The policing system in France is a lot different than the one in the U.S. In France there is one big centralized police system run by the government. Unlike the fragmented police model, which is found in the United States and is attributed to the federated nature of the political system, the centralized police system is imposed on the people by the national government. In France, the emphasis has been on establishing police forces is administered, supervised, and coordinated by the national government (Terrill 212). This is a major advantage because there are most likely the same laws throughout the country. Another difference in policing is the entry system. In America, all recruits have to start out as a patrolman before moving up to a higher ranking and a degree is not necessary for becoming a higher rank, and aren't required to have a degree. Today 83 percent of all local police departments require at least a high school diploma, and 8 percent require a degree from a two year college (Gaines and Miller 174).
France however, has a four tiered entry scheme which focuses on the university graduate. You must first become a patrol officer, but only with a degree and plenty of schooling and training, you can move up to a plainclothes officer, which are the equivalent of a lieutenant or chief of police. From their perspective, the multilevel entrance scheme enables the police to tap the creative resources of the university graduate (Terrill 224). The disadvantage of this