Actually we do know that because there’s been research… and, yes, public safety HAS improved with Criminal Justice degrees, in that compared to colleagues without a degree officers with these degrees (or other college degrees) use less lethal force, act less impulsively, and… I don’t remember what else but it seemed to be good overall for the public and for the officer’s career. I admit I was surprised because I didn’t really value CJ as a degree much, but if the goal is a mix of college level critical thinking/general education alongside professional preparation then Academy, it seems to work better than straight police academy with no college.
I don’t remember whether they distinguished between community college and 4-year college, or if it was just “a degree” vs. “no degree”.
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