Law Enforcement, A.A.A.S.

Suggested GRCC Program:

Associate in Arts or Associate in Applied Arts and Sciences

Contact: Police Academy Director
(616) 234-3568

The Law Enforcement program is a pre-service police academy program that prepares students to become eligible to be a licensed Police Officer in Michigan. Police agencies in Michigan require a recruit to attend a Police Academy program and receive an Associates Degree or higher.

Students in Law Enforcement may qualify for either the Associate in Applied Arts and Sciences (AAAS) degree or the Associate in Arts (AA). The requirements for the AAAS degree follow. Those who wish to earn the AA should take care that they meet the communications, humanities, and natural science requirements for that degree. Refer to the group distribution requirements  for the Associate in Arts degree in the GRCC Catalog.

GRCC and Law Enforcement Admission Requirements The Police Academy is a ten month program that runs from January-October. All applicants must first complete an application and be screened to the MCOLES Standards. All potential recruits must pass all of the minimum MCOLES Standards, attend an interview and be selected into the program. Informational meetings are available in the Spring prior to the start of each academy. Please refer to www.grcc.edu/criminaljustice for a schedule.

Students entering GRCC’s Health, Criminal Justice, Pre-School and Education Programs must be fingerprinted for admission to these programs. The admission process for these programs includes a full criminal background check. Students must provide a social security number in order for this process to be completed. If a student cannot provide a social security number, the student will not be admitted to the program. False information is illegal and may be investigated as a criminal offense.

Please note: Many of the professions associated with education, health and criminal justice require criminal history checks for licensure or certification. Students who enter these professions will be required to demonstrate proof of U.S. citizenship. Students who cannot prove U.S. citizenship or certification should consider different programs of study.

Standards

(Please refer to www.mcoles.org for all standards for Michigan Law Enforcement Officers).

• Ethical Requirements: The Police Academy at GRCC prides itself on high ethical standards. Comprehensive background checks are conducted on all applicants. The potential recruit must possess a strong moral character and be free from any felony convictions. Misdemeanor convictions are determined on a case by case basis.
• Physical Requirements: the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES) requires potential recruits to pass a pre-enrollment physical fitness test. These standards are based on age and gender. The standards and individual events can be found at www.mcoles.org. A passing score on this test must be completed by the application deadline and 180 days prior to the start of the police academy.
• Medical Standards: The recruit must pass all medical standards required by MCOLES. Recruits must pass the vision, hearing and medical standards during the application process. All information will be available with the Police Academy application.

Police Academy Courses

Classes designated as Police Academy classes are restricted to those recruits who have been formally selected into GRCC’s Police Academy.

GRCC and Law Enforcement Academic Requirements

Students who do not have an associate’s degree or higher from an accredited college or university must complete (or transfer to GRCC) the academic courses before taking any of the Police Academy courses. Exceptions or waiver of these requirements are considered by the Police Academy Director and/or the Criminal Justice Department Head.

Transfer Opportunities:

The Transfer Guide for many bachelor’s degree majors offered at Michigan colleges and universities is available at the Counseling and Career Center and online at www.grcc.edu.