Higher education by itself, and as compared to police academy training, and the impact of two independent variables, (job position and college education) on the attitudes of respondents were considered in this study. Findings of interest were: although half of the departments assisted or paid total educational expenses for their officers, approximately three-quarters preferred some college education or a 2 year degree over a 4 year degree; knowledge about report writing, ethics, legal aspects, and police procedures were considered most important; and research and organizational theory were considered the least important. It was found that respondents' attitudes concerning whether officers with degrees had fewer complaints filed against them, made better decisions, or were generally higher quality officers were influenced most by educational level. It was found that there was slow progress toward a positive education ideology, but the overall findings reveal that law enforcement administrators now see higher education as important to police training. Tables include, for example, demographic characteristics of respondents, results of certification training and educational support, percentage of respondents agreeing with education requirements for new recruits, mean scores and percentage of the department variables, and participants responses to five education-related questions. References