Police Career Incent (PCIPP)

There is hardly a more controversial profession than the one of the police officer. The blue uniform always comes with status, the responsibility for the safety of the communities, and power to deprive a person of freedom, and sometimes even a life.

Getting a job within a police department is considered to be very special and honorable by a vast majority of the population. It is likely if a child is asked what they want to be when they grow up, a large number will mention a police officer.

Beyond doubt, the police play a crucial role in maintaining law and order in the communities. Professionalism and effective performance of their duties impacts large number of the stakeholders, including the police officers themselves, law abiding citizens, offenders and their families, as well as many others. If we look closer, an interaction with a police officer could be a life-changing event for a potential law-breaker. The decisions police officers make in the line of duty are sometimes matters of life and death, freedom and incarceration. Every discretionary action of a particular police

Vollmer‘s ideas regarding police education and training have made their way into numerous recommendations by commissions on law enforcement. The Quinn Bill, more formally known as the Police Career Incentive Pay Program (PCIPP), is considered an important milestone in process of reforming police departments in Massachusetts. It was enacted by the Massachusetts legislature in 1970 in an effort to encourage police officers to earn degrees in criminal justice. At the time, studies showed that the criminal justice system would greatly benefit by having more police officers with advanced degrees in the field. Participant incentives came in the form of percentage increases to their base pay depending on the degree earned: 10 percent for an associate’s degree, 20 percent for a bachelor's degree and 25 percent for either a master's degree or a law