Los Al Makes the Grade
ALL 21 POLICE OFFICERS HAVE COLLEGE DEGREES
By Jaimee Lynn Fletcher
For most professions, it’s
hard to imagine a time
when higher education was
discouraged, but not long
ago this was the reality for
many in law enforcement.
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R
eal-world training trumped hitting the books, and many who
wore a badge preferred learning on the streets to sitting in a
classroom.
“When I started here, education wasn’t a priority,” said Los
Alamitos Police Chief Todd Mattern. “I remember one time I said
to my boss, ‘I can’t attend training, I have a final.’ That didn’t
go over well.” Mattern said he persisted on showing up for the
test, despite pushback from his boss. He caught up on the missed
training and later earned his bachelor’s degree in occupational
studies from Cal State Long Beach.
The law enforcement landscape has changed drastically
since the 1980s when Mattern was fighting for support from his
superiors to earn his degree. Today, agencies embrace the importance of combining education and tactical training to make their
officers better. With an entire force of college-educated officers,
the Los Alamitos Police Department serves as the prime example
of this cultural shift. “Someone can become a police officer with a
GED, and people know that,” Mattern said. “I think some people
assume that makes up a good portion of the officers we have, and
that’s not the case.”
Of the 21 sworn officers at the Los Alamitos PD, 18 have
bachelor’s degrees and three hold master’s. Degrees cover a