New York State private college suburban and urban student, college professor, and police chief views on criminal justice curricula, entry-level police officer educational requirements, police officer current education and police officer performance

The purpose of the study was to examine the New York State undergraduate college students, college professors' and police chiefs' views of criminal justice curricula and entry-level police officer educational requirements. A triangular design methodology was used. Participants included urban and suburban undergraduate college students studying in a criminal justice curriculum; criminal justice college professors who teach in both an urban and suburban setting; and police chiefs who work in both an urban and suburban setting. The findings of the study are intended to provide educators with an understanding of the additional courses that are needed and desired in an undergraduate criminal justice curriculum. Furthermore, this study continued the mission of the Commission on Law Enforcement established by President Lyndon Johnson in 1967, which championed the cause for a better educated police workforce. Police departments throughout the country will be able to reconsider their current educational requirements and develop optional models. The broader impact of the study is to better inform colleges and universities in the future development of criminal justice curricula and contribute to the discussion of standardizing entry-level law enforcement requirements. Finally, the design of this study is expected to provide a model to empirically examine criminal justice curricula and educational requirements for entry-level police officers for future studies. This study offers a serious and systematic incorporation of the views of consumers of criminal justice curricula in the assessment process.