Three universities are now offering a scholarship for police officers to earn a criminal justice degree. Those who are employed as a police officer or retired from the field are qualified for the scholarship, unless they are on probation. The opportunity has been introduced to allow officers to earn their degree, as the trend of law enforcement officers continuing higher education is growing.

Among those participating in the universities’ programs, more than half continued their educational career. As the roll of technology in criminal justice increases, earning a traditional or online criminal justice degree can help growth in the changing industry to current and aspiring police officers.

“A bachelor’s degree is very desirable now in policing,” said Dan Swanson, criminal justice program chair at one of the universities. “This scholarship was created to motivate officers to earn their bachelor’s degree, which can help them move up within their organizations and broaden their foundation of knowledge.”

A report released on May 25 found that more than 90 percent of students surveyed were interested in being financially stable after graduation. For those aspiring to become a police officer, entering a secure industry with little employment fluctuation is attractive. Because the criminal justice industry will always be prevalent in society, many people are striving to earn a degree in the field.

In an ever-changing field of new technology and gadgets, higher education is being sought out to perform more effectively and efficient. For instance, face recognition technology was introduced by Pennsylvania professionals, and law enforcement agencies within the state used the application to better serve their community and share information with other agencies. Technological expansion, when used properly by police officers, can aid in criminal investigations such as homicides, robberies, burglaries or identity theft.