Police Professionalism and Officer Deployment Analysis

Introduction to Police Professionalism

The current state of police professionalism, when compared to its past, is likely to be the same or higher — particularly when that comparison is set against a general decline of professionalism across many industries. In the specific case of policing, however, it is worth noting that the starting point for police "professionalism" was historically much lower than that of almost every other recognized profession.

According to Dick Winterton, chief executive of Skills for Justice, "the Police Service was the only profession that did not use the education system to prepare people before they join" (Training 2004). This raises an important question: if becoming a police officer means pursuing a "profession," does it not follow that the individual should be called a professional? And if so, would the training and education required need to be substantial enough to earn that title? Winterton believes the educational dimension of becoming a police professional remains sorely lacking. He compared the situation to fields such as engineering and healthcare, where practitioners "do not simply turn up at the local works or hospital and expect training" (Training 2007).

Defining 'Professional' and Its Application to Policing

These questions hinge on the definition of the word professional. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a professional as relating to "senses relating to or derived from (the conduct of) a profession or occupation" (Oxford 2007). It further describes a profession as "an occupation in which a professed knowledge of some subject, field, or science is applied; a vocation or career, especially one that involves prolonged training and a formal qualification" (Oxford 2007). An early clarification in the dictionary shows the term applied specifically to "the professions of law, the Church, and medicine, and sometimes extended also to the military profession."

If one subscribes to the strictest interpretation — prolonged training and formal qualification — one could assert that police officers are not true professionals, especially early in their careers when the only training they may have received comes from a police academy where an average graduating class finishes in less than six months. A comparison of that training period to the formal education required of engineers, attorneys, doctors, or healthcare professionals reveals a significant discrepancy.

That discrepancy began to be addressed in the late 1960s, when a Presidential Commission recognized the need for college-trained police officers. "The Commission was the major impetus behind a Government commitment to spend millions of dollars on such education" (Hoover 1996, p. 19). Greater funding for education led to increased interest in law enforcement as a career, which in turn generated more educational opportunities — a mutually reinforcing cycle.

Historical Development of Police Education and Training

"The resulting professionalization of the police force may be one of the major reasons that more jurisdictions paid police officers considerably higher salaries in 1970 than they received in earlier years" (Hoover 1996, p. 20). The link between professional education and improved compensation reflected broader recognition that policing demanded more than on-the-job training alone. Today, many departments require or encourage college degrees, and police education has expanded substantially since that initial federal investment.

There is one vocation that offers a close parallel to policing, and that is firefighting. "Despite differences in specific tasks, police and fire services are functions of public safety" (Hoover 1996, p. 14). Because both occupations are considered essential to the general order of society, it could be argued that neither fully qualifies as a "profession" in the original sense of the word. Instead, both might be more accurately described as public services, and the individuals who choose them are not "professionals" in the classical sense — yet they are professional enough to respond to crisis and trouble with skill and composure.

It would seem, therefore, that the professionalism of most police officers is not in serious doubt, but whether policing constitutes a true "profession" depends largely on the definition applied and the perspective of those engaging in the debate.

Determining Appropriate Police Staffing Levels

The first factor to consider is the number of residents in a given area. Population size serves as a general benchmark for service demand, since the volume of calls for assistance can be roughly extrapolated from the number of people living in a locale. The second factor is the demographics of that area — not merely raw numbers, but the character of the community: its economic conditions, crime rate, age distribution, and educational attainment. All of these elements influence how many officers can effectively serve a particular community. Areas with higher crime rates clearly require more officers than lower-crime areas; placing only five officers in a high-crime zone while assigning ten to a low-crime area would be an inefficient and potentially dangerous allocation.

A third factor is the attitude of residents toward law enforcement. If the general population is suspicious or wary of police, an increased officer presence could heighten community tensions rather than reduce them. Understanding public sentiment is therefore an important variable in staffing decisions.

According to a list published in U.S. News and World Report, "many people choose service professions in fields like medicine, education, or counseling" (Nemko 2007), and policing falls within that same service-oriented category. It stands to reason that individuals drawn to public service should be deployed where they can be most effective. Taken together, these factors — population, demographics, and public attitudes — make decisions about how to staff and police a community far more complex than they might appear on the surface, requiring careful weighing of multiple competing considerations. The process would benefit most when all affected parties have an equal voice in the discussion.

Conclusion

It would seem, therefore, that the professionalism of a majority of police officers in society is not in any doubt, but whether becoming a police officer constitutes a true "profession" would largely depend on the definition of that word and the attitudes of those engaged in the debate. What is clear is that the field has advanced considerably since the era when no formal educational preparation was expected, and that thoughtful, evidence-based approaches to staffing remain essential to effective public safety delivery.