Searching for a Pattern: The Effects of Officer Education on Policing

In the field of policing, there has been considerable debate for many decades about basic pre-hire qualifications that prospective police officers should have. The arguments have been particularly notable with regards to the topic of education. Traditionally, police departments have been willing to hire officers with nothing more than high school or an equivalent level of education. More and more departments are changing their hiring requirements and stipulating that officers have ever-increasing levels of education. This study seeks to review the extant literature on the topic and draw conclusions as to the effectiveness and performance of college-educated officers versus their non college-educated counterparts, as well as whether there are benefits from having more education.