Your child wants to go into Law Enforcement

Dear Sheriff:  My child wants to go into law enforcement.  What educational path would you recommend?  What other advice would you give a young person desiring to go in to law enforcement?

Answer:  My earliest recollection of desiring to go into law enforcement, and seriously considering my educational goals, was in the 8th grade.  That’s not too soon for any parent with a child desiring to enter law enforcement to encourage them to choose certain paths.

Choosing your high school courses wisely to prepare you for college or the law enforcement career is important.  College level math, speech and drama (to prepare for speaking in front of large groups of people), English (spelling, grammar and sentence structure), Sociology, Psychology and Civics or Government are important for the student to take seriously in this career path.

Choose a college with a Criminal Justice degree, two or four year, that won’t break the bank.  Police officers don’t make a lot of money that will facilitate paying back large student loans.  Most agencies will not care about the name of the college; they just want to see the degree.

Here’s the problem:  Just because you have a college degree in Criminal Justice does not mean you will get a career in law enforcement or that you will be a good police officer.  I’ve witnessed that a college degree, in itself, does not make a good police officer.  There are many other variables in the hiring process that must be considered.

For example, you might have a college degree, but you don’t have the personality or the good character qualities that are needed to be a good and effective police officer.  You need to be compassionate, kind, trustworthy and courteous, while having initiative, courage and the ability to communicate effectively, both in writing and verbally. 

Years ago I remember interviewing an applicant trying for patrol officer and he had smoked marijuana in his senior year of college, which was a couple of months before the interview. Knowing this is illegal the student should have known better and may have sealed his own fate, at least for a year or more. 

Some law enforcement agencies now require a 2 or 4 year college degree.  The Sheriff’s department used to require a 2-year degree.  However, as sheriff, I still prefer a college degree, but will hire applicants that do not have the degree if they meet the other high standards. 

Why would I make such a decision?  Because, we were not attracting enough qualified applicants.  I needed to consider those with military experience, those who started in Corrections, and those who were well-rounded in their experiences and with good character. 

So, here is my recommendation if your child is considering a career in law enforcement:  Since they won’t be 21 years old (a requirement to be a police officer) upon high school graduation, consider having your child begin an associate’s degree program in criminal justice or get hired in Corrections at age 18.  Then later, if they get hired as a police officer, larger departments typically allow for some type of educational reimbursement in the field of criminal justice, allowing the officer to work toward their degree. 

More importantly, at an early age, choosing good character and the right friends is important.  Wrong friends can lead you to make decisions early in life that haunt you for many years to come. 

The Elkhart County Sheriff has an Explorer’s program for youth ages 14-19 years that allows young people to explore the career of law enforcement and corrections, allowing youth to learn various facets of the career to see if the path is right for them.  In my next column, I will present the Explorer program and how you can get your child involved. 

Ask-the-Sheriff a question by emailing Elkhart County Sheriff Brad Rogers at brogers@elkhartcountysheriff.com.

Alert sent on 04/21/2017 at 8:55AM EDT

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