MOST RESEARCH ON COLLEGE EDUCATION FOR POLICE MAY BE CRITICIZED FOR FAILING TO CONTROL ADEQUATELY FOR EXTRANEOUS AND CONTROL VARIABLES. THE RESULT OF THIS FAILURE HAS BEEN THE TEMPTATION TO CONCLUDE PREMATURELY THAT COLLEGE EDUCATION EITHER DOES OR DOES NOT PRODUCE IMPORTANT DIFFERENCES. SUCH CONCLUSIONS ARE PREMATURE IN THAT, GENERALLY, THEY BASE THEIR EMPIRICAL SUPPORT ON THE LIMITED ANALYSIS OF STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN COLLEGE-EDUCATED AND NON-COLLEGE-EDUCATED GROUPS -- DIFFERENCES THAT ALONE DO NOT CONSTITUTE PROOF THAT EDUCATION IS THE CAUSATIVE FACTOR FOR ALL OR ANY OF THE DIFFERENCES FOUND. THE MIDWESTERN CITY STUDY IS CITED AS AN EXAMPLE OF THE LIMITS THAT SHOULD BE PLACED ON INTERPRETING FINDINGS OF DIFFERENCES AMONG EDUCATIONALLY DEFINED GROUPS. PARTICULAR ATTENTION IS DIRECTED TO THE VARIETY OF SUBCONCEPTS INHERENT IN THE CONCEPT 'COLLEGE EDUCATION'; I.E., FACTORS SUCH AS DURATION, ENVIRONMENT, EMPHASIS, AND MIX THAT DIFFERENTIATE ONE POLICE OFFICER'S COLLEGE EXPERIENCE FROM ANOTHER'S. SURVEY ITEMS THAT MAY BE USED TO TAKE THESE FACTORS INTO ACCOUNT ARE PRESENTED. A LIST OF REFERENCES IS INCLUDED. (LKM)