Why Now is the Best Time to Obtain a Master’s Degree in ...

[Pages:31]Top 10 Reasons

Why Now is the Best Time to Obtain a Master's Degree in Law Enforcement and Public Safety Leadership

Table of Contents

Top 10 Reasons Why Now is the Best Time to Obtain a Master's Degree in Law Enforcement and Public Safety Leadership

Introduction: Top 10 Reasons Why Now is the Best Time to Obtain a Master's

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Degree in Law Enforcement and Public Safety Leadership

Aquire Leadership & Management Skills

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Job Security

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Police Community Relations Are in Need of Reform

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Training in Cutting Edge Law Enforcement Technology

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Gain a Deeper Understanding of Laws, Court Procedures and Decisions

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Study Current and Future Industry Trends

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Learn When You Want and Where You Want

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Spend Less: Discounts for Military, Veterans and Members of Public Safety

23

Associations or Unions

Increase Your Marketability and Stay in Demand in a Rapidly Evolving Field

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Connect with Other Leaders in the Field

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Conclusion

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Resources

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America in the 21st century America has seen a host of security threats from abroad and at home coupled with wide-ranging domestic crime issues and an expanding mistrust of law enforcement.

From street gangs to white-collar crime, transnational drug trafficking to recidivism and terrorist attacks, the issues facing law enforcement personnel today are extreme and far reaching.

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As the world and issues facing law enforcement personnel have changed over the years many educational institutions have not kept up.

What was taught 20 years ago in traditional criminal justice programs is, in most cases, still being taught today, but it's outdated. And it's not just the education that's outdated, it's many of the police organizations themselves.

According to a National Institute of Justice article titled, Police Leadership Challenges in a Changing World:

"There is still a widespread tendency to adhere to outdated and ineffective management practices.

For example, even the way a department's overall effectiveness is traditionally measured and tracked -- typically some aspect of response time or fulfillment of calls for service -- lacks relevance to current expectations of and for police."

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This lag in both law enforcement education and workplace practices, coupled with an entire generation of baby boomers on the cusp of retirement and technological advances over the past decade, has created a tremendous opportunity for current and up and coming law enforcement professionals to drive change and improve the system.

In order to create this change and be most effective, law enforcement professionals need to be adequately prepared.

A master's degree in law enforcement and public safety leadership prepares law enforcement professionals for leadership positions through training in law, finance, communication, technology, conflict resolution and community engagement.

Students receive leadership and management training in today's issues, today's technology and for today's workplace. A degree in law enforcement leadership offers more than a traditional criminal justice degree by focusing on current issues and offering applicable, real world, 21st century skills.

This eBook will examine Why now is an ideal time for law enforcement professionals to further their education and the top 10 benefits to obtaining a master's degree in law enforcement and public safety leadership.

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Reason One

Acquire Leadership & Management Skills

REASON ONE

Acquire Leadership & Management Skills

Contemporary law enforcement is complex and requires a diverse skill set,

which many law enforcement professionals never received in their primary training, often due to outdated curriculums. Based on two years of research with law enforcement and public safety leadership and experts, the University of San Diego determined that many of the skills taught in criminal justice degree programs today were relevant 20 years ago, but failed to keep up with the evolving industry and world. Additionally, according to , as well as many industry experts, there is a looming leadership crisis in the law enforcement industry. With the baby boomer generation entering retirement, law enforcement leadership positions are opening up more and more frequently and oftentimes being filled by officers without any formal training in management and leadership.

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REASON ONE

Acquire Leadership & Management Skills

There is a shift happening.

Moving from one generation of leaders to the next. Unfortunately, many organizations have failed to adequately prepare the next generation.

As Gary Brown, former chief of police and current principle in a California based public sector recruitment firm, said in a article,

"If the law enforcement profession is serious about solving the current leadership crisis, and the crisis that looms in the future, agencies must begin targeting recruitment efforts at the most qualified workers today. Locally recruited leadership candidates should be identified early so that they may be afforded the time to be properly prepared for the police leadership positions of the future."

The article went on to say,

"Today's leaders must realize the traditionalist approaches to leadership transition will not prepare law enforcement to attract and retain the millennial generation members who will follow them into the workplace."

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