The 1967 Presidents Commission stated that better quality police officers meant they needed to be better-educated officers (Doerner, 2012). However, the commission also stated minority folks would be disadvantaged by increasing higher education standards (Doerner, 2012). To alleviate this problem, the commission suggested an alternative entrance program be utilized (Doerner, 2012). The 1973 National Advisory Commission stated that one way to advance law enforcement was to seek out college-educated candidates (Doerner, 2012). The same commission also was quoted in their report saying, “an undergraduate degree today is equivalent in prestige to a high school diploma at the turn of the century” (National Advisory Commission, 1973, p.81). …show more content…
There are countless examples of high school educated people becoming extremely successful in all aspects of the workforce. This was showcased on a popular TV show called “The Apprentice”. One season put high school educated folks against Ivy League college graduates from prestigious institutions such as Yale, Harvard, and Princeton. The high school group not only held their own in the weekly competitions, but also severely beat the college-educated group in most of them. I’ve personally witnessed this in the military where high school graduates step into leadership roles and exceed expectations. The Coast Guard is truly the smallest branch of service. As such, many of the Coast Guard Cutters and stations are run completely by enlisted members who only have high school educations. Under this leadership of high school educated men and women, missions are successfully carried out above standards. Many of these platforms conduct multi-purpose missions such as law enforcement, search and rescue, and fisheries enforcement. I believe the reason the Coast Guard is so successful with high school educated folks completely running a unit by themselves is due to the training received. If a quality person is found through a rigorous hiring standard, and quality training is provided to such person, I believe that is what will produce the best police officers. I would rather hire a high school graduate who has demonstrated the ability to handle stressful situations, shown exceptional responsibility, and possess traits such as honor, integrity, respect, and devotion to duty versus a person who has earned a college