By Aumari Sheldon
In Mid 2023, California’s AB 89 law requiring police officers to obtain a higher education went into effect. The bill also requires an age limit increase for new police officers.
The bill speaks to the cognitive research done in the making of the bill, specifically in the mental development of young adults well into their ‘mid-20’s’ as well as young adults not mentally being fully developed by the age of 24. The sheer appearance of research done for the bill is enough to demonstrate the possibilities that can happen in ‘What-IF’ situations, and even in incidents that have happened when dealing with Law Enforcement personnel who have yet to achieve a higher education.
Achieving a higher education creates more options to which law enforcement would have in order to better handle as well as access police situations, especially in the area of communicating with the people they come in contact with.
According to CaliforniaMatters.org, which published an article on the subject, officers that receive specialized training with the minimum of a High School Diploma, and without a higher education creates a hybrid situation that enables dangerous situations when interacting with various citizens.
Assembly Bill 89 highlights the steadfast approach of the bill into application in Law Enforcement training. For the past 60 years, police development has only advanced in technology, whereas use of these dangerous weapons have slowed the varying development of law enforcement.
The killing of George Floyd among others, shows communities the average disregard for human life on behalf of Police. It seems Police do not know how to be an Officer or even know what a good Police Officer is. The Police we have today appear to only be abusive and constantly in violation of citizen rights. This is shown through daily interactions with the Police in every jurisdiction.
Police accountability must start somewhere. We want police to be able to do their jobs as they are supposed to, nothing more, nothing less. AB 89 tells us that Police do not know what it means to be a Police and that having a higher education is essential to being a police officer because of the attained knowledge. A person who questions why school is relevant needs to go to school in order to find out. A limited program can only take you so far. The best way for California to move on from the crack- cocaine and Rodney King eras’ is to actually develop.
The Bill, requires Chancellors of Community Colleges to implement a Police Program that helps facilitate new Police Officers to achieve higher education in police training as well as pursuit of a Bachelor's Degree in a ‘choice of their discipline.’
San Bernardino Valley College has implemented its Police Program in order to satisfy the basic requirements of the new law.
Being taught basic communications, ethnics, ethics, and law, in order to DEVELOP critical thinking skills is useless without a degree. With or without the new requirement, the extremely recommended benefit for current police officers to pursue a higher education will be tremendously fulfilling in the future.
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