THIS RESEARCH PROJECT EXPLORED DIFFERENCES BETWEEN COLLEGE-EDUCATED AND NONCOLLEGE-EDUCATED STATE POLICE OFFICERS.
THE STUDY SAMPLE INCLUDED 418 MICHIGAN POLICE TROOPERS WHO HAD GRADUATED FROM 9 RECRUIT SCHOOLS BETWEEN FEBRUARY 1972 AND DECEMBER 1974. ALL OFFICERS HAD SUCCESSFULLY PASSED THE SAME SERIES OF WRITTEN, AGILITY, AND PHYSICAL TESTS; ORAL BOARD EXAMINATIONS; AND BACKGROUND INVESTIGATIONS. THE PRIMARY PREDICTIVE OR INDEPENDENT VARIABLE INVOLVED WAS THE AMOUNT OF COLLEGE EDUCATION COMPLETED BY EACH TROOPER. THIS VARIABLE WAS BROKEN DOWN INTO THREE CATEGORIES: LESS THAN AN ASSOCIATE DEGREE, ASSOCIATE DEGREE BUT LESS THAN A BACHELOR'S DEGREE, AND AT LEAST A BACHELOR'S DEGREE. THE TYPE OF EDUCATION RECEIVED, WHETHER IT WAS CRIMINAL JUSTICE-ORIENTED, WAS A SECOND INDEPENDENT VARIABLE. PERFORMANCE OR DEPENDENT VARIABLES CONSISTED OF ABILITY MEASUREMENT SCORES. AT THE TIME OF FINAL DATA COLLECTION, THE SAMPLE WAS REDUCED TO 357 TROOPERS DUE TO 24 DISMISSALS, 13 VOLUNTARY TERMINATIONS, AND OTHER REASONS. OF THE 357 TROOPERS, 191 HELD LESS THAN AN ASSOCIATE DEGREE, 64 HAD AN ASSOCIATE DEGREE, AND 102 HELD AT LEAST A BACHELOR'S DEGREE. FIFTY-EIGHT HAD AN ASSOCIATE DEGREE IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE. COLLEGE-EDUCATED TROOPERS DISPLAYED A CONSISTENT CAPACITY TO SCORE HIGHER ON ACADEMIC ABILITY MEASUREMENTS AND THEY ENJOYED BETTER INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS. THESE TROOPERS TENDED TO LEAVE THE POLICE FORCE VOLUNTARILY MORE FREQUENTLY BUT WERE LESS LIKELY TO BE DISMISSED FOR CAUSE. NO DIFFERENCES EXISTED BETWEEN TROOPERS WITH CRIMINAL JUSTICE EDUCATION AND THOSE WITH SIMILAR LEVELS OF EDUCATION IN DIFFERENT ACADEMIC DISCIPLINES. THE WERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN THE AREA OF CLERICAL SKILLS. THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE STUDY ARE THAT IT MAY NOT BE DEFENSIBLE TO REQUIRE HIGHER EDUCATION STANDARDS AT THE ENTRY LEVEL, ALTHOUGH POLICE DEPARTMENTS SHOULD CONTINUE TO SCREEN AND TRAIN ALL TROOPER CANDIDATES CAREFULLY AND EXTENSIVELY. (DEP)