• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Subscribe to the Magazine
American Police Beat

American Police Beat Magazine

Law Enforcement Publication

  • Home
  • Editor’s Picks
    • Seeking the right kind of help
      “Why does that call keep haunting me?”
      Mentoring: Leave ’em better than you found ’em
      A message to those considering suicide
      The power of teamwork
  • Topics
    • On the Job
      • California deputies rescue teen dangling 700 feet in the air after...
        Washington deputy rescues injured dog from drainpipe
        “Wow, our career together is over”: Missouri police department...
        Heroic Pennsylvania officer saves father and daughter from drowning...
        Denver law enforcement struggle to divert low-level offenders to...
    • Labor
      • San Francisco “workhorse” deputy earns millions in overtime pay...
        “A financial tsunami”
        LAPD officers receive raises, bonuses
        Minnesota police force faces disbandment as chief resigns amid salary...
        We quit!
    • Tech
      • The rise of I2P
        Ann Arbor Police Department adopts AI technology to analyze body...
        Ohio law enforcement adopts powerful ballistics technology to combat...
        AI-powered surveillance program raises concerns over privacy rights...
        Chesterfield County announces real-time crime center to enhance...
    • Training
      • Investigating “swatting” incidents
        Leaders take note: A handwritten note goes a long way
        CIT training is not for everyone
        Mentoring: Leave ’em better than you found ’em
        Ohio struggles to secure permanent funding for law enforcement...
    • Policy
      • Texas enacts stricter laws to combat illegal street racing and...
        New Mexico Supreme Court clarifies police authority to question...
        New Texas law gives local law enforcement greater control over...
        Diversity in law enforcement
        Florida attorney general and John Walsh partner in new Crime Stoppers...
    • Health/Wellness
      • The emotional rucksack
        What threat does to the brain
        Seeking the right kind of help
        Working through grief
        Responding to trauma
    • Community
      • Florida police department launches SPORTS initiative to build...
        Naperville police officer inspires generations of kids through reading
        Stockton P.D. launches Your Way Registry Program to protect...
        Committing to outreach
        Scam callers pose as law enforcement to trick victims into paying for...
    • Offbeat
      • “It’s time to dive in”: Shaquille O’Neal joins forces with...
        “This little piggy didn’t make it to the market”:
        Seattle police find burglary suspect guzzling gasoline in victim’s...
        Univision Chicago TV crew reporting on armed robberies held at...
        California Highway Patrol arrests man on horseback for DUI
    • We Remember
      • Headstone finally marks grave of Pennsylvania officer who gave his...
        Memorial for the fallen: The sacrifice continues
        Paying Tribute to the Fallen Heroes of 9/11
        “He was like a protector …”: Genesee County sheriff’s deputy...
        Deadly police pursuit claims life of 19-year-old Vermont police...
  • On the Job
    • California deputies rescue teen dangling 700 feet in the air after...
      Washington deputy rescues injured dog from drainpipe
      “Wow, our career together is over”: Missouri police department...
      Heroic Pennsylvania officer saves father and daughter from drowning...
      Denver law enforcement struggle to divert low-level offenders to...
  • Labor
    • San Francisco “workhorse” deputy earns millions in overtime pay...
      “A financial tsunami”
      LAPD officers receive raises, bonuses
      Minnesota police force faces disbandment as chief resigns amid salary...
      We quit!
  • Tech
    • The rise of I2P
      Ann Arbor Police Department adopts AI technology to analyze body...
      Ohio law enforcement adopts powerful ballistics technology to combat...
      AI-powered surveillance program raises concerns over privacy rights...
      Chesterfield County announces real-time crime center to enhance...
  • Training
    • Investigating “swatting” incidents
      Leaders take note: A handwritten note goes a long way
      CIT training is not for everyone
      Mentoring: Leave ’em better than you found ’em
      Ohio struggles to secure permanent funding for law enforcement...
  • Policy
    • Texas enacts stricter laws to combat illegal street racing and...
      New Mexico Supreme Court clarifies police authority to question...
      New Texas law gives local law enforcement greater control over...
      Diversity in law enforcement
      Florida attorney general and John Walsh partner in new Crime Stoppers...
  • Health/Wellness
    • The emotional rucksack
      What threat does to the brain
      Seeking the right kind of help
      Working through grief
      Responding to trauma
  • Community
    • Florida police department launches SPORTS initiative to build...
      Naperville police officer inspires generations of kids through reading
      Stockton P.D. launches Your Way Registry Program to protect...
      Committing to outreach
      Scam callers pose as law enforcement to trick victims into paying for...
  • Offbeat
    • “It’s time to dive in”: Shaquille O’Neal joins forces with...
      “This little piggy didn’t make it to the market”:
      Seattle police find burglary suspect guzzling gasoline in victim’s...
      Univision Chicago TV crew reporting on armed robberies held at...
      California Highway Patrol arrests man on horseback for DUI
  • We Remember
    • Headstone finally marks grave of Pennsylvania officer who gave his...
      Memorial for the fallen: The sacrifice continues
      Paying Tribute to the Fallen Heroes of 9/11
      “He was like a protector …”: Genesee County sheriff’s deputy...
      Deadly police pursuit claims life of 19-year-old Vermont police...
  • Between the Lines
    • Debunking the perpetual narrative of racial bias in policing
      The unspoken truth behind the recruitment and retention crisis
      The police reform goal: use of force without options
      The imprisonment of law enforcement technology
      Persecution of the LEO is classic schadenfreude
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Search

Labor

Raising the bar

California proposal would require college courses for all new officers

APB Team Published January 27, 2021 @ 12:00 pm PST

iStock.com/fstop123

In an effort to embrace constructive reform, the Peace Officers Research Association of California (PORAC) and California Police Chiefs Association (CPCA) recently released a proposal to comprehensively raise the educational and training requirements for peace officers in California over the next 10 years. The joint statement asserted that the new qualifications would help prepare new officers with “training and education standards that meet the needs, requirements and expectations of the modern police force, while recruiting a diverse and talented pool of prospective officers who can achieve those standards.”

It is part of what PORAC President Brian Marvel said will help to facilitate “a culture shift” not only within police ranks but in how officers are viewed by the public.

To truly improve public safety outcomes and restore trust in law enforcement, the proposal provides a roadmap to adapting a holistic approach to recruit, train, educate and retain the best officers for the job.

The proposal also cited studies and research that conclude higher education leads to fewer disciplinary actions and a decrease in uses of force. In addition, research indicates that college graduates early in their careers perform at a similar level as police veterans with 10 years on the job.

According CPCA President Eric Nuñez, the higher education standard puts entry-level cops “in the best possible position to serve their communities in the way their communities want to be served,” reported NBC Los Angeles. 

Currently, California requires recruits to complete 685 hours of academy training, which critics complain falls far short of the standards for less critical professions — for example, the state requires 1,600 hours of training for a cosmetology license, reports news site The Hill.

The two law enforcement organizations agree that the 685 hours required by academy training does not cover the mandated training required by the Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission (POST) and all the new legislative requirements that have been passed in recent years.

California is one of several states to only require a high school diploma for police officers, though there are incentives for people with an associate’s or bachelor’s degree. CPCA’s survey of other states’ education requirements shows that some states require more education, like North Dakota and Illinois, which both require a bachelor’s degree or associate’s degree with work experience. However, more than half of U.S. states (30 out of 50) only require a high school diploma. 

Under the PORAC/CPCA proposal, potential hires would have to complete courses on subjects that will help to better prepare them for the rigors and adversities inherent to modern-day policing, such as mental health, social services, psychology, communication and more. High school graduates could continue to serve if they pursue the additional education. 

Police unions from San Jose, San Francisco and Los Angeles issued a joint response that both indicates support of higher education and expresses concern that the mandate would present a barrier to people of color, veterans and other individuals for whom college is not affordable. 

PORAC and CPCA pointed out the proposal would establish a recruitment task force to promote law enforcement careers among students as a means to develop a more diverse talent pipeline and goes even further by creating a new Statewide Law Enforcement Education Fund that would provide financial support toward a higher education degree for individuals who commit to pursuing a law enforcement career. The organizations plan to collaborate with community colleges and university systems in the future to construct a degree specific to law enforcement based on the bachelor’s degree in nursing model.

The week after the joint proposal was released, California Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer pursued further action by introducing the Peace Officer Education and Age Conditions for Employment Act, or PEACE Act, which would require new police recruits and prison guards to be at least 25 years old or have a bachelor’s degree. “Excessive force at the hands of law enforcement that leads to grave injury or death not only tears apart families and communities but erodes trust in law enforcement,” Jones-Sawyer told KTLA. “My community, like many others, is all too familiar with police violence and physical force.”

Current law requires officers be at least 20 ½ years old and have a high school diploma or equivalent. While PORAC and CPCA agree in principle that we need to raise the bar with increased recruitment, training and education standards, the two organizations are concerned that the absence of a supplemental funding mechanism, as with the PEACE Act, would preclude young people who may not have the financial resources to pursue a college degree from starting their career in law enforcement and gaining crucial on-the-job experience.

“We must do more to show the value of a career in law enforcement as an honorable profession worthy of pursuing for all of California’s youth, regardless of their background, race or financial status. Recruiting the next generation of peace officers is step one,” the PORAC/CPCA report said.

To learn more, you can view the PORAC and CPCA joint press conference on their proposal at https://youtu.be/VfRUI8pZtbw. 

As seen in the January 2021 issue of American Police Beat magazine.
Don’t miss out on another issue today! Click below:

SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

Categories: Labor

Primary Sidebar

Recent Articles

  • California deputies rescue teen dangling 700 feet in the air after botched stunt on state’s highest bridge
  • Washington deputy rescues injured dog from drainpipe
  • “It’s time to dive in”: Shaquille O’Neal joins forces with Los Angeles Port Police Department in recruitment drive
  • “This little piggy didn’t make it to the market”:
  • Florida police department launches SPORTS initiative to build positive community relationships
  • Seattle police find burglary suspect guzzling gasoline in victim’s garage
  • The emotional rucksack
  • Naperville police officer inspires generations of kids through reading
  • “Wow, our career together is over”: Missouri police department bids farewell to retiring K-9 Tank
  • Investigating “swatting” incidents

Footer

Our Mission
To serve as a trusted voice of the nation’s law enforcement community, providing informative, entertaining and inspiring content on interesting and engaging topics affecting peace officers today.

Contact us: info@apbweb.com | (800) 234-0056.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Categories

  • Editor’s Picks
  • On the Job
  • Labor
  • Tech
  • Training
  • Policy
  • Health/Wellness
  • Community
  • Offbeat
  • We Remember
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Events

Editor’s Picks

Seeking the right kind of help

Seeking the right kind of help

September 26, 2023

“Why does that call keep haunting me?”

“Why does that call keep haunting me?”

September 20, 2023

Mentoring: Leave ’em better than you found ’em

Mentoring: Leave ’em better than you found ’em

September 19, 2023

A message to those considering suicide

A message to those considering suicide

September 18, 2023

Privacy Policy | Your Privacy Options | Notice at Collection | Copyright © 2023 APB Media, LLC | Website design, development and maintenance by 911MEDIA

Open

Subscribe

Close

Receive the latest news and updates from American Police Beat directly to your inbox!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.