Police agencies lower education standards 

More police agencies, from big-city departments to federal agencies, are lowering education standards for new recruits — a sign of how much the profession is changing as it struggles to recruit and retain officers.

In February, the NYPD reduced its college credit requirement for police academy entry from 60 credits to 24. Following a new policy approval in June, the Dallas Police Department began allowing applicants with only a high school diploma or GED to qualify if they also have three consecutive years of full-time work experience.

Police agencies nationwide are loosening education requirements in an effort to address years of staffing shortages. 

The changes in New York City and Dallas are part of a yearslong trend of police departments easing college requirements, a shift that includes Boise, Idaho; Chicago; Louisville, Kentucky; New Orleans; Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; Memphis, Tennessee; and Bellingham, Washington. Even some state police agencies, such as the Kentucky State Police and the Pennsylvania State Police, have followed suit.

But these changes in education requirements aren’t limited to local and state forces. The FBI — which for decades required a four-year degree — will no longer mandate one for new recruits starting in October. New recruits also will receive just eight weeks of training, down from the previous 18-week standard, according to The New York Times.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement also has loosened standards as the Trump administration seeks to expand immigration enforcement. The agency removed its five-week Spanish-language training requirement. Translation needs would instead be met through unspecified technology, The Intercept reported.

These changes reflect a broader challenge in policing: Agencies are still struggling to recruit and retain officers amid increased public attention and shifting workforce expectations.

“The demand exceeds the supply, and what’s happened is the environment for being a police officer has changed,” said Chuck Wexler, the executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum, a national nonprofit think tank on policing standards. “The expectations have never been higher.”

Resignations and retirements rose sharply after 2020, when nationwide protests put law enforcement under closer public scrutiny following the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis. Additionally, some officers are leaving big-city departments for smaller agencies. At the same time, some experts say, police agencies are competing in a tight labor market in which shift jobs may be less appealing than positions with regular hours, higher pay or remote work options.

In recent years, the push for better-educated officers has been rooted in research suggesting that college graduates are less likely to use force and perform better on the job. But some say that strict education mandates can shrink the applicant pool and shouldn’t be the sole measure of what makes a good officer.

“College education, in the greater scheme of things, is advantageous. It’s necessary, but not sufficient,” Wexler said, noting that agencies should also weigh a recruit’s work history, maturity, judgement and other characteristics.

Agencies of all sizes also have adjusted other standards to attract more applicants — raising or lowering minimum age limits, loosening tattoo policies, scaling back fitness tests and waiving exam fees.

In some departments, these changes have sparked a surge in applications, but they haven’t always translated into higher staffing levels overall.

Following the NYPD’s announcement in February that it was changing its education requirement, daily applications jumped from an average of 53 to 231, according to a news release. In early August, the agency swore in 1,093 recruits — its largest incoming class since January 2016.

What makes a good cop

What makes a good police officer has long been debated, with discussions often centering on the role of education, training and personal qualities.

Some argue that, rather than lowering education requirements, departments should improve people’s perceptions of the police by becoming more involved in the community, especially at a time when heightened scrutiny has made the job less appealing to some.

“It’s trying to fix the problem assuming that the way things work now is the way things are supposed to be,” said Jim Nolan, a sociology professor at West Virginia University and a speaker with the nonprofit Law Enforcement Action Partnership. Nolan previously served as a police officer and as an FBI unit chief. “It’s the approach to policing that’s wrong.”

Some research suggests that college-educated officers use force less often, face fewer complaints and are disciplined less frequently than their peers without a degree. Some policing experts say a college education may give officers a broader perspective on a range of issues while also strengthening critical thinking and teamwork skills.

Research also suggests that college-educated officers are stronger writers, which can lead to clearer investigations and casework, according to a 2017 report on higher education in policing.

But some experts still caution that the research is not conclusive and argue that education alone isn’t enough to determine what makes a good police officer.

“Having a college education by itself doesn’t mean you will be a better police officer,” said Wexler, of the Police Executive Research Forum.

Stateline, founded in 1998, provides daily reporting and analysis on trends in state policy.