I’m often asked about my thoughts regarding the Tulsa Police Department’s bachelor’s degree requirement, and I respond that it generally leads to a more mature, critical thinker.

Recently, there has been an argument that police officers do not need a bachelor’s degree. I must respectfully disagree.

In the past 25 years, I have been at the forefront of this debate as a public safety officer. I began my career in 1997, just as we were transitioning to a full-fledged bachelor’s program. As a result of our college degree requirement, the time and effort dedicated to attaining a degree allow the person to mature over a period of four or five years.

According to research, departments requiring higher education have fewer systemic issues than agencies with only high school diploma requirements. Further research indicates that many officers charged after excessive force-related incidents had little to no higher education.

Among the main calls for action made by public safety advocates is the need and importance of more maturity through education at the university level or beyond.

Over the years, I’ve heard from many recruits who say that learning from professors who are former police officers or who currently serve helps them avoid groupthink in high-stress environments.

According to the available information, groupthink was a contributing factor to the five police officers charged in Memphis for the Jan. 7 beating death of Tyre Nichols. The very nature of the policing profession makes divergent thought challenging.

If you attended basic training or watched a documentary on paramilitary life, you know that officers follow protocol and orders. To mitigate the effects of groupthink in Tulsa, we continue to add new de-escalation techniques by college-educated men and women.

Critical thinking in innovation is paramount and on display with our TPD officers. We began developing innovative strategies to bridge the high school/college gap. One of our new workforce development strategies is a partnership with organizations such as the Tulsa Higher Ed Consortium and a growing number of universities (in and out-of-state). TPD is developing more affordable and faster ways for individuals to attend college.

Our collaboration enables low-income, minority high school seniors (considering public service) to overcome the college degree barrier. As a result of the workforce development plan, credit transfers are simplified, financial burdens are minimized and mentorship is provided to first-generation college students as they navigate the degree process.

A student’s last semester is completed at the police academy for credit hours, resulting in the hiring of diverse, highly qualified and degreed officers. In four years, students move from one socioeconomic challenged platform to middle-class with a successful lifetime career.

By combining TPD’s current degree requirement with innovative methods, college applicants increase, many officers overcome poverty barriers related to adverse childhood experiences, and critical thinking derived from higher education fosters positive reforms within the police force.

We retain the requirement with the hope that we can prevent something like Memphis from happening again.