A study of the relationship between college education and police performance in the Baltimore, Maryland Police Department

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to determine what relationship exists between higher education and performance ratings for police. An Ex-Post Facto design utilizing performance evaluations from the personnel files of the Baltimore Police Department is the basis of this study. Two groups were selected for study. The first consisted of all police agents hired by the Baltimore Police Department since the Police Agent Program's inception in October of 1969. The second group consisted of a random sample of police officers proportionately drawn from the academy classes attended by the agents. All police agents hold a college degree of some type and, in addition, have completed the required sixteen-week academy training program. All police officers have varying degrees of education (high school or above) and they too have completed the required academy training. Agents were compared to the officer sample on twenty-three traits identified in the performance evaluation instrument. Multi variant analysis was used to determine if the original relationship between formal education and performance evaluations would hold when other variables were controlled. Agents consistently received higher performance ratings than officers with only a high school education. The observed relationship between agents and officers was not affected by age, military service, race or I.Q. Although age was not found to be a significant factor in the performance rating differential between the agent and officer group, it was found significant within the two groups. Younger agents tend to receive higher performance ratings than older agents; but older officers receive higher performance ratings than younger officers. Military service may not be as dependable an indicator of performance as is usually thought. Non-military agents score higher on several items than their cohorts with military service and non-military experienced officers are rated higher on a number of items when compared to police officers with military service. It would seem any broad generalizations that military service is an absolute attribute to police service might be suspect. There is a general tendency for white agents to receive higher ratings than black agents; however, conclusions concerning race, when applied to agents, must be qualified due to the small number of black agents. The problem of small samples did not exist in the officer category. Data indicated black officers are consistently given higher performance ratings than white officers. The extraneous variable of I.Q. was found not to be significant when agents and officers were compared; however, like age, it does have an effect within the agent and officer groups. Both agents and officers with higher I.Q.'s tend to receive higher ratings when compared with their peers; however, the items on which the higher ratings are received are not the same for both groups. Agents with criminal justice degrees did not receive significantly better ratings than social science, business or other degree holders; but when criminal justice majors were excluded, social science degree holders were rated higher than either business or other type degree holders.