Higher education for law enforcement: the Minnesota model.

For decades, the call for professionalism in the law enforcement field focused on increasing the educational levels of police officers. The President's Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice (1967) and the National Advisory Commission on Criminal Justice Standards and Goals (1973) both supported the 4-year degree as a prerequisite for employment in law enforcement. The President's Commission accurately predicted that the complexities of policing would require higher levels of education.

Indeed, since the 1960's, policing has become increasingly complex. For example, many police agencies have implemented community policing, which is based on the premise that police officers can better address crime problems by examining complex social issues and developing solutions that involve the police and the community working together. Effective community policing requires skills officers acquire through higher education-research, critical thinking, problem solving, effective oral and written communication, and an understanding of group and community dynamics.

Recognizing the need for highly educated officers, the Minnesota legislature took the initiative to implement minimum entry-level educational requirements beyond high school. In 1977, it created the Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) Board.

The POST Board adopted the position that law enforcement, as a profession, requires a broad-based education. Therefore, it mandated increased levels of education for police officers, while creating standards to ensure the safety of citizens in the State. To accomplish this, the board required that prospective law enforcement officers complete a 2-year degree program in order to be licensed in the State of Minnesota. This article examines Minnesota's policy of licensing law enforcement officers and discusses its implications for the State and law enforcement as a whole.

The Minnesota Model

The State of Minnesota has an unusual application process for law enforcement officers. The POST Board licenses prospective peace officers before they seek employment in police agencies. The licensing process consists of both academic and clinical programs. The academic component, which candidates must complete before pursuing the clinical skills component, requires a 2-year or 4-year degree from a POST-certified college or university. Currently, Minnesota has 20 such institutions.

Minnesota's clinical program is similar to police academies operating in most States--with two significant differences. While police departments usually pay to train new recruits after hiring them, candidates in Minnesota must pay for and complete the program before seeking employment as police officers. The skills component consists of a 9- to 12-week course at one of the three approved centers located in the State. Students may also attend institutions that combine the academic and skills components. Two POST-certified colleges in Minnesota currently offer this option.

After successfully completing the academic and skills components, candidates must pass the Minnesota Peace Officer Licensing Examination. This examination, similar to other occupational licensing tests, assesses students' proficiency in both theory and practice. Those who pass receive a temporary license that allows them to apply for openings in law enforcement agencies in Minnesota. This license remains valid until they find a position with a law enforcement agency. After a law enforcement agency hires an individual, POST issues the officer a 3-year license to "practice" in Minnesota. In order to renew the license, an officer must earn 48 hours of continuing education credit. This education may include college courses and/or agency-sponsored training.

Increased Levels of Education

Educational levels of police officers have increased in Minnesota and nationwide over the past several decades. To illustrate, in 1970, 14.6 percent of American police officers completed 2 or more years of college. A 1988 national survey, commissioned by the Police Executive Research Forum, found that 44.7 percent had completed 2 or more years of higher education, a 30-percent increase nationally.(1)

By comparison, a 1990 survey of the 7,501 law enforcement officers in Minnesota found that 71.4 percent possessed a 2-year degree or more? The findings also indicate that respondents continued their education alter being hired as law enforcement officers. The figures further suggest that State-mandated higher education may do more to increase overall education levels within States than the current practice of allowing individual departments to set minimum educational requirements.

Attitudes on Higher Education

A random sample of the 7,501 officers surveyed in 1990 determined the effect that the 2-year degree requirement had on officers' attitudes regarding higher education. Of the 1,500 surveys sent out, 915 were returned, for a 61-percent response rate. When asked to describe how college classes helped them as law enforcement officers, the respondents most often listed the following benefits:

* Keep officers current/help them to become well-rounded

* Help officers to understand the public and how to communicate more effectively with citizens

* Prepare officers for advancement/provide management skills

* Provide officers with computer skills.

In addition, most officers surveyed believed that individuals possessing a 4-year degree would have a broader perspective and would perform their jobs in a more mature and professional manner, thus benefiting law enforcement. Officers also believed that because a 4-year degree would increase their qualifications for available positions, it would decrease competition. Furthermore, officers equated a 4-year degree with higher pay.

Clearly, the officers responding to the survey believed a 4-year college degree offered many advantages. In fact, nearly 30 percent of the officers in this survey had a 4-year degree or more. Furthermore, 23 percent contended that they would complete a college degree in the next 5 years, and 56 percent said they planned to take college classes in the future.

For those not planning to continue their formal education, the majority indicated they either did not have the time or the resources. However, most of the officers (83 percent) said that if scholarships were made available, they would continue their education.

