Grants for Police Officers Going To College – Are there grants or other forms of financial aid for police officers going to college available? As you know, the Police Department is a place where many different skills are combined; hence polishing them by pursuing a degree in college will certainly help the performance of the police men/women.
There are many college education departments that are closely related to police career, including psychology, sociology, criminology, accounting, etc. Professionals with these kinds of skills will be a great resource for the Police Department.
Getting financial aid such as grants for going to college is certainly a nice option; but grant opportunities usually knocks on the door of needy people coming from low-income families to help them get out of the terrible financial condition through education. Meanwhile, the annual salary for police officers is pretty well beyond the minimum wage, so grants may not be your best option.
Instead, we highly recommend you to search for scholarships to help you cover the cost of college education. Previously we’ve had the Police Corps Scholarship program, which has been discontinued temporarily due to the slowing recruitment efforts of the Police Department. The scholarship was pretty generous, but it’s time to look for other sources of free money for police officers going to college education. Listed below are some of your options:
Some Options of Grants for Police Officers Going To College
State Police Association
Now that the Police Corps Scholarship program is temporarily unavailable, the best bet would be going to your state’s Police Association. There may be some kind of program that can help you get the education you need. For example, the Wisconsin Professional Police Association offers the WPPA scholarship program (http://wppa.com/resources/scholarship-program/) for those pursuing law enforcement programs. Since this is a state-specific program, the policy may differ in one state to another. Some offer benefits for the general population who are interested in making law enforcement as a career, other emphasize the benefits for the children or descendants of police officials, etc. Just give it a shot, even if you don’t get what you want it is more than likely that they have good information about what you’re looking for.
Universities
There are numerous universities and colleges offering financial assistance for police officers going to college. These programs are usually aimed to strengthen the ability of law enforcement personnel so that they can serve the community better. Some of the colleges offering the similar program are the Loyola University in New Orleans, University Of Louisville, Idaho State University and Western Illinois University. If these colleges are outside your area, you may want to ask the university near you about the opportunity.
Other Organization
Aside of the Police Association, there are other police-related organizations that may be able to help you pursuing the degree. Usually they are race-based or gender-based. Some good examples are the Women in Law Enforcement Scholarships and the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (http://noblenational.org/). Since these are nonprofit organizations, the funding may be limited.
So as you can see, although getting grants are quite difficult you can always search for scholarships for police officers going to college.
References:
- Scholarships for Law Enforcement Students – http://www.collegescholarships.org/scholarships/law-enforcement.htm
- 10 Scholarships and Awards for Criminal Justice Majors – http://criminaljusticeonlineblog.com/07/10-scholarships-and-awards-for-criminal-justice-majors/
- Image: blogs.christianpost.com
