Professionalism is needed in several areas: training, technology, educational levels of the work force, and organizational evaluation. Sheriffs can strive to meet the criteria of a profession as accepted by national professional organizations. A major barrier to recognition of as a profession is collective reluctance to take part in the Nation's system of higher education, relying instead on varying State requirements for law enforcement certification. Criteria normally associated with a profession include high visibility, continuous training, codified body of knowledge, requirement for quick decisions, licensing procedures, and written ethical standards. Although police agencies come close to meeting all these criteria, they need to follow through in areas in which they fall short, such as higher education, technology and technological proficiency, and self-evaluation. Photograph and illustrations