College Education and Officer Performance: Do College Educated Police Officers Perform Better Than Those Without a College Education?
Abstract
This literature review seeks to answer the question of whether or not college educated police officers (POs) perform better than those without a college education. This review demonstrates that there is not a consensus in the literature, though most scholars agree that some aspects of an officer’s job are supported well by a college education, meaning that in those aspects college-educated POs do perform better than their non-college-educated counterparts. However, the complexity of a PO’s job seems to mean that a degree will not always suffice to ensure better performance.