In the summer of 1989, 17 career officers with between 15 and 20 years of service completed their degrees in criminal justice studies. They were interviewed and asked why they chose to pursue the degree in criminal justice studies, how their colleagues reacted to their desire for academic training, how they sustained their interest in academic work, and how their studies affected their personal development. The officers also discussed the relevance of the academic degree to police work and whether they thought they had become "over-educated cops." The article concludes by pointing out that a more highly-educated police force will influence criminal justice policies in the years to come. 11 references.