A Career Concept for Police

Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology Volume 61 | Issue 3 Article 7 1971 A Career Concept for Police A. F. Brandstatter Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/jclc Part of the Criminal Law Commons, Criminology Commons, and the Criminology and Criminal Justice Commons Recommended Citation A. F. Brandstatter, A Career Concept for Police, 61 J. Crim. L. Criminology & Police Sci. 438 (1970) This Criminology is brought to you for free and open access by Northwestern University School of Law Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology by an authorized editor of Northwestern University School of Law Scholarly Commons. TnE JoumAL o Cu hI. n LAw, CRmInooGy AND POWCE ScnME Copyright ) 1970 by Northwestern University School of Law Vol 61, No. 3 Printe in U.S.A. A CAREER CONCEPT FOR POLICE* A. F. BRANDSTATTER The author is Director of the School of Criminal Justice and Professor of Police Administration, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan. Professor Brandstatter has been a member of the faculty at Michigan State University since 1946 and is well known for his many activities in the Academic field and as a consultant in police administration. He has written a number of articles which have appeared in law enforcement publications in this country, is active in a number of professional organizations, and has served as president of the International Association of Police Professors.EDITOR. The future of the police service in America will be determined, not by technological advances, but by the character of its leaders and the strength and quality of the ideas it advances and supports. Many years ago, the Hoover Commission concluded that "we cannot entrust the government of today to second-rate men and women". The challenge of police service and the management of the police enterprise are great enough to challenge and test the skills, intellects, and competence of educated individuals and to give them great personal and professional satisfaction. Yet, the compensation, promotional opportunities, and recruitment practices of most police departments are unequal to the task of obtaining and retaining the required number and caliber of administrative, professional, and technical personnel. American society places a premium on educational attainment that is without parallel in the world, and its public education system is supported nationwide. Young men and women have been encouraged to complete high school and con'tinue their education beyond this level. The community college movement, which has developed so rapidly in recent years, has brought higher education within the reach of almost every family who wishes to take advantage of it. This program of educational opportunity has served to upgrade the educational level of our society and to create a highly-skilled and knowledgeable labor force. The educational level in the United States rose from 9.1 in 1940 to 12.3 in 1968. The average educational level of all urban residents *The major part of this plan was developed for a community under a model cities project in 1968 and is now under consideration by that community. IMACx, EDWARD J. "The Prospects for Higher Education in Upgrading the Law Enforcement System", Memo to Task Force on Criminal Justice Education, January 7, 1970, p. 5. is thirteen years. A report published in 1968 by the Detroit Regional Transportation and Land Use Committee indicates that an increasing number of citizens are taking advantage of the opportunities for higher education. It indicates that approximately 48% of the heads of households in one suburban community have completed high school; of this number, about 22% are college graduates or have college-level training. One can assume that the children of these families will surpass the educational attainment of their fathers and mothers. All these factors have an impact on recruiting practices in all private organizations. Police departments are competing for the same talent in the American labor market, and they have not been obtaining their share of educated persons from the American labor pool. The task force report of the President's Crime Commission, "The Police", states, "The quality of police service will not significantly improve until higher educational requirements are established for its personnel.... The complexity of the police task is as great as that of any other profession. The performance of this task requires more than physical prowess and common sense". The President's Crime Commission and the International Association of Chiefs of Police support the objective of requiring a baccalaureate degree for police personnel with general enforcement powers and suggest that the minimum requirement for advancement to supervisory and executive positions also be the baccalaureate degree. They also urge that those holding these positions continue to study for advanced degrees. Most police departments require only a high school diploma (or its equivalent) as the educational qualification for entrance and promotion. This minimal educational requirement satisfies 19701 A CAREER CONCEPT FOR POLICE the great majority of the municipalities in the natiofi. However, it is encouraging to note that an increasing number of cities in recent years have been upgrading their requirements to a minimum of two years of college for candidates seeking their initial appointment. Berkeley and San Jose are two California cities that have this requirement, while an excess of 30 other California cities require a combination of education and experience that equates with two years of college-level work. The great majority of police officers in California (about 99%) must have six units of college work at the time of employment or they must complete six college units within 24 months after employment to be retained. A few communities, such as Ventura, California, Multnomah County, Oregon, and Lakewood, Colorado require the baccalaureate degree. In Michigan, Flint, Oak Park, Pontiac, and the Department of Public Safety at Michigan State University require a minimum of two years of college. To advance to supervisory levels, an M.S.U. officer must have earned the baccalaureate degree. Other communities which require two years of college are Daytona Beach, Florida and Hennepin County Sheriff's Department, Minnesota. Federal law enforcement agencies have been employing college graduates for years; the most notable of these agencies is the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The purpose of the classification plan to be here proposed is to create additional opportunities for the able young police officer, to develop a reward system for outstanding officers who perform at operational levels of the department, to distinguish between field personnel and those who aspire to management positions, and to identify and develop the potential leaders in a department. The essential (...truncated)