Surprisingly, while these findings suggest that officers in Minnesota have favorable attitudes toward higher education, only 24 percent of the officers surveyed supported a 4-year degree requirement for law enforcement officers. The following quotes illustrate some of the officers' concerns regarding a degree requirement:

* "Thought should be given to the impact such a requirement would have on minority aspirants to the profession. I am concerned that good minority candidates may be tracked out of our profession by the 4-year degree requirement."

* "Our profession remains paramilitary. The 4-year degree person is trained to question rather than to accept. I am concerned that our system needs time to change before an immediate infusion of 4-year degree persons."

* "The 4-year degree requirement carries the real risk of disqualifying well-suited candidates, based on economic considerations."

* "The person with a 4-year degree will not want to work at the pay scale small towns can afford to pay."

This last comment strikes a chord with opponents of State-mandated education. In fact, critics opposed to adopting State-imposed minimum educational requirements contend that small departments and rural law enforcement agencies could not successfully compete with larger, urban police departments in recruiting personnel.

In Minnesota, larger departments do receive more applications for posted job openings (around 400-500 per opening) than smaller, rural departments (100 applications per opening). However, no shortage of qualified applicants exists. To illustrate, between 1982 and 1990, the POST Board issued 3,944 temporary licenses to those who passed the licensing examination. During that same period, the board issued 2,898 new licenses to officers working in law enforcement. In other words, during that 9-year period, there were over 1,000 qualified applicants unable to find employment in any police agency, large or small, in Minnesota.

The Future of Law Enforcement Education

In 1990, a bill introduced by members of the Minnesota State Legislature would have required all new peace officers hired after January 1, 1994, to have a bachelor's degree. The POST Board was commissioned to assess the feasibility of implementing the 4-year degree as a prerequisite for granting licenses.

To do this, the board consulted with law enforcement personnel, educators, and elected officials from municipalities and counties. After an intensive, year-long study, it concluded: "The POST Board supports, in principle, the attainment of a baccalaureate degree by all peace officers who aspire to this goal, but does not support mandating a baccalaureate degree as a prerequisite for licensing."(3)

During the study, the POST Board identified problems within the educational component that would make it difficult to supply communities with an adequate number of 4-year degree candidates. Therefore, to facilitate change within the educational component, the POST Board suggested a number of proposals to upgrade the delivery system. The Minnesota legislature adopted these suggestions and passed The Peace Officer Education Legislation of 1991.(4)

This legislation built on and improved the previous system in many ways. First, it increased the amount of general education in the professional peace officer education program, while simplifying the transfer of credits between lower division and upper division institutions. It also required the integration of academic and clinical skills components into a college degree program. Finally, it created a professional school of law enforcement responsible for bachelor degree programs, graduate study, continuing education, and applied research. In essence, this legislation paved the way for the future enactment of a 4-year degree requirement for licensure as a police officer in Minnesota. In the near future, State legislatures across the Nation will start implementing standards designed to increase police professionalism. Currently, the responsibility for change has been left to the individual police agency. While efforts on the local level are commendable, for the most part, they have been ineffective in terms of bringing about far-reaching changes in law enforcement. Individual agencies simply do not have the power to bring about change where it will be the most effective--the educational institutions. As Carter and Sapp point out: "The future of policing depends on the future of higher education...|H~igher education...facilitates the development of innovative police practices...."(5) Cooperation between academia and law enforcement is, therefore, essential for shaping the curriculum for law enforcement officers in the 21st century.

Conclusion

The Minnesota experience suggests that a centralized agency, such as the POST Board, has the potential to bring together law enforcement and academia. In Minnesota, the board has the authority to develop curriculum guidelines for institutions of higher education, while setting minimum educational standards for police personnel in the State. The POST Board combines the resources of law enforcement and academia in a campaign to professionalize law enforcement. Meeting the changing needs of the police in the next century cannot be left to chance. A coordinated effort between education, law enforcement, and States will nurture the development of police professionalism in the years to come.

Endnotes

1 David L. Carter, Ph.D., and Alien D. Sapp, Ph.D., "College Education and Policing: Coming of Age," FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, January 1992, 10.

2 The survey included officers hired prior to 1977 when the Post Board was formed. These officers do not need to meet the 2-year degree requirement.

3 D. Glass. ed., A Study of the Minnesota Professional Peace Officer Education System, POST Board, St. Paul, MN., 1991.

4 1991 Laws of Minnesota, Article 6, Section 4.

5 Supra note 1. p. 14.

Dr. Breci is an associate professor at Metropolitan State University's School of Law Enforcement, St. Paul, Minnesota.