The police academy is intended for individuals who are committed and ready to invest in preparing for a career in law enforcement. It is both mentally and physically challenging, which is why it is so important to be prepared. Well prepared individuals will experience less stress and will be more successful during their training period.  Here are a few tips on how you can prepare for the police academy.

Get Ready. Schedule a physical with your doctor and get your overall health in check. Smokers need to stop smoking ASAP!

Start Working Out NOW. The police academy has a very physically intense workout program. You should start working out 3-6 months before you enroll. Workouts should include cardiovascular, stretching, and weight training exercises. To be sure that you can pass the fitness tests, you will want to be able to run 1.5 miles in less than 11 minutes and 30 seconds. You should be able to do 60 sit-ups in less than 2 minutes, and 60 pushups in the same amount of time.

Clean Up Your Look. Get you appearance in check. At the academy you will be representing yourself and your school. Because of this, it is very important to look your best and abide by all appearance guidelines. According to the Cadet Handbook, these guidelines are as follows:

• Females: Hair shall be worn so that it does not extend beyond the bottom of the collar.  It may be combed over the ears, but in no case will it be permitted to extend more than two inches below the bottom of the ear nor more than two inches in front of the ears. Hair that it styled or combed forward shall be no lower on the forehead than of an inch above the highest point of the eyebrows.  Long hair shall be pinned up and arranged so that it is above the bottom of the collar and lays flat on the back of the head.  No decorations shall be worn in the hair.  Hair clips or pins that match the color of the hair may be worn.  No hairpieces shall be worn.
• Males:  Hair shall not extend over the ear and shall not touch the collar.  Sideburns shall be neatly trimmed and shall not extend past the center of the ear.  No beards are allowed.  Mustaches shall be neatly trimmed and shall not extend beyond the corner of the mouth.
• Fingernails shall be clean and trimmed so that they will not interfere with classroom activities or pose a safety hazard to other Cadets during training.  Nails shall not extend beyond the end of fingertips.  Any fingernail polish used shall be a clear color.
• Wedding bands, medical identification bracelets, and watches are the only items of jewelry that may be worn with the either the Class A or B uniform.  For safety reasons no jewelry shall be worn while in Class C uniforms.  No earrings or body piercing jewelry, visible or not, is permitted.
• Tattoos of all kinds are generally not authorized to be visible while in uniform.  Many agencies require employees to cover tattoos while in uniform which means that employees with tattoos visible on the lower part of the arm must wear a long sleeve shirt at all times while on duty.

Get Organized. You will be expected to come to class every day prepared to work hard. You will also have a lot of paperwork and deadlines to keep track of. Get a daily planner and start organizing your life as soon as possible. This way it will be easier for you once you start training.

Eliminate the Extra Stress in Your Life. Be sure to have your personal life in order before you attend the police academy. The police academy will take a lot of you mentally so you shouldn’t have a lot of other things to worry about. There will not be time for outside distractions once you are in the academy.

Keep it Real! Individuals with a positive and enthusiastic attitude will be most successful in the police academy. Give it your all and make the most of your time in training.

Your chances for receiving financial aid are determined by these 10 factors, and will depend on the school you are attending. It is important to find out how your school stands when it comes to determining financial aid offers. If you have questions or need clarification, you should consult your school’s financial aid office for more information.

1. Your school’s policy on student loans
• Some colleges provide enough federal grants and work-study jobs to meet a student’s need
• Others schools will provide enough grants so that low-income students don’t have to borrow, while others students will have to take out modest loans
• Some schools even offer aid packages that include federal student loans of up to $7,500 a year

2. How your school calculates a family’s need
• Some schools are promising to provide enough grants to make sure families earning less than $180,000 pay not more than 10 percent of their income
• Some schools are promising enough aid so that the families only have to pay the expected family contribution (EFC) – which the school calculates based off the family’s income

3. How your school counts home equity
• Some colleges consider the equity parents have in their homes as a resource that should be tapped to help pay for college
• Other schools don’t consider equity of the parents’ home

4. The effect of the financial aid application on your chances for admission
• Some colleges reserve spots for students who can pay full price
• Other schools will meet the financial needs of their admitted students, and don’t consider a student’s financial aid application or their ability to pay when deciding about admission

5. Does the school offer merit scholarships?
• Some schools offer top students merit scholarships no matter what their expected family contribution is, or how rich their parents are
• Other schools do not offer merit scholarships

6. The school’s financial aid policy for international students
• Some schools will commit to meet the financial aid of noncitizens
• Other schools do not guarantee full aid for international students

7. The cutoff date for the meet-full-needs promise
• Some schools will only meet the needs of students who complete their aid applications on time
• Other schools commit to meet the need of those students admitted during the early or regular admission seasons and may run out of aid by the time they start admitting students off their waiting list
• There are some schools that say the timing of the application doesn’t affect the aid award at all

8. How the schools considers divorced parents
• Some schools analyze the incomes of both stepparents and birth parents to make their own judgments about which set of parents should be responsible for each student’s college costs
• Other schools only consider the incomes of the birth parents
• Schools that only use the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) consider only the custodial parents’ income when determining financial aid

9. The college’s expectation for student contribution
• Some schools provide enough aid so that students aren’t required to pitch in summer earnings
• Other schools reduce the student’s need and aid package by at least $1,000, saying that the student is expected to contribute that much each year from their summer earnings

10. What the college considers as its cost
• Some schools keep their cost low by providing small allowances for books or miscellaneous expenses
• Legally a college’s total cost of attendance is supposed to include tuition, fees, room, board, books, travel, and miscellaneous expenses for other necessities

Source: U.S.News, http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/paying-for-college/2010/02/18/will-you-get-enough-financial-aid-ask-your-college-about-these-10-factors.html

Criminal justice certificates are useful for many different reasons. Whether you are interested in learning about the field of criminal justice as a whole or are looking for career specific training, criminal justice certificate programs can serve as a great way to start a career or advance your current one.

Discovering the Field of Criminal Justice

For students who are looking to develop a broad understanding of the criminal justice field, a criminal justice certificate program will give them a solid introduction to the philosophy, theories, and operation of the adult and juvenile justice systems. In many cases, the credits earned in a criminal justice certificate program can be transferred towards other degree programs. A certificate program will often serve as a gateway to higher education and further studies.

Adding Credentials to Your Resume

Criminal justice certificate programs can also give you the specific training you need for a certain position within the field. For example, many people participate in paralegal certification programs so that they are able to find work as paralegals and legal assistants. Other popular programs include crime scene technician, terrorism and nation security management, and general criminal justice management. Frequently, people who have already earned college degrees will go back to school to earn certificates in particular subject areas to add new layers of expertise to their resumes.

What Certificate Programs Entail

Criminal justice certificate programs generally require 1 year of study, however each program will vary depending on the area of interest. Certificates can give you the education you need to start a new career and fill entry level positions, or can help you develop the skills you need to advance your current position within the field. If you are already working towards a degree, certificate programs can be treated as a minor to your regular degree curriculum.

Find Criminal Justice Certificate Programs

The Online Education Database and National Center for Education Statistics selected the top online colleges of 2009 based on acceptance rate, graduation rate, financial aid, peer Web citations, retention rate, years accredited, scholarly citations, and student-faculty ratio.

Top Online Colleges of 2009

1. Nova Southeastern University
2. Regent University
3. Champlain College
4. Upper Iowa University
5. LeTourneau University
6. Liberty University
7. Grand Canyon University
8. Dickinson State University
9. Western Governors University
10. Salem International University
11. Keiser University
12. Fisher College
13. National University
14. Walden University
15. Tiffin University
16. Westwood College
17. Post University
18. ITT Technical Institute
19. Colorado Technical University
20. Everglades University
21. Everest University
22. Kaplan University
23. Capella University
24. Rasmussen College
25. Devry University
26. Berkeley College
27. Granite State College
28. University of Phoenix
29. Peirce College
30. Herzing College
31. South University
32. City University
33. Florida National College
34. York Technical College
35. Western International University
36. Darton College
37. Franklin University
38. Northcentral University
39. Ashford University
40. Baker College
41. Bellevue University
42. National American University
43. Jones International University
44. American InterContinental University

OnlineDegreeReviews.org also provides a list of what they consider to be the top 10 online colleges. Their list, however, is based on student generated reviews. Current and former students were asked to rate schools based on their opinion of the quality of materials, institution, value, teachers, support and technology. Schools with the highest ratings made the top of the list. While this is a much more subjective way of ranking the top online colleges, their list does allow for an interesting comparison between the two lists of schools.

Top Online Colleges as Ranked by Current and Former Students (2009)

1. Andrew Jackson University
2. Boise State University
3. Seton Hall University
4. Norwich University
5. Columbia Southern University
6. Henley-Putnam University
7. TUI University
8. University of Massachusetts (UMass Online)
9. Grand Canyon University
10. American Military University

Can’t find the school you are looking for? Fill out some basic information and let us help you find an online accredited school!

Criminal justice degrees are considered to be among the top 10 most useful online degree programs available today. Because of this, it is not surprising that criminal justice online degree programs are in high demand.

According to a recent blog post on Online Degree Finder, there are 6 main reasons why e-learning is becoming more and more popular. These include:

1. Personalized learning environments allow students to control their education in a way that they are not able to in a classroom setting. This includes choosing when and where they do their coursework and the pace at which they complete it. For busy professionals who are earning degrees while on the job, the flexibility of e-learning can be very beneficial.
2. Students who are enrolled in online degree programs use a combination of multimedia technology and instructional study which can be accessed at all times via the Internet. This enables improved retention of the information and skills learned in coursework, because students are able to reference information at other times if needed.
3. Real-time access also enables students to access coursework whenever and wherever they need it. For police officers who are looking to increase their credentials, online degree programs allow them to complete their studies in their off-duty time.
4. E-learning encourages students to explore and test their ideas because they are able to participate in classroom discussions and ask questions freely with the sense of being anonymous.
5. Online learning uses more technology and less paper from actual books, handouts, and papers being printed. If you are online taking courses, then you are not commuting back and forth to school in a vehicle – therefore not using gas, and producing fewer emissions.
6. With online learning, students have to share information in forums with peers. This adds value to everyone’s overall learning experience since students are actively engaging and participating, and numerous ideas and opinions are being thrown around.

Online criminal justice degrees are an excellent choice for people who have families, full-time jobs, and other responsibilities that make it hard for them to attend campus courses. They can also be particularly helpful for those who don’t have access to transportation. Online students also have the ability to spend more quality time with their families, remain fully committed to their jobs, save money on tuition, and earn the degrees that will take their careers to the next level.

Most importantly,  e-learning programs are convenient, flexible, student centered, and less expensive than traditional university programs.

Find a Criminal Justice Online Degree Program Today.

Douglas Maifeld is a Police Corporal and D.A.R.E. Officer in Maine. He has been in this line of work for over 21 years.

How did you become interested in criminal justice?

I have always wanted to become a police officer even since I was 6 years old.

What type of training or education prepared you for your work in this position?

I have an associate’s degree in law enforcement from the Maine Criminal Justice Academy.

What is an average day at work like for you?

We work 12 hrs days and each day varies. I am a patrol supervisor, and I do a lot of youth related functions being the DARE officer. I am also responsible for the police department’s web site, Facebook account, and all computer related issues.

What do you like most about your job?

I really enjoy the D.A.R.E. program.

What advice do you have for those who are interested in working in this field?

Don’t get into Law Enforcement for the wrong reasons. It can be exciting and rewarding, but it can also be tedious patrolling and dealing with the same individuals day after day. This might sound corny, but you need to want to do the job because you want to help serve and protect the community.

Last week a press release went out announcing the Criminal Justice School Guide to the rest of the world. This is big news for us, and we are very excited to share everything that we have to offer with an even larger audience.

The press release highlights some of the features on the site, such as the degree program directory and our “How to Become” articles. Be sure to check these sections out if you have not already!

Thanks to our followers from early on! You guys have helped us get off to a great start!

Last Saturday was both an interesting and informative day for potential criminal justice students in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. On February 20, 2010, Colorado Technical University hosted its annual CSI Day, which demonstrated to participants that real forensic work is not nearly as glamorous as it appears on TV.

CSI Day is a program offered by Colorado Technical University that introduces people to the school’s crime scene investigation program. It’s a free program and is open to everyone who is interested in the field. Participants learned about crime scene investigation, toured the CTU crime lab, collected evidence from mock crime scenes, and watched finger printing demonstrations. These activities are all part of what CTU’s crime scene investigation degree programs have to offer.

Events like CSI day are a great way to find out if crime scene investigation is really the career path you wish to take. Colorado Technical University will most likely hold similar events in the future.

How did you become interested in this field?

When I was a kid I loved creative story writing about fictional detectives. They sparked my interest for criminal justice.

What type of training or education prepared you for your work in this position?

My undergraduate degree, the police academy, and real world experience as an officer best prepared me for my work. Formal education builds the foundation, but, the craft of the practitioner fortified the rest of the construction.  You can’t sit in the ivory towers of academia and truly understand what you’re talking about.  It happens every day though, and people, who think they know what they’re talking about, write textbooks. The real practitioners are out there every day dealing with real people, applying the classroom to see if it works.

What is an average day at work like for you?

Interacting with students who feel they have a calling to a career in criminal justice, debating, researching and writing to advance the field of criminology.

What do you like most about your job?

Criminal justice students and researching the craft of criminology; interacting with other practitioners; avoiding the theorists!

What advice do you have for those who are interested in working in this field?

Work hard, study hard, be creative, become a critical thinker, think for yourself, loosen up and question things, develop a serious affinity for the investigative process; get that degree and go to the police academy, then walk in the shoes of the practitioner!

• In Bozeman, Montana, a law prohibits all sexual activity from the front yard of a home after sundown.
• In Salt Lake County, Utah, it’s illegal to walk down the street carrying a violin in a paper bag.
• In Devon, Texas, it is against the law to make furniture while you are nude.
• In Florida men seen publicly in any kind of strapless gown can be fined.
• In Pennsylvania, it’s against the law to tie a dollar bill on a string on the ground and pull it away when someone tries to pick it up.
• In France, it is against the law to sell an “E.T” doll, because of the law forbidding the sale of dolls that do not have human faces.
• In Switzerland, it is illegal for a man to relieve himself while standing up after 10pm.
• In Florida, it is illegal to fart in a public place after 6 P.M. on Thursdays.
• In Samoa, it’s a crime to forget your own wife’s birthday.
• In Athens, Greece, a driver’s license can be taken away if the driver is thought to be either “poorly dressed” or “unbathed”.
• In Wilbur, Washington, it is illegal to ride an ugly horse.
• It is illegal for a cab in the City of London to carry rabid dogs or corpses.
• In France, it is forbidden to call a pig Napoleon.
• In the UK, a pregnant woman can legally relieve herself anywhere she wants – even, if she so requests, in a policeman’s helmet.
• In Florida, unmarried women who parachute on Sundays can be jailed.
• In Vermont, women must obtain written permission from their husbands to wear false teeth.
• In London, it is illegal to flag down a taxi if you have the plague.
• In the English city of Liverpool a woman is prohibited by law to walk around topless, unless she is selling exotic fish at the market.

Did you know any of these extreme laws existed? I sure didn’t!