NCJ Number
212666
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 72 Issue: 10 Dated: October 2005 Pages: 18,20,25
Date Published
October 2005
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This study explored the impact of level of education on the work habits of police officers working in the Saint Paul Police Department, MN.
Abstract
Police departments are often known for valuing street smarts over education, despite the fact that many social scientists believe that a higher education improves a police officer’s effectiveness. In order to explore the impact of higher education on police officer’s work habits, the author examined demographic, educational, and work-related data from the Saint Paul Police Department that included information on age, gender, ethnicity, years of experience, years of education beyond high school, type of college degree, commendations, police vehicle traffic collisions, sick time usage, and number of times disciplined. The results revealed that the average Saint Paul police officer had 12.2 years of experience and 2.4 years of college education. During a 3-year period, the average officer is disciplined 0.37 times, receives 16 commendations, and uses 111.4 hours of sick time. In terms of the impact of level of education on work habits, the findings indicated that officers with Bachelor of Arts degrees demonstrated the work habits of older police officers with an additional 10 years of experience. Overall, officers who had Bachelor of Arts degrees had fewer traffic collisions, less disciplinary action, more commendations, and used less sick time than officers without the 4-year degree or with Bachelor of Science degrees. Future research should focus on differences between officers who have a 4-year degree prior to beginning law enforcement work and officers who finish their degrees after they are hired. Figures, endnotes