Police officers play a vital role in societies all over the U.S. They undergo tough preparation at the police academy to get ready for the duty of safeguarding property as well as the lives of people in their community. Operating in law enforcement necessitates both the mental and physical strength as the officials manage stress and risky circumstances frequently. The law enforcement staffs have one of the uppermost levels of occupation-associated illness and injury. Normally, police officers serve the federal, state, or local government. Also, some might function as constables in college in addition to university campuses. Beginner police officer normally must work his/her way up the positions from patrol officer to popular posts such as a homicide investigator.
Basic Job Requirement for a Police Officer
The academic requirements for coming to be a police officer differ from state to state and, ordinarily, from city department to another. The lowest educational level approved by most police units is a GED or secondary school diploma (Roberts et al, 2016). Nevertheless, several units across the nation necessitate at least associate’s degree or certain college coursework in criminal justice. Although it isn’t a definite requirement in the employment procedure, having a bachelor’s or associate’s degree works powerfully in favor of a would-be police officer’s. There exists tough competition for existing posts and promotion in the law enforcement industry, and individuals who have college experience normally are noticeable throughout the employment process. Furthermore, a college degree may be a condition for promotion into upper positions.
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To become a law enforcement officer, there are added requirements a person should fulfil. An applicant should be a United States citizen, be eighteen to twenty-one years old subject to the dominion, and meet severe physical standards. Physical standards entail having agility, stamina, satisfactory hearing and vision, and mental and physical strength. In numerous circumstances, applicants who are fluent in a common 2 nd linguistic get favored employment status. Likewise, individuals with army experience are habitually put first in the employment process (Telep, 2017).
Functioning as a law enforcement officer implies guarding the public, nonetheless, it implies having some respect level for collaborating with the public as well. Prospective police officers should have an amicable manner and must like operating with persons. Candidates should be responsible, honest, and exhibit integrity (Bouranta, Siskos & Tsotsolas, 2015). During the interview procedure, upbringings are examined and a majority of candidates are requested to undertake polygraph examinations and to give in to drug analysis. Future police officers must explore the procedure of the law enforcement organization for which they are pursuing. It is important to note that s degree may not assure hire or occupation advancement. Further academy education or training might be necessary for police occupations.
Career Path of a Police Officer
Police units in a majority of major metro zones necessitate an officer to earn experience operating in patrol prior to becoming qualified for transmission to specialized law enforcement posts. Nevertheless, after these experience conditions are met, the officer has a broad variety of opportunities. These entail positions like SWAT, mounted officer, detective, and other specialized departments relying on the needs and size of a specified police unit.
Also, occupation police officers may decide to pursue promotion to the managerial positions. First-line overseers of detectives and police take in captains, lieutenants, and sergeants. These managers are in charge of training staff, shift scheduling, and coordinating and supervising investigations whereas warranting appropriate processes are being observed.
In a majority of police units, officers should fulfil experience necessities (3-5 years is general) to become qualified to take a promotional test (Telep, 2017). The performance of an officer on a promotional examination defines, partially, how rapidly he/she will be promoted; individuals with upper marks are likely to get promotion first. Also, a verbal interview may be a portion of the promotion procedure. This procedure is recurring for every promotion an applicant pursues: from an officer to a sergeant, from a sergeant to a lieutenant, etcetera. After attaining the position of captain, advance promotions are normally grounded in nomination by unit heads instead of by testing.
Police Officer Job Outlook and Salary
Pays in police force vary considerably, relying on whether a law enforcement officer operates in an urban environment, a countryside region, or in a huge city. As tenure and seniority are the key influencers of salary risen for police officers, greater pays are likely to be earned via experience. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics claims an average yearly wage of about 60,270 USD every year for detectives and police officers. The highest ten percent of police officers receive in excess of 100,560 USD annually (Telep 2017). Salaries can rise considerably with overtime. Law enforcement officers normally receive benefits, for instance, life and medical insurance, sick leave, paid vacation, in addition to uniform allowances.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a four percent job growth nationwide for police officers between the year 2014 and the year 2024. This predicted expansion is on the bottom side for that kind of an ordinarily stable career. Nevertheless, the outlook rests greatly on state and city budgets, which have of late been shifting. The reduced level of predicted growth will generate firmer opportunities for police officer candidates holding a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice or an associated discipline. Furthermore, previous experience in the police force or army experience is greatly valued too, in addition to the capability to communicate two or more languages fluently.
Concerns or limitations of a police officer
If a person is considering an occupation as the police officer, he/she should explore the various limitations linked to the job. To begin with, the risks linked to police forces differ across the United States, depending on crime rates as well as location. Consistent with the FBI’s data, in the year 2014, at least fifty-one police officers all over the country were murdered in the line of responsibility thanks to criminal activity; forty-five constables were murdered due to accidents in the line of responsibility; and no less than 48,315 police officers were attacked when executing their responsibilities (Venema, 2016).
Furthermore, a police officer job may be extremely stressful (Chu, 2015). With unit policies; federal, state and local laws; in addition to other rules, one can find it challenging sometimes to remain up-to-date of all that is needed of him/her as a police officer. Moreover, the police officer job necessitates a lot of documentation. Even with automation, police officers use several hours every day just managing paperwork. In addition, a police officer will witness the consequences of violent crime. Because of the emotional greatness of the work, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is widespread amongst law enforcement officers (van der Meer et al., 2017). Lastly, the work timetables mostly are not consistent. A majority of units have twelve-hour rotational shifts. An individual’s schedule can differ from night to day shift. Police job does not take a break and a person will most probably operate nights, weekends, and holidays, particularly before a person earns seniority. Shift job may be extremely stressful on the person's family life.
References
Bouranta, N., Siskos, Y., & Tsotsolas, N. (2015). Measuring police officer and citizen satisfaction: comparative analysis. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management , 38 (4), 705-721.
Chu, D. C. (2015). Police officer stress awareness and management: a handbook for practitioners. Police Practice and Research, 16, 5, 446-447.
Roberts, K., Herrington, V., Jones, W., White, J., