In Pennsylvania, teachers such as myself need to have a Bachelor's Degree to be hired, and then earn a Master's Degree within a few years.  Licensed Clinical Social Workers, such as my wife, and other Therapists must complete a 3,000-hour internship after their Master's Degrees are earned before they can counsel people.  Both of these requirements mean that Teachers and Therapists are often in their mid- to upper 20's before they are employed full-time.  Police Officers, however, only need to be 18 years old, not have a college education, read at a 9th-grade level, and complete a police academy program which is only 22 weeks (5 1/2 months) long, with no internship...and then, without significant life experiences, they can be hired and given the power to lawfully kill people if they deem it necessary.  This needs to change.  I will work to ensure that any police candidates in Pennsylvania must meet the following requirements:

* Be 23 years old or older; 

* Have an earned 4-year college degree in Criminal Justice, Social 

   Work, Sociology, or Psychology;

* Have completed a half-year internship with a social service

   agency in the community which puts them in direct contact with

   local residents outside the legal system;

* Have completed a Police Academy program of at least 6 months

   which also includes classes taught by community leaders and

   members who are not explicitly connected to the judicial system.