Educating the Blue

A Partnerships Between MNPD and Nashville State

Metropolitan Nashville Police Department and Nashville State Community College have a unique local partnership, Educating the Blue, that opens a pipeline to an MNPD career for NSCC students and provides MNPD officers with the opportunity to earn their associate degree in one year. 

It is a one-plus-one concept, with one year of college classroom instruction and one year of MNPD Academy training. 

• The College will award 30 semester hours of credit (1 year) toward an associate degree to students who choose to begin a law enforcement career with the MNPD, successfully complete the 5.5-month training curriculum and pass the examination. 
• Current police officers without a college degree can receive 30 semester hours of credit for completing the MNPD Academy and passing the examination. They then work on the additional 30 hours required for an associate degree by taking a combination of online and in-classroom courses at Nashville State.

Nashville officers must have: 

• A degree, or 
• Two years of active military duty, or 
• Two years prior experience as an active law enforcement officer, or 
• Three years of responsible, full-time work experience.

Officers with associate degrees receive a 3% salary supplement. Officers with bachelor's degrees receive a 6% salary supplement. 

The Council of Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County passed a resolution, sponsored by Councilmembers Jennifer Gamble, Tonya Hancock, Sharon Hunt, Russ Pulley, Joy Styles, and Brett Withers, approving the reciprocity agreement. 

Outside of Davidson County, if an applicant can show proof of “post-certification,” they may also be eligible for this program. 

Why Nashville State?

• Research shows that college-educated officers receive fewer citizen complaints. They are also terminated less frequently for misconduct and less likely to use force. 
• Community policing and problem-oriented policing require problem-solving and creative thinking – skills that the college experience helps develop. 
• A college education improves ethical decision-making skills, knowledge and understanding of the law and the courts, openness to diversity, and communication skills. 
• A college education helps officers become better at identifying quality information and scientific evidence. This in turn enables them to more rigorously and regularly evaluate policies and practices adopted by their departments. 
• Police officers with at least some college experiences are more focused on promotion and expect to retire at a higher rank compared to officers with no college. 

Getting Started – Application 

Sworn personnel will need to complete an application to Nashville State for the semester of admittance, submit a copy of the POST certificate, and complete 30 hours under the Educating the Blue program. College credit can be earned on-ground or online.

Checklist

1. Go to First Time Degree Seekers
2. Click on the Apply Now link to create an account and start the process of applying.
3. Choose Law Enforcement as your major and Police Administration as your concentration.
4. Once you have successfully been accepted into Nashville State and given an "A" number, send a copy of your POST certificating to Karen Stevenson at Karen.Stevenson@nscc.edu.

Curriculum

Required Courses 

• ENGL 1010 English Composition 1 
• SOCI 1010 Introduction to Sociology Humanities (MUS 1010 and ART 1035) 
• COMM 2025 Fundamentals of Communication 
• MATH 1530 Introductory Statistics 
• CRMJ 1010 Intro to Criminal Justice 
• CRMJ 2010 Intro to Law Enforcement 
• CRMJ 1020 Intro to the Legal Process 
• CRMJ 1340 Criminal Investigation 
• CRMJ 2020 Intro to Corrections

Upon successful completion of the above curriculum, NSCC will award officers with Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) credit for the following courses: 

• CRMJ 1381 Interview/Interrogation Tech 
• CRMJ 1341 Physical Defensive Tactics 
• CRMJ 1370 Officer Survival 
• CRMJ 1330 Criminal Evidence and Procedure 
• CRMJ 2340 Investigative Report Writing 
• CRMJ 1322 Police Admin & Org 
• CRMJ 2332 Drug ID and Effects 
• CRMJ 2322 Police Firearms 
• CRMJ 2391 Law Enforcement/CJ Practicum 
• CRMJ 1390 Traffic Accident Investigation