Comments on: Do you think law enforcement officers should be required to have law degrees?

By: Eric

Eric — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 10:56:53 +0000

Seriously? What do you think the academy is about? Nevermind, I don’t care what you think goes on there.

In California, it’s 26+ weeks of intense coverage Constitutional, statutory and case law as it applies to law enforcement.

Your statement is brash and assuming. Way to generalize.

By: Unknown

Unknown — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 06:56:58 +0000

No because as a cop they are forced to learn state laws in order to be a cop! They teach them in the acedemy and in the police stationed they are hired. They have to read laws and take written tests. You should really do research before you ask stupid questions. You have no idea what you are talking about.

By: mikeysco

mikeysco — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 00:03:24 +0000

No, and I think if we were required to have one, there would be no law enforcement officers.

You’re right about one thing; lawyers practice law.

We don’t. We enforce it. We don’t make it or even really have to interpret it, we only enforce it. You’re very mistaken when you suggest that we haven’t learned what the law is. A person can (and we do) learn what the law is without having to have a degree in it.

By: Huds

Huds — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 02:12:49 +0000

Actually, thats what half of the Police Academy is. That is why police officers needn’t have law degrees. Everything they need to know, they learn in the Academy.

By: LEO53

LEO53 — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 12:12:45 +0000

If I had a law degree, I’d be a lawyer, making $250,000 a year

By: El Scott

El Scott — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 10:45:34 +0000

Yes. Just as soon as they start paying us a salary for our law degrees.

We are certified as Law Enforcement Officers……..we are properly trained to do that job. We don’t need to try a case, just make one.

By: c8flowers

c8flowers — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 09:33:24 +0000

no, if we did we wouldn’t have a very large security force, furthermore, police officers and lawyers carry out two very differnt duties that cannot be grouped together under one roof, differnt occupations call for different qualifications

By: ahsoasho2u2

ahsoasho2u2 — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 22:30:10 +0000

No.
We have hours of training, every year, into the laws of search and seizure, arrest, the title codes for criminal and civil offenses, traffic codes etc..
Over the years, I and many officers, have assisted many new prosecutors into their field of expertise, by helping them formulate questions for a jury trial.
If all Law Enforcement had Law Degrees, then when we retired we could be attorneys, like we need more of them?
Over the many years in Law Enf, I have known quite a few officers who have gone back to school and obtained a law degree. My self I have a Para Legal Degree and have been asked why not Law School. Too old in life and wife is in bad health, but I do a lot of research, from my background, into civil and criminal law cases.

By: Juliet

Juliet — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:09:15 +0000

I don’t think you understand what you are asking. Most cops do have to go to school for criminal justice or some related field and then they all have to go to training. It would be too expensive for cops to have to go to school and get their law degrees when the average wage for a cop is $8-15. If they went and got their law degrees our taxes would raise very high to pay them more money. Which I do believe that cops should get paid more. I think it is ridiculous that some only get $8 an hour and they are risking their lives to keep our communities safe. So what you are asking is an average law degree would be approximately for 4 years about $60,000-100,000 versus a associates in criminal justice for about $5,000-9,000. I know that it might seem as some cops don’t know what they are talking about, but for the most part if I ever needed them I would call them in a heart beat.

By: iwtblj247

iwtblj247 — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 06:47:59 +0000

Absolutely not. They learn what they need in their training. And by the way, anyone can be a lawyer who passes the bar. Law school is not a requirement.