Which degree would be likely to have more value?

[ss20ts]

I thought AAS were "terminal" degrees              
meant for people who had no desire to continue on with a bachelors              

I don't think either of the two degrees originally mentioned are all that good by themselves                  
they might be ok to fulfill general education requirements if he plans on continuing on with a bachelors

the NYC police department requires 60 college credits to apply, so they'd also be good for something like that

AAS are not terminal degrees. They's not liberal arts degrees. They're used for subjects which you can start a career with such as accounting, culinary arts, criminal justice, etc. You don't take many liberal arts. They can be difficult to transfer because of the lack of liberal arts. I have an AAS and had no problem getting into bachelor's degree programs.