Making a better
police officer

We citizens give police officers enormous power. They can arrest us -- even shoot us. But their qualifications are minimal. A recruit needs to be only 20 years old with a high-school diploma or a GED.

More rigorous requirements, such as a minimum age of 22 plus 60 hours of college work in sociology, psychology, mediation, logic, communications, English and a second language pertinent to our population, would make for more mature, well-rounded officers.

Good police officers must first be good citizens. Officers must be able to communicate effectively, think rationally and make split-second decisions. Shoving a badge and a gun into the hand of an undereducated, immature person could be lethal.

Yes, police are only human, but before we bestow life-or-death power on them, we need to be sure they're the best humans we can find. They should be a cut above the rest of us.

--Charlotte Phillips

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