America Needs More Law Enforcement Officers

The next time you watch a local newscast, count the number of stories before the first commercial break that involve violent crime. There are bound to be a lot of them.

According to the FBI's Preliminary Annual Crime Report for 2005 released in June, law enforcement agencies throughout the nation reported an increase of 2.5 percent in the number of violent crimes brought to their attention in 2005 when compared to figures reported for 2004. The violent crime category includes murder, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault.

Why the big increase in crime? No one knows for sure, but one plausible explanation is  that 2005 was a very hot year. The "temperature aggression theory" suggests that warm temperatures can spark violence. Other experts suggest the increasing popularity of methamphetamine is to blame, or it may be because a lack of funding for intervention programs and community supervision or due to a shortage of police officers working the streets.

Departments nationwide are shorthanded, with fewer people entering the law enforcement profession every year. A recent study shows police departments have, on average, only 40 to 50 percent of their sworn officer positions filled. The U.S. Labor Department predicts there will be a 29 percent increase in demand for criminal justice professionals by 2010.

"With demand so high, law enforcement is definitely an area that's worth exploring for high school and college students, even for working professionals who are considering a job change," says Mike Williams of Criminal Justice Now,a Web site that serves as a portal to some of the nation's top criminal justice programs.

The site can match you up with a program that will help you earn a Bachelor's, Master's or Doctorate degree in criminal justice, corrections, crime analysis, forensics, fraud or private security.  

Interested in learning more about a career in criminal justice? Log on to www.criminaljusticenow.com, fill out the online questionnaire and you'll hear back from a recruiter at a school that will be a great fit for you.  

Copyright © 2006, ARA Content