WARETOWN, NJ – A newly passed amendment to an Ocean Township ordinance changes eligibility requirements for police officers seeking promotions.
Prerequisites to apply to the local department do not include completion of any college credits. As a non-civil service town, the municipality sets its own guidelines.
The mandate applies to promotions of all superior officers, starting with sergeants. Candidates must possess at least an associate degree when they submit their application to become first-line supervisors.
Applicants looking to move up the ranks to lieutenant or higher are only eligible if they have completed their bachelor’s degree.
The Ocean Township Police Department provides officers with the opportunity to earn college credits while they are on the job. A tuition reimbursement program makes the pursuit of a degree more affordable.
Patrolman Mike Matelski is the president of Ocean Township PBA Local 371. He started with the police department as a dispatcher in 2012 and became an officer in 2013.
Matelski already received a college education before he joined Ocean Township Police. He holds both an undergraduate and master’s degree.
“Education doesn’t correlate to being a good cop,” acknowledged Matelski. “You can have four master’s degrees and a doctorate and not be able to grasp the job itself.”
According to Matelski, he finds that continuing education provides other life skills that are useful in a career in law enforcement. Things like time management, studying, and following directives ultimately prove beneficial.
Police officers also need to stay updated on changes in case law and statutes. Matelski feels education never stops when it comes to knowing what can and can’t be done as an officer.
“It takes a real special kind of person to want to be a police officer,” Matelski said. “It needs to be someone who would rather be part of the solution – and not the problem. Any kind of education lends itself to becoming the solution, rather than the problem.”
Not all of Ocean Township’s police officers have earned degrees. Some were not happy with the change in promotional guidelines. However, Matelski said the consensus was that education would be part of professional standards for all law enforcement officers one day.
As far back as 2007, a professional journal article suggested that officers with any college education used significantly less verbal force than others. The same study said cops with four-year degrees used significantly less force. It acknowledged that “encounters involving officers with greater experience result in less verbal and physical force.”
Township Committee members also approved a new rule that requires a registration fee for applicants to the police department. Monies are intended to offset the costs associated with the hiring process.
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February 19, 2021 at 02:37AM
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