Police Promotion Preparation - A Complete Guide for Law Enforcement Officers
Everything You
Need to Know to Plan For and Achieve Promotion Up the Ranks in Law
Enforcement!
The
Role of College Education in the Police Promotion Process
By Lt. Paul Patti (ret) - Director
Police
Career and Promotion Services, LLC.
The
Role of College Education in the Police Promotion Process
By Lt. Paul Patti (ret) - Director
Police
Career and Promotion Services, LLC.
About us: I spent 27 years in law enforcement, and since 1985 I have directed an organization that has worked with individuals and agencies in finding and promoting the right people into the higher ranks of police and sheriff's departments. We include a Ph.D. in Personnel Management, as well as a staff attorney focusing on criminal law applications and legal-oriented promotion exams in law enforcement. We specialize not only in writing promotion textbook exams for police agencies, but also written exam preparation for individuals, along with in-basket, oral board and assessment center preparation for both agencies and individual training. Our individual client base of thousands of career law officers has a 99%+ pass rate on their written exams!
More information about me, my organization and affiliates can be found at these links; More information about me, my organization and affiliates can be found at these links; PoliceCareer.com, PoliceCareer.net, PolicePromotion.com, Finests.com, In-Basket.net and PoliceAssessmentCenter.com.
Master List of Articles. Questions? Contact me - Paul@PolicePromotion.com
Obtaining Your College Degree to Enhance Your Promotability — Is it Worth it?
By Lt. Paul Patti (ret.), Director,
Police Career and Promotion Services, LLC — 40+ years of law
enforcement promotion expertise.
In my experience as a law enforcement officer and also as the owner of a police promotion testing company, education is the single most consistent differentiator among officers who advance quickly.
Many departments award bonus points to degree holders on promotional scoring scales, a bachelor's degree is required or strongly preferred for lieutenant and above in most large agencies, and a master's degree is increasingly common among competitive candidates for top command-level positions.
Plus - there clearly exists what I call "The early-career payoff": In your early law enforcement career, education builds the analytical and communication skills that make officers more effective on patrol and more credible in the eyes of supervisors. Officers who can write clear, thorough reports, communicate persuasively in high-pressure situations, and approach problems with structured thinking stand out in any unit.
The practical financial angle: Police unions around the country have recognized this and have added contract stipulations that assist members in acquiring advanced degrees through funding from their city or town. Some law enforcement agencies even incentivize officers obtaining an advanced degree by offering a small stipend to those who complete their education or join the force with a degree.
The
FBINA and the
FBINAA
If you get a chance to attend the
FBI National Academy
it is of course worthwhile not only for the prestige title on
your resume, but also for the college credit. The Academy
carries massive educational and career value, functioning as an
elite executive leadership program equivalent to advanced
undergraduate or graduate-level university coursework. Through
an official academic partnership established in 1972, all
academic courses at the FBINA are fully accredited by the
University of Virginia (UVA).An outstanding advantage to your career as an attendee the FBINA is membership in the FBINAA - FBI National Academy Associates. This lifelong, nationwide network of NA graduates boasts an extensive array of resources, including but not limited to:
- An Alliance Business
Directory
- Youth Leadership Program
- Charitable Foundation
- Regional Chapters
- Speakers Bureau
- Leadership Certification
Program
- Job Postings
- And a very highly acclaimed National Annual Training Conference.
Top Online College Programs For Law Enforcement
UMGC OnlinePost University
Florida International University
Columbia Southern University
There is such a variety of college opportunities out there, it is going to be hard for a promotion oral board to buy in to any excuses for young officers passing up a chance to obtain a degree. Many agencies pay for the degree, PLUS add salary incentives to obtain one. Community colleges all over the nation offer reduced tuition to emergency service workers and first responders, including corrections and probation officers.
Online, accredited universites give college credits for documented police academies and certified training courses, and give you 24/7/365 access for course completion.
Yes - there was a time when it was too much to ask for a mandatory college degree for an entry level police job, or even a corporal or sergeant position. Yes - agencies had at one time dropped mandatory degree requirements for promotion in order to widen the candidate pool. But those times are quickly fading. Going for lieutenant or above, but no degree, and no plan to obtain one? Not likely to happen.
No excuses — it's time to plan out that degree and integrate it into your promotion planning. Investigate these three main degree fields and find one that best fits your future career objectives:
Degree Strength and Career Uses — There Are Distinct Differences
Criminal Justice
Focuses on policing, courts, corrections, and crime theory
Prepares you directly for local, state, or federal law
enforcement jobs
Helps with promotions inside police departments and sheriff's
offices
However, offers limited utility if you decide to leave
law enforcement.
Business Administration
Focuses on finance, marketing, management, and data
analysis
Opens doors to corporate leadership, human resources, and private
consulting
Offers the highest average starting pay and career mobility outside
government
Translates well into corporate security or risk management roles
Transfers exceptionally well into law enforcement management for
those who already have years of police training and experience.
Public Administration
Focuses on budgeting, policy design, and public agency
management
Targets city and county management, state agencies and departments, as
well as all federal agencies
Prepares you to lead non-profit groups and community
programs
Prepares law enforcement leaders for top Chief / Sheriff and
City and County Manager positions and adjacent Public Safety and
Emergency Management roles.
The 2 best articles further expanding on this important topic:
Police1 -
Education mandates can reshape the future of policing
FBI -
Higher Education and Local Law Enforcement
Your Police Promotion Timeline — When Should
Preparation Begin?
Field Training — Your First Defining Chapter
Building Your Promotional Reputation Over Time
Recordkeeping —
Your Evaluations, and Training Documentation
The Two Tracks —
Supervision vs. Specialization
The Role of College Education
in Law Enforcement
The FTO As an Early Promotion Credential
The Written Promotional
Exam — What It Covers and How to Prepare
The Oral Board — the
Promotion First-Timer's Biggest Challenge
The In-Basket Exercise
— NOT as
Easy as You Think!
Assessment Center Exercises
—
Don't Fear — Prepare!
Making it To The Top — Or — How High is
High Enough?
When it's Time to Leave it All Behind — And What to
do Next.Do You REALLY Want the Promotion? — Links to help you prepare for:
Police Corporal
Police Detective
Police Sergeant
Police Lieutenant
Police Captain
Police
Administration and Upper Management
Understanding Police Leadership Concepts
Understanding Police Ethical Considerations
Understanding Police
Patrol and Field Operations
Understanding Community
and Problem-Oriented Policing
Understanding Intelligence-Led Policing
Police Case Law
Application with Case Law Pro