ABSTRACT
The virtual nationwide hiring freeze in law enforcement in the United States since the 2008 financial downturn has created a rare opportunity for police leaders across the country to seize upon the glut of college graduates interested in a law enforcement career, and increase educational requirements for newly hired officers. This chapter will follow a well-beaten path: a century’s worth of calls for policing to not only recognize the benefits of a college-educated police force, but to finally act on that realization now that the abundance of the available college-educated candidates has removed one of the most commonly called upon reasons for police leaders to not pursue the initiative.
