Law Enforcement, A.A.A.S.

Location(s): Main Campus

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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 considered 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 within 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 required 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) 234-3362

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

EN 101 - English Composition I Credit Hours: 3
Select one (1) COM course from the list below.
COM 131 - Fundamentals of Public Speaking Credit Hours: 3
COM 135 - Interpersonal Communication Credit Hours: 3

Humanities

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

Humanities General Education - Elective Credit Hours: varies by course

Social Sciences

Select one (1) Social Sciences General Education Elective.

Social Sciences General Education - Elective Credit Hours: varies by course

Natural Sciences and Mathematics

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

Nat Sci Lab/Non Lab General Education - Elective Credit Hours: varies by course
OR
Mathematics General Education - Elective Credit Hours: varies by course

General Education Total Credit Hours

15 (minimum)

Program Courses

CJ 110 - Introduction to Criminal Justice Credit Hours: 3
CJ 111 - Criminology Credit Hours: 3
CJ 122 - Spanish for Criminal Justice Credit Hours: 3

Police Academy Courses

CJ 164 - Police Academy Boot Camp Credit Hours: 1
POL 100 - Wellness and Tactics I Credit Hours: 4
POL 101 - Firearms Credit Hours: 3
POL 104 - Criminal Law and Procedure I Credit Hours: 3
POL 105 - Criminal Law and Procedures II Credit Hours: 3
POL 106 - Patrol Procedures I Credit Hours: 4
POL 107 - Criminal Investigations I Credit Hours: 4
POL 108 - Introduction to Traffic Credit Hours: 3
POL 109 - Accident Investigations and OWI Laws Credit Hours: 3
POL 120 - Emergency Response Credit Hours: 4
POL 200 - Wellness and Tactics II Credit Hours: 4
POL 206 - Patrol Procedures II Credit Hours: 3
POL 207 - Criminal Investigations II Credit Hours: 4

Total Credit Hours

67 (minimum)

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?

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.

Prior to Police Academy Admission Priority I Courses

Prior to Police Academy Admission Priority II Courses

Prior to Police Academy Admission Summer Courses

CJ 164 - Police Academy Boot Camp

Policy Academy Priority I Courses

Policy Academy Priority II Courses

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.