Learn About Your Law Enforcement Training Options
Get info on the training required for these top criminal justice careers.
The level of law enforcement training required for criminal justice jobs varies, but more education is always an advantage. For instance, to become a police officer, the minimum requirement is a high school diploma or a GED, but those with a college education have the best chances for advancement and earning the highest salaries. And if you want to work for a federal law enforcement agency (the FBI, DEA, etc.), a higher level of education is required.
Law Enforcement Training Requirements
To become a police officer, expect to take a 4- to 6-month law enforcement training program at your state Police Academy. Coursework normally includes criminal law, defensive tactics, conflict management, community policing, investigative procedures, motor vehicle law, patrol procedures, emergency driving techniques, first aid and firearms. Physical training is also a required part of all law enforcement training programs.1
Higher-level Training
If you want to advance your career or work in federal law enforcement, additional training is required. To become an FBI agent, for instance, you must have at least a bachelor's degree, although many FBI agents have advanced degrees, often in criminal justice. In addition, to qualify as a law enforcement agent with the FBI, candidates must have at least two years of full-time investigative experience in another law enforcement agency.2
If you study criminal justice for your law enforcement training, you will learn about the following subjects, among others3:
- Criminal justice and explanations for criminal behavior
- Substantive and procedural law
- Law enforcement and the constitution
- Police structures and functions; police subculture, authority and accountability
- Homeland Security
- Criminal and civil courts; trial and sentencing procedures; the death penalty
- Corrections; prison programs and prison violence; probation and parole
The law enforcement training you get in your criminal justice studies will prepare you for a variety of jobs at federal law enforcement agencies such as the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), and the U.S. Secret Service, among others.
Sources:
1Vermont Criminal Justice Training Council, www.vcjtc.state.vt.us/basic.htm;
2The Federal Bureau of Investigation, fbijobs.gov;
3College of Criminology and Criminal Justice of Florida State University, http://criminology.fsu.edu/p/academic-syllabi.php
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