HIGHER EDUCATION FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT THE MINNESOTA MODEL

               HIGHER EDUCATION FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT               

                       THE MINNESOTA MODEL

                               By

                     Michael G. Breci, Ph.D.

                       Associate Professor

                    School of Law Enforcement

                  Metropolitan State University

     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 offi-cers. 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. (2) The findings also indicate that respondents

continued their education after 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:

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

     o  Help officers to understand the public and how to         

        communicate more effectively with citizens

     o  Prepare officers for advancement/provide management       

        skills

     o  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:

     o  "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."

     o  "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."

     o  "The 4-year degree requirement carries the real risk of   

         disqualifying well-suited candidates, based on economic  

         considerations."

     o  "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 Allen 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.