New_Age_Officers

New Age Officers Abstract This paper will focus on the new era of police officers. Although community policing is still much in demand today as it was 50 years ago, the officers patrolling the streets are much more educated and trained than before. The supervisory teams that trains and manages these individuals have not only new officers to contend with, but also veteran officers who may not appreciate the education for the new officers. Current study of law enforcement officer’s education level illustrate that the percentage of officers with some degree of higher education has increased. It has been noted that “well over half of the officers in the United States now have some college-level education” (Polk, 2001).‖Many local police departments and sheriff offices require some type of degree, associates or bachelor, before consideration for employment can occur. A more educated police force has been found to be more beneficial to the department and the community as well. A police force that is comprised of college educated law enforcement officers has also been a proposition of almost every nationwide department and is of such significance, many departments all over the country provide an assortment of enticements to their officers to achieve a degree of higher education. The observed evidence shows that a higher education improves some essential ways of conduct and manners that are noted in policing. Practical studies investigating education levels of law enforcement officers can be separated into two wide-ranging categories: conduct assessments (how many individuals they have arrested, grievances filed against them, and praises) and approaches and manner assessments (job contentment, receptiveness to modernism). In general, higher education has been recognized as an affirmative power in the development and improvement of policing. Higher educated law enforcement officers have enhanced verbal and written communication abilities, are more relaxed and supple in their contact with the community members, acclimatize better to managerial modifications, are normally more proficient,‖ and have less supervisory or personnel issues. Law enforcement officers with college education have more incentive, are more capable to use modern methods, exhibit clearer judgment and opinions, contain a better perceptive of the life of a law enforcement officer, and the need of higher education given the position and responsibility of being a police officer. Higher educated law enforcement officers have a wider understanding of civil right matters from legal, public, accounts in history, and political standpoints. Furthermore, these educated officers have an expanded outlook of policing responsibilities and a better professional philosophy; therefore their acts and judgments are more apt to be motivated by a sense of right and wrong and values, as a result decreasing the possibility of wrong choices. A rational conclusion is that those law enforcement officers that have higher education are less likely to situate the department in a legally responsible circumstance. Rational inquiries propose, in general, that education without a doubt has an optimistic stand on communication; law enforcement officers with more college education have better communication abilities and a larger sense of openness to alterations in their line of work. Those police applicants who have higher education have been noted to have improved verbal and written communication abilities, formulate better judgments, and added understanding and open-mindedness for individuals with unusual manners and ways of life. “A Florida study in 2002 found that although approximately 50% of police officers only had a high school diploma, they accounted for almost 75% of all the state issued disciplinary actions. They also found that less educated officers were more likely to use deadly force” (Terrill, 2002). Law enforcement officers, who have a college education, especially in the area of criminal justice, consider their degree more than a simple job-related preparation.These officers’ pointed out that their degree in criminal justice significantly improved their perception of judicial matters and the entire criminal justice system. Additionally, a large group of law enforcement officers specified that their college education offered them at a minimum some enhancement in communication proficiency, critical judgment abilities, management skills, public relations ease, and patrol along with investigation processes. Also, the more advanced the degree, the more importance the law enforcement officer put on their education and the ability it would have to develop these talents. What can supervisors do to lead and train these new educated “new age” officers' These new officers may have the education to correctly perform their job, but do they have the years of experience and street smarts that are only learned from those who have been with the policing industry for years. There may be benefits to pairing a new officer with one who has more than five years of experience. This is a step that will not only help the new officer learn about the job position away from the textbook, but allow the veteran officer to become more relaxed around new recruits and also feel like an integral part of the department and supervisory team. The techniques and supervisory practices need not to be changes because of new officers’ educational background. The ones that have been instituted and used prior need to be kept in check. This will allow less complaint from veterans who may think changes are undergoing because of more educated officers being hired and the new officers with their level of education should be able to comprehend and work with the methods that have been set in place. The idea is for not only the new officers to feel comfortable and not feeling like they are stepping on veterans’ toes, but also for veterans to feel needed, appreciated, and as knowledgeable as their younger counterparts. References Polk, O Elmer, and David A. Armstrong. (2001). Higher Education and Law Enforcement Career paths: Is the Road to Success Paved by Degree'‖ Journal of Criminal Justice Education 12(1): 77-99. Terrill, W. and Mastrofski, S.D. (2002). Situational and Officer-Based Determinants of Police Coercion,‖ Justice Quarterly, 19(2): 215-48.