In this new and complicated era where law enforcement and homeland security intersect, roles for local, state, and federal officers have become complex and sophisticated. Students entering college degree or law enforcement technical training programs will encounter increasingly advanced coursework in computer forensics, surveillance, and counter-terrorism tactics. Whether you hope to work at the local or national level, law enforcement training programs can prepare you for today's demanding professions.
Law enforcement grads work across a broad spectrum of private and public agencies. The federal government needs newly trained officers for careers in U.S. Border Patrol; Prisons and Corrections; Customs and Border Protection; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; Immigration Service; as Federal Air Marshals, and with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Secret Service.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the best law enforcement opportunities will be for job candidates that have completed formal police training or criminal justice degrees programs. Most new jobs, the BLS predicts, will be with local police departments and state highway patrol agencies.
Law enforcement training at the certificate, associates and bachelor's degree levels are available for those who also may wish to work for local police and sheriffs' departments; with state tax, fraud, or investigation departments; in local jails or state prisons; or with state highway patrol departments.
Coursework may include studies in police investigation and reporting, crowd control, criminal procedure, firearms, drugs and narcotics enforcement, physical fitness, crime scene and witness interrogation, and first aid.
