Nov 22, 2024  
2021-2022 Catalog 
    
2021-2022 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Law Enforcement, A.A.A.S.


Academic Program Code: 809

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 who complete the pre-requisite coursework (including general education and Criminal Justice courses) in addition to completing the Police Academy may qualify for the Associate of Applied Arts and Sciences degree. The requirements for the A.A.A.S. degree follow.

The Police Academy is a two semester program that runs Fall and Winter semester.   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. Please refer to www.grcc.edu/criminaljustice for a schedule.

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, drug test 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 ( POL)  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 Associates Degree or higher from an accredited college or university must complete (or transfer to GRCC) the general education courses before being able to take 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.

Contact: Police Academy Director
(616) 234-3568

The Police Academy has the right to change the course sequencing or offering at any time.

Program Admissions Requirements

The admission process for this program includes a full criminal background check. Students must provide a social security number in order for this process to be completed. False information is illegal and may be investigated as a criminal offense. Students are also required to be a U.S. citizen and show proof of citizenship

General Education Courses


Select a minimum of 15 credit hours of course work from the General Education Course list.  Course work must be selected as directed from the areas below.

English Composition and Communications


Humanities


Select one (1) Humanities General Education Elective.  SP 101  highly recommended.

Social Sciences


Select one (1) Social Sciences General Education Elective.

Natural Sciences and Mathematics


Select one (1) Natural Sciences Lab/Non Lab General Education Elective or one (1) Mathematics General Education Elective.

General Education Total Credit Hours


15 (minimum)

Total Credit Hours


64

Program Notes


CJ 164  may only be taken two (2) times.  An exception to this may be granted for extenuating circumstances with approval from the Police Academy Director.

In What Order Should I Take Classes?


In What Order Should I Take Classes?

Please select courses from the Priority I list.  Select courses based on the number of credits you are taking in the semester, for example, if you are a part time student you do not have to take all of the courses listed.  If you are unable to schedule Priority I courses, move to and select from the list of Priority II, Priority III, and Priority IV courses.

Priority I (Prior to Police Academy Admission) Priority II (Prior to Police Academy Admission)

EN 101 - English Composition I  

General Education Elective - Nat Sci and Mathematics

General Education Elective 

CJ 110 - Introduction to Criminal Justice  

COM 131 - Fundamentals of Public Speaking  

OR

COM 135 - Interpersonal Communication  

General Education Elective 

CJ 111 - Criminology  

CJ 122 - Spanish for Criminal Justice  

Summer (Prior to Police Academy Admission)  
CJ 164 - Police Academy Boot Camp    
Priority IV (First Semester - Police Academy) Priority IV (Second Semester - Police Academy)

POL 100 - Wellness and Tactics I  

POL 104 - Substantive Criminal Law  

POL 106 - Patrol Procedures I  

POL 107 - Criminal Investigations I  

POL 108 - Introduction to Traffic  

POL 101 - Firearms    (A-Squad only)

POL 102 - Emergency Vehicle Operations    (B-Squad only)

POL 103 - Tactical First Aid    (B-Squad only)

POL 200 - Wellness and Tactics II  

POL 105 - Criminal Procedures  

POL 206 - Patrol Procedures II  

POL 207 - Criminal Investigations II  

POL 109 - Accident Investigations and OWI Laws  

POL 110 - Report Writing   

POL 101 - Firearms   (B-Squad only)

POL 102 - Emergency Vehicle Operations    (A-Squad only)

POL 103 - Tactical First Aid   (A-Squad only)

NOTE: This priority schedule assumes the student is prepared to take the courses listed. If prerequisites are required, additional semesters may be required to complete this degree.  Meet with an Academic Program Advisor and consult My Degree Path for specific degree requirements.