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Ruth Adkins for Portland School Board

Don't Lower Education Requirements For Portland Police

Below is a copy of a letter that I e-mailed this morning to Portland Police Chief Rosie Sizer:

Dear Chief Sizer:

Robert Kennedy once said that "every society gets the kind of criminal it deserves. What is equally true is that every community gets the kind of law enforcement it insists on."

Today it was reported in The Oregonian and elsewhere that the Portland Police Bureau is considering removing the requirement that officers hold an associates degree.

Demanding that our police officers in Portland hold at least an associates degree helps us to ensure that this community has officers that are mature and professional. It was a mistake for the bureau to undo the previous mandate that officers hold a bachelors degree. Moving even further away from the goal of an educated police force is a terrible mistake.

Formal education does not solve all problems and some people are able to excel without a formal education. But a college education at least provides exposure to a wide range of belief systems along with understandings of history and social science vital to the true success of any public servant.

I understand that having high standards makes it sometimes difficult to find candidates for the Portland Police Bureau. We should consider that a good problem to have. I'd rather live in a city were I can trust that our police are highly qualified then to live in a city where I fear that a formal education ended for sworn officers at the age of 18.

You will lose hard earned trust from the people of Portland if you move in this direction.

Sincerely,

The Rev. Chuck Currie

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