Fast forward 20- years. I am a defensive tactics instructor, a field training officer and recruit level instructor for my department. All of these experiences reinforce my belief that the four year college degree is one of the most critical parts of a resume we need to look for when recruit new officers. I get the argument all the time, what about a guy who isn’t cut out for college and goes into the military instead. Of course, what I want to say is that if college wasn’t for you, what makes you think being a police office will be. My reply, however, was that I understand that, but military and college are not mutually exclusive. As a matter of fact, I paid for my college through enlisting in the Army Reserves and served throughout my college career. The other side is that in the military, especially the combat arms, the us versus them mentality starts. When we rely too much on military experience then law enforcement becomes poisoned with that mentality.