How College Helps Decrease Use of Force among Police

Discussion

The hypothesis of this study was: Requiring a higher education/college degree for law enforcement officers will lead to less use of force and better community policing.

Explanation of Results

Based on the background research, the study found support for the hypothesis that higher education among law enforcement officers leads to reduced use of force and improved community policing. Among the officers surveyed, the data indicated that college education did correlate positively with lower levels of use of force while on the job. This suggests that college education does bring a degree of collectedness to the policing approach. This is consistent with Rydberg and Terril (2010), who found that college education significantly reduces the likelihood of force occurring. However, Blumberg et al. (2019) cautioned that college education alone may not provide all the necessary skills for effective policing, emphasizing the need for specialized training in police academies. Keeping this in mind, these findings may be taken as a first step in the right direction towards more deeply understanding the relationship between college education and use of force among law enforcement. The value of this study can be seen in this way, but more research should be undertaken to address some of the limitations of this current research.

Limitations

Limitations of the study include the reliance on self-reported measures, which could introduce biases in the responses due to social desirability or inaccurate recall. Additionally, the cross-sectional nature of the study does not allow for establishing causal relationships between education and policing outcomes. Furthermore, the online survey methodology may have limited the representativeness of the sample, as not all officers might have had equal access or willingness to participate.

Ways to Improve the Study

To improve the study, researchers could use objective measures of use of force and community policing, such as official department records or independent observer ratings. Employing a longitudinal design could assess changes in use of force and community policing practices over time and in response to education. Diversifying recruitment strategies would ensure broader participation from law enforcement officers across different regions, departments, and demographics.

Concerns Regarding Internal and External Validity

Concerns regarding internal and external validity include potential confounding factors, such as department policies or individual officer characteristics, which could compromise internal validity if not accounted for in the study. External validity might be limited due to the online survey methodology and potential selection bias, affecting the generalizability of the findings to the larger population of law enforcement officers.

Future Research Ideas

Future research ideas could involve investigating the specific aspects of college education that contribute to better policing outcomes, such as critical thinking, ethical reasoning, or communication skills. Researchers could also examine the effectiveness of police academy training programs in teaching necessary skills for de-escalation and community policing, as suggested by Blumberg et al. (2019). Exploring the impact of requiring higher education for law enforcement officers on other outcomes, such as job satisfaction, mental health, or public trust in the police, is another potential avenue of research. Finally, conducting experimental or quasi-experimental studies could establish causal relationships between education and policing outcomes, addressing the limitations of cross-sectional designs.