I think you're misunderstanding the point I was making. I'm not advocating the gatekeeping of higher education, I believe that the taxes I pay should enable anyone to go to college or a vocational program if they choose.
My point is that these colleges that cater specifically to law enforcement programs aren't even remotely equivalent when compared to normal community colleges, let alone a university. They do the bare minimum to meet the legal requirements, teach the bare minimum required by the state law enforcement licensing board and instead substitute rhetoric and pseudoscience that reinforces mindsets in graduates that the streets are a warzone, minorities are cartel members, and that authority is more important than empathy.
Functionally, many of these specific programs don't give any real education or experience above a GED where it matters, yet they parade that they do. They often call them "Law Enforcement" degrees, not criminal justice degrees, as they are not equivalent and can't legally call them the same thing. But, they do conveniently tick the box of requiring a degree and do weed out anyone too who might question system too much or show too much empathy.