• Aux@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    You don’t need to study to become a police officer in the US? OMFG! You have to study 1.5-2 years in the UK and then spend months in the field under supervision as an apprentice.

    • Potatos_are_not_friends@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      The duration of the training in the Police Academy varies for the different agencies. It usually takes about 13 to 19 weeks on average but can last up to six months.

      https://golawenforcement.com/articles/how-long-does-it-take-to-become-a-police-officer/

      Up to six months… Yikes.

      In the software engineer industry, if you spent a year in a coding bootcamp, I still wouldn’t trust you to know what you’re doing.

      • pyre@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        SIX MONTHS? what’s this, theoretical physics? just give them a gun and tell them to go about their way.

        hell, most of the training in police academy is probably done with pantone color charts teaching the exact skin tone where murder becomes acceptable.

      • realbadat@programming.dev
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        2 months ago

        Ehhhh… That’s misleading.

        In many places to be eligible for the academy you’d have to have an associates or bachelors degree.

        But again, location dependant.

        • Echo Dot@feddit.uk
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          2 months ago

          But a degree in what because if it’s a degree in literature that’s useless. I suspect no cop has a degree in literature

          • realbadat@programming.dev
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            2 months ago

            Usually called a criminal justice degree, includes basic law classes, administration, stuff like that. Offered in a lot of county colleges where it’s required.

            Not that it results in a better cop at all imo, just saying the timeframe of a max of 6 months throughout the US is really misleading.

    • frezik@midwest.social
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      2 months ago

      Sorta, kinda, depends on the jurisdiction. This is one of those things where you almost have to treat the US as 50 separate countries rather than one big one.

      There are 2 year associate degree programs for police. A full degree or masters also gets you better placement, like going plainclothes detective day one. Federal level, like FBI or Marshalls, generally require higher education. Average beat cops in some 'burb, though? May or may not require anything more than a High School degree or GED.