Career of a Police officer

Career of a Police Officer

I believe many of us have the television version of a police officer but very few have true insight of the daily life of a police officer. Media can mistakenly portray a police officer as a racial profiler and utilizing extreme police brutality. Police Officers put their life on the line everyday they walk out their door. They have families and lives that they cherish but choose to protect the lives of our citizens. A police officer work long hours that take away from their families but are dedicated to maintain law and order. In this essay I not only want to give details on the training and education of a police officer, but shed light and what they face on a daily basis. There has been headlines news that have portrayed a police officer in a negative light but I hope to shed a positive light to this career.

Education and Training of a Police Officer

What does it take to be a police officer? There are some specific educational goals or expectations for police that are set by law enforcement agencies that follow state or federal laws. The city, county and state police officers are many times only required to only obtain to have a high school diploma or a GED. Many time police departments highly recommend and prefer applicants with some college degrees. (http://www.criminaljusticeschoolinfo.com/police-officer-training.html), there are law enforcement professionals that work for the federal government and these officers hold a bachelor’s degrees. It is also recommended that officers consider taking classes in in foreign languages, criminal justice and political science might prove useful during a career as a police office (http://www.criminaljusticeschoolinfo.com/police-officer-training.html). There are many instances that police officers who hold college degrees have a military background.

Police officers that are motivated to advance in the police department will further education and achieve a graduate degree in criminal justice, public administration or police science or even take a bigger step and receive a Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D.) (http://www.criminaljusticeschoolinfo.com/police-officer-training.html). Police Officers who seek advanced degrees usually receive administrative positions in their department.

Education is an essential part of becoming a police officer. Police departments prefer candidate with college a degree’s according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. (http://study.com/police_education.html) Candidates who achieve a degree in criminal justice or law enforcement are a common for many hopeful police officers. Although a degree is favorable there are some instances where a high school diploma or GED will be acceptable for some police departments. Again many police departments will favor a college degree over a high school or GED applicant. Police officers who hold a college degree are expected to take continuing your education with law enforcement related classes as changes occur for this career. Having a strong foundation of police knowledge will only make your job safer.

Training to be a police officer is extremely important, not only for the safety of the officer, but for the citizens as well. Police officer candidates are required to complete training programs that meet the guidelines and specifications to that particular police department. Several police training programs will take at least 12 weeks training that include extensive physical training and it expects that all the candidate training programs must meet minimum fitness and age standard. (http://www.criminaljusticeschoolinfo.com/police-officer-training.html)

Candidates that are attending a police academy learn about self-defense, firearms operations and first aid. The academy will also train the new police officers hostage negotiation, investigative techniques and traffic control because many times they will face this in their line of duty. There are academies who will train their officers on high-speed driving skills, conflict resolution strategies as well as crowd management in police academy basic training programs for their candidates. (http://discoverpolicing.org/what_does_take/?fa=training_academy_life)

Law enforcement students are expected an understanding of the legal process, and police education and the training academy will focuses on subjects such as law and criminal justice. Candidates will take classes in legal terminology; civil rights and the penal code are mandatory part of police training academies. Candidates will be taught proper way in handling and questioning of suspects, maintaining evidence properly and be taught the laws in regards to proper searches and seizures. Once the candidate graduates from the police academy, they could continue their education by taking classes on legal testimony, proper ways to taking witness statements and ensuring they are following all criminal evidence guidelines. (http://discoverpolicing.org/what_does_take/?fa=training_academy_life)

Once a candidate has completed the police academy, field training will be the last step to their police training. Field training time is where a candidate will be paired with a training police officer and ride with him or her during routine patrol. Police departments will likely make an effort to rotate their candidates so they can experience different shifts and different areas of the city they patrol