California Bill Will Require Law Enforcement To Have Bachelors Degree

A new California bill aims to heighten the requirements to become a police officer in an attempt to reduce excessive force incidents.

Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer is pushing for police officers to have a bachelor’s degree or be at least 25 years old. The current legislation doesn’t require a degree and you only have to be 18.

“When we look at the data, the data shows when someone is college educated, their propensity for violence, goes way down,” Jones-Sawyer said.

According to studies older and educated officers are less likely to use excessive force while on duty.

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“This data-driven bill relies on years of study and new understandings of brain development to ensure that only those officers capable of high level decision-making and judgment in tense situations are entrusted with working in our communities and correctional facilities” added Sawyer.

If the bill is approved, California would have the highest age requirement in the United States.

“It is with similar logic that youth must be treated as a youth by our criminal justice system,” said Esteban Nuñez, from the Advocacy at the Anti-Recidivism Coalition, per USA Today. “This legislation will reduce the risk of unlawful or impulsive use of force by requiring law enforcement officers to have more full brain maturation before entering high-stress, high-stakes situations.”