Role of Education in Policing

¶ … Role of Education in Police Management

The police force in any country has a vital role to play in terms of achieving its intended mission of crime prevention, protection of life and property and apprehending violators of peace. The police force, therefore, are the upholders of justice and peace, and to that extent, it is they, more than anyone else who need to practice an underlying code of ethics that is true to the spirit of democracy: "...the mission 'to protect and serve' is not so simple...require distinct and separate skills artistry of police work lies in the ability to handle explosive situations without resorting to force." (Delattre, 1989, p. 25-26) The practice of justice in police work does not only involve overt criminal acts but various types of community service including assisting the sick and injured or defusing domestic tension and violence. Now, the fact is, even if the police force have ingrained humane values and ethics, such situations require specialist and varying skills. Besides the necessary knowledge and skill base required to perform their duties, the police are increasingly under pressure to deliver a wide range of services using limited human and financial resources, which requires optimization through applying management principles and techniques. It is, for these reasons that the role of education in policing begins to assume importance.

Historically, the emphasis on protecting and serving the public and an initial training period that focuses on preparing police officers for danger and violence has led to the development of an authoritarian attitude in police culture. In addition, the police view themselves as the only ones qualified to do such a special job leading to an organizational culture that is closed, secretive and insulated from the outside world (Johnson, May-June 2003). The problem is further compounded by the nature of policing as portrayed by the media, which creates the belief that police work is primarily about crime fighting that requires physical strength and masculinity. Unfortunately, the police recruitment propaganda, too, projects the same image resulting in a situation of conflict between the types of applicant needed and the type that actually applies. Fact is that the police force needs people who are emotionally stable and people oriented who are not drawn to the position because of the power it gives them over others (Schweizer). It is obvious from the aforesaid that the police force needs a change in culture and concurrently an ability to attract a different kind of candidate if it is to achieve the institutionalization of more professional job and management skills.

The culture of authoritarianism, as discussed above, coupled with the fact that college education was not a prerequisite for police officers finally led to a situation where police management practices related to street crime suppression, brutality, corruption and discrimination increasingly came under public scrutiny: "Amid the race riots and social protests of the 1960s, the President's Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice called for all police officers to possess college degrees." (Thibault et. al, 1995, p.263) Emerging from the recognition that higher education had an important role to play in police management, educational programs in criminal justice were developed and by 1990, over 1000 academic criminal justice programs existed in colleges and universities (Morn, 1995, p. 180).

At first, the historic connection of criminal justice with police science appeared to be too vocational and further, it was found that many aspects of criminal justice could fit into traditional disciplines. For example, police management could well be covered under public administration programs. The adoption of a liberal arts model led to only a few programs remaining committed to practical aspects of law enforcement. As a result, the field grew to be so scholarly that many students and practitioners found it to be irrelevant, as evidenced by a 1988 Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), which reported that only 48.8% of police agencies preferred a criminal justice degree when hiring college graduates (Morn, 1995, p. 180).

Educationally, the debate on the need to hire college educated police officers is still continuing, even though there is some data, which suggests that educated officers have a lower incidence of brutality complaints. Opponents to the need for higher education counter such data with other statistics that reveal the fact that higher education is linked to lower tenure. As of now, the minimum standard adhered in police recruitment is more a case of excluding convicted felons, people convicted of crimes of domestic violence and substance abuse. For the rest, recruitment of the right candidates depends on psychological and emotional screening tests (Schweizer).

Though the jury is still out on the need for educated police officers, it has been clearly established in the preceding discussion that education has a definitive role to play. For one, educated officers, especially senior ones can bring about a change in organizational culture within the existing police force and more important during training of fresh recruits (Johnson, May-June 2003), which will emphasize on the need for honesty, use of minimal force, and the importance of developing community relations.

Education will also lead to knowledge and skills in developing mission statements, values and codes of conduct that aim at the police force doing their duty in a fair and just manner. Consider, for example, that there are really three different types of codes of ethics: ideals, principles, and conduct. Yet, current police codes have combined all three creating confusion (Dulin, May-June 2003).

Second, besides cultural issues, educated officers can help bring about changes in critical organizational areas such as more sophisticated research on the national, regional and local patterns of criminal activity, which will lead to increased effectiveness in protecting society from crime. Not only will education lend the necessary analytical skills, it will also as important, lead to an ability to deal with organizational issues that may come in the way of gathering and analyzing cross-border data beyond local jurisdiction. Further organizational management skills will result in more proactive short- and long-term planning of departmental goals, human and fiscal resources, allowing for optimization of both technology and personnel. After all, there is active competition between police organizations for resources and personnel; formal and informal spheres of influence between various law enforcement agencies; and informal relationships (Thibault et. al., p.319)