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HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 7548 INFORMAL REPORT TO CIT', ,OUNCIL MEMBERS No. 'i ! "�p��R` DoE fORT� To the Mayor and Members of the City Council September 10, 1991 V �o S ;TExPy. Subject: EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR POLICE OFFICERS e» The purpose of this informal report is to give the City Council background infor- mation on the proposed revision in the educational standard for entry level police officers. The current education/experience standards for candidates for the position of police officer in the Fort Worth Police Department require candidates to meet one of the following four (4) qualifiers: A. High school diploma or G.E.D. and thirty (30) college hours. B. High school diploma or G.E.D. with fifteen (15) college hours and one (1) year in law enforcement as a certified police officer or military police officer. C. High school diploma or G.E.D. with three (3) years in law enforcement as a certified police officer or �military police officer. D. High school diploma or G.E.D. with three (3) continuous years of service as a Fort Worth Reserve Officer and certified as a Reserve Officer Grade One through the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Education, immediately prior to application. The Police Chief has expressed concern about the appropriateness of requiring applicants to have 30 semester hours of college to be eligible for consideration as Police Trainees who do not have other qualifying experience. Specifically, it is doubtful the 30-semester hour standard is a valid predictor of successful performance in the Police Training Academy and on the job as a police officer; furthermore, the 30-semester hour standard artificially limits the size of the applicant pool and serves as a barrier to applicants who have potential but lacked the opportunity to attend college. The Chief strongly advocates higher education for police officers, but limiting the candidate pool by placing a minimum entry above a high school diploma may eliminate many potentially successful police officers . The number of years spent in college, or even in high school, does not reflect the intelligence of an individual . Career-oriented education gained after appointment, in many cases, is much higher quality education. The City and the department encourage officers to attain their college degree through the City's tuition reimbursement program and reward the officers through the City' s Educational Incentive Pay program. Revising the educational standard will not reduce the quality of the applicants selected to attend the police academy. The Police Department ' s standards are stringent and require a person to meet strict mental, moral and physical skAn- dards. Applicants must pass a civil service test which assesses t r -ability, to succeed in the academy. A thorough background investigati , � jri�ct f [ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY %,JUNCIL MEMBERS No. 7548 Page 2 of 2 obexo ,,'p 7f NESeptember 10, 1991 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council SuSubject: EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR POLICE OFFICERS each candidate to determine their fitness for the police service. Also, each candidate must pass a physical agility test, a medical examination and a psycho- logical examination. Successful applicants must complete a rigorous 19-week police training course, where they are trained specifically to perform police work. Upon completion of the academy, trainees must pass the certification exam- ination of the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Education. Each officer also mast successfully complete a one-year probationary period, which includes an initial 14-week period in which the new officer is supervised by a designated Training Officer. The Personnel Department conducted a survey of educational requirements for police officers in Texas and in selected out-of-state cities. Of the 20 cities surveyed, only five require applicants to have some level of college education. The other fifteen (15) require only graduation from high school or a G.E.D. cer- tificate. A national survey on minimum entry-level education requirements for sworn officers conducted by the Washington, D.C. based Police Executive Research Forum indicated that of 485 cities surveyed, only about 14% require more than a high school diploma or equivalency as the minimum entry-level requirement. Only 2 respondents had a similar educational requirement as the Fort Worth Police Department. SUMMARY ' The Chief has conferred with the Personnel Department, the Civil Service Commission for Fire Fighters and Police Officers, and the City Manager's Office. All concur with the recommendation to revise the 30-semester hour education stan- dard to permit candidates with a high school diploma or G.E.D. certificate to become Fort Worth Police Trainees. We believe the revised standard will result in a larger applicant pool, without a reduction in the quality of the individ- uals selected to serve as Fort Worth Police Officers. Unless the City Council directs the City Manager to do otherwise, we will pro- ceed to revise the educational standard on a trial basis for a one-year period. 4e-t- �/r_ David Ivory City Manager DI:f 0P��o ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER — FORT :06 TEXAS- SURVEY 'OF !wUCATIONAL STANDARDS FOR POJCE OFFICER NATIONAL CITIES: MINIMUM EDUCATION STANDARD ALBUQUERQUE HIGH SCHOOL OR GED KANSAS CITY HIGH SCHOOL OR GED OKLAHOMA CITY HIGH SCHOOL OR GED OMAHA HIGH SCHOOL OR GED PHOENIX HIGH SCHOOL OR GED TUCSON HIGH SCHOOL OR GED TULSA HIGH SCHOOL OR GED* 108 SEMESTER HOURS** TEXAS CITTES ARLINGTON 60 SEMESTER HOURS DEGREE PREFERRED AUSTIN HIGH SCHOOL OR GED CARROLLTON HIGH SCHOOL OR GED CORPUS CHRISTI HIGH SCHOOL OR GED DALLAS 45 SEMESTER HRS EL PASO HIGH SCHOOL OR GED GARLAND HIGH SCHOOL OR GED GRAND PRAIRIE 60 SEMESTER HRS HOUSTON 60 SEMESTER HRS IRVING HIGH SCHOOL OR GED PLANO HIGH SCHOOL OR GED RICHARDSON HIGH SCHOOL OR GED PLUS 60 SEMESTER HRS SAN ANTONIO HIGH SCHOOL OR GED * REQUIRED FOR OFFICERS WHO WORKED A "FIXED STATION" . LOWER -PAY ** REQUIRED FOR OFFICERS WHO PERFORM PATROL, INVESTIGATION, ETC. ZIA F c��