Police Chief Certification

nd check is more extensive. Applicants must pass a polygraph test, credit and arrest checks, interviews with associates, references, past employers and neighbors, and verification of educational achievements. Passing a thorough medical examination is also required to become an FBI agent, whereas a physical ability test is required for local police officers. To become Chief of Police in Huntly Illinois the education requirement is to have a bachelor 's degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in Criminal Justice, Public Administration, or a related field required. Police Chief Certification or Certified Eligible status through the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police and extensive experience with the Commission

As we can see from the few examples of law enforcement positions above, each require some sort of education whether it be a high school diploma or a bachelor degree. But is the nine percent of police departments that actually require a two year degree to little? Shouldn 't all police departments require some sort of college education? According to Mark Bond in his article "How Education Impacts Police Performance" research conducted by Jason Rydberg and Dr. William Terrill from Michigan State University, provides evidence that having a college degree significantly reduces the likelihood that officers will use force as their first option to gain compliance. The study also discovered evidence of educated officers demonstrating greater levels of creativity and problem-solving skills. With the way technology has changed in the past 30 years we need highly educated individuals out in our communities to prevent crime. Studies also show that officers with more education act with more discretion, tolerance, and restraint when confronting resistance. Officers now have the option to continue their education online and through hybred classes and even finishing in a shorter time with help from the PLA program and CLEP. In "The Effect of Higher Education on Police Behavior", Rydberg and Terrill looked at the hypothesis of Glasgow, Green, and Knowles (1973), as well as Bozza (1973), from the Arizona police department that the lesser educated officer would become more satisfied with making arrests than the more educated officer thus, an inherent dissatisfaction with his or her work. In her paper "The Impact of a College-Educated Police Force: A review of the literature", Dr. Rebecca L. Paynich states that in the past, starting in 1931, many officials have recommended that the education an officer is required to have should be higher. The Wickersham Commission was the first to recognize the need for professionalism in policing, and recommend that this be achieved by raising