels within
States than the current practice of allowing individual
departments to set minimum educational requirements.

ATTITUDES ON HIGHER EDUCATION

     A random sample of the 7,501 officers surveyed in 1990
determined the effect that the 2-year degree requirement had on
officers' attitudes regarding higher education. Of the 1,500
surveys sent out, 915 were returned, for a 61-percent response
rate. When asked to describe how college classes helped them as
law enforcement officers, the respondents most often listed the
following benefits:

     o  Keep officers current/help them to become well-rounded

     o  Help officers to understand the public and how to
        communicate more effectively with citizens

     o  Prepare officers for advancement/provide management
        skills

     o  Provide officers with computer skills.

     In addition, most officers surveyed believed that
individuals possessing a 4-year degree would have a broader
perspective and would perform their jobs in a more mature and
professional manner, thus benefiting law enforcement. Officers
also believed that because a 4-year degree would increase their
qualifications for available positions, it would decrease
competition. Furthermore, officers equated a 4-year degree with
higher pay.

     Clearly, the officers responding to the survey believed a
4-year college degree offered many advantages. In fact, nearly 30
percent of the officers in this survey had a 4-year degree or
more. Furthermore, 23 percent contended that they would complete
a college degree in the next 5 years, and 56 percent said they
planned to take college classes in the future.

     For those not planning to continue their formal education,
the majority indicated they either did not have the time or the
resources. However, most of the officers (83 percent) said that
if scholarships were made available, they would continue their
education.

     Surprisingly, while these findings suggest that officers in
Minnesota have favorable attitudes toward higher education, only
24 percent of the officers surveyed supported a 4-year degree
requirement for law enforcement officers. The following quotes
illustrate some of the officers' concerns regarding a degree
requirement:

     o  "Thought should be given to the impact such a requirement
        would have on minority aspirants to the profession. I am
        concerned that good minority candidates may be tracked
        out of our profession by the 4-year degree requirement."

     o  "Our profession remains paramilitary. The 4-year degree
        person is trained to question rather than to accept. I am
        concerned that our system needs time to change before an
        immediate infusion of 4-year degree persons."

     o  "The 4-year degree requirement carries the real risk of
         disqualifying well-suited candidates, based on economic
         considerations."

     o  "The person with a 4-year degree will not want to work at
         the pay scale small towns can afford to pay."

        This last comment strikes a chord with opponents of
State-mandated education. In fact, critics opposed to adopting
State-imposed minimum educational requirements contend that small
departments and rural law enforcement agencies could not
successfully compete with larger, urban police departments in
recruiting personnel.

     In Minnesota, larger departments do receive more
applications for posted job openings (around 400-500 per opening)
than smaller, rural departments (100 applications per opening).
However, no shortage of qualified applicants exists. To
illustrate, between 1982 and 1990, the POST Board issued 3,944
temporary licenses to those who passed the licensing examination.
During that same period, the board issued 2,898 new licenses to
officers working in law enforcement. In other words, during that
9-year period, there were over 1,000 qualified applicants unable
to find employment in any police agency, large or small, in
Minnesota.

THE FUTURE OF LAW ENFORCEMENT EDUCATION

     In 1990, a bill introduced by members of the Minnesota State
Legislature would have required all new peace officers hired
after January 1, 1994, to have a bachelor's degree. The POST
Board was commissioned to assess the feasibility of implementing
the 4-year degree as a prerequisite for granting licenses.

     To do this, the board consulted with law enforcement
personnel, educators, and elected officials from municipalities
and counties. After an intensive, year-long study, it  concluded:
"The POST Board supports, in principle, the attainment of a
baccalaureate degree by all peace officers who aspire to this
goal, but does not support mandating a baccalaureate degree as a
prerequisite for licensing." (3)

     During the study, the POST Board identified problems within
the educational component that would make it difficult to supply
communities with an adequate number of 4-year degree candidates.
Therefore, to facilitate change within the educational component,
the POST Board suggested a number of proposals to upgrade the
delivery system. The Minnesota legislature adopted these
suggestions and passed The Peace Officer Education Legislation of
1991. (4)

     This legislation built on and improved the previous system
in many ways. First, it increased the amount of general education
in the professional peace officer education program, while
simplifying the transfer of credits between lower division and
upper division institutions. It also required the integration of
academic and clinical skills components into a college degree
program. Finally, it created a professional school of law
enforcement responsible for bachelor degree programs, graduate
study, continuing education, and applied research. In essence,
this legislation paved the way for the future enactment of a
4-year degree requirement for licensure as a police officer in
Minnesota.

     In the near future, State legislatures across the Nation
will start implementing standards designed to increase police
professionalism. Currently, the responsibility for change has
been left to the individual police agency. While efforts on the
local level are commendable, for the most part, they have been
ineffective in terms of bringing about far-reaching changes in
law enforcement.

     Individual agencies simply do not have the power to bring
about change where it will be the most effective--the educational
institutions. As Carter and Sapp point out: "The future of
policing depends on the future of higher education...[H]igher
education...  facilitates the development of innovative police
practices...." (5) Cooperation between academia and law
enforcement is, therefore, essential for shaping the curriculum
for law enforcement officers in the 21st century.

CONCLUSION

     The Minnesota experience suggests that a centralized agency,
such as the POST Board, has the potential to bring together law
enforcement and academia. In Minnesota, the board has the
authority to develop curriculum guidelines for institutions of
higher education, while setting minimum educational standards for
police personnel in the State. The POST Board combines the
resources of law enforcement and academia in a campaign to
professionalize law enforcement.

     Meeting the changing needs of the police in the next century
cannot be left to chance. A coordinated effort between education,
law enforcement, and States will nurture the development of
police professionalism in the years to come.


ENDNOTES

     (1)  David L. Carter, Ph.D., and Allen D. Sapp, Ph.D.,
"College Education and Policing: Coming of Age," FBI Law
Enforcement Bulletin, January 1992, 10.

     (2)  The survey included officers hired prior to 1977 when
the Post Board was formed. These officers do not need to meet the
2-year degree requirement.

     (3)  D. Glass, ed., A Study of the Minnesota Professional
Peace Officer Education System, POST Board, St. Paul, MN., 1991.

     (4)  1991 Laws of Minnesota, Article 6, Section  4.

     (5) Supra note 1, p. 14.