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What It's Like To Be a Police Officer

published July 30, 2013

By Author - LawCrossing
Published By
( 2 votes, average: 5 out of 5)
What do you think about this article? Rate it using the stars above and let us know what you think in the comments below.
Every country in the world has a police system to protect the lives and property of its citizens. The colonists brought England's watch and ward system, in which men stood watch and served without pay, to America. The first paid police force consisted of six men who were paid to watch during the day in Boston. Shortly thereafter, an 800-man police force was established in New York. Today there are more than 600,000 police officers in the United States.

Police officers have the responsibility of enforcing laws and regulations designed to protect our lives and property. Many spend much of their time interviewing witnesses and suspects, apprehending criminals, collecting evidence, and providing testimony in court, while others spend their time patrolling an assigned area. All police officers are required to file reports, which mean long hours of paperwork.


Police officers typically work a 40-hour week and frequently work overtime. Since police protection must be provided around the clock, shift work, as well as work on weekends and holidays, is necessary for police officers.

Let's find out what happens on the job

Police officers work for municipal, county, and state governments. Officers who work for small communities or are assigned a beat have the most varied duties. In the course of a day, they may direct traffic at the scene of a fire, investigate crimes, give first aid to accident victims, issue tickets for traffic violations, maintain order at public events, escort funeral processions, or do administrative work. On the job, they must constantly be alert for stolen cars, missing people, and escaped criminals. They keep in touch with headquarters throughout their workday on two-way radios.

In large police departments, officers are usually assigned to a specific detail for a fixed length of time. Some may become experts in handwriting, fingerprint, and firearms identification, while others may work on Special Forces such as canine corps or SWAT teams.

State police officers, often called highway patrol officers, patrol highways and enforce motor vehicle laws. They issue traffic tickets and handle accidents and other emergencies that occur on the highways.

The pleasures and pressures of the job

Police officers have the unique opportunity of actually being able to do something about crime. They are crime fighters in a time when nearly everyone is concerned with reducing crime. By its nature, police work is dangerous. There are serious risks in this job of apprehending criminals, pursuing speeding drivers, and dealing with family and public disorder. Not only is their work stressful to the officers, it can be very stressful to their families.

The rewards, the pay, and the perks

Police officers have challenging jobs that involve considerable personal responsibility. They also hold jobs that allow much earlier retirement with a pension than most jobs.

Salaries vary with where police officers work. The highest salaries are usually in big cities. The average salary for police officers in nonsupervisory positions is over $34,000 a year, while those in supervisory positions earn over $40,000.

Since so many people want to be police officers, competition is stiff. Applicants with some college courses as well as experience in the military often have a head start in getting a job as a police officer.

Applicants face a rigorous hiring process. They must meet minimum standards as to age, education, weight in proportion to their height, vision, hearing, and fitness. They must also pass written tests, interviews, and background checks. Successful applicants then usually attend training schools before joining a police force.

Things you can do to get a head start

There are many things that you can do to get a head start in policing. You can begin by joining a police or sheriff explorer group, which will give you an inside view of police work. Once you are 18 years of age, you may be able to work part time as a police cadet or reserve in a paid or unpaid position. People over eighteen years old can also take part in police department "ride along" programs, which allow you to accompany officers on the job.

In school, get as much work in writing and speaking as you can. Besides helping you on the job, these skills are rigorously tested in the job application process.

Now decide if being a police officer is right for you

Before deciding on a career as a police officer, it's important to focus on whether or not you have the necessary personal characteristics. You need to be honest and have good judgment, a sense of responsibility, and common sense. You also need to enjoy working with people and meeting the public. In addition, you must be able to handle situations that require quick decisions. Furthermore, you should want to have a job that offers new challenges each day.

During Prohibition, Eliot Ness was given the special assignment of harassing the gang of Al Capone. He chose nine men from the Chicago Police Department who were believed to be above corruption and bribes to help him in this fight. They became known as the "Untouchables" and conducted many well-publicized raids on breweries and distilleries controlled by Capone. After Capone was imprisoned, they continued to harass the Capone gang. After Prohibition was over, Ness went to Cleveland as public safety director, where he successfully smashed corruption in the police department as well as among local politicians. Then he served as director of the Division of Social Protection for the Office of Defense. After World War II, he left police work and wrote his famous book, The Untouchables.

One of the first detective agencies in the United States was founded by Allan Pinkerton in 1850. He had come to America from Scotland and won fame for exposing a gang of counterfeiters. His detective agency concentrated on railway theft cases and solved several famous cases. In 1868, his agency succeeded in capturing the Reno Brothers, who were a gang of train robbers in what was then called the "Wild West."

Find out more about becoming a police officer

You can find out about applications and information regarding a career as a police officer at local law enforcement facilities.

To learn even more about a career as a police officer, you should read: Opportunities in Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice by James Stinchcomb, VGM Career Horizons, 1996.

You can obtain career information on being a police officer by contacting:

National Association of Chiefs of Police 3801 Biscayne Boulevard Miami, FL 33137

published July 30, 2013

By Author - LawCrossing
( 2 votes, average: 5 out of 5)
What do you think about this article? Rate it using the stars above and let us know what you think in the comments below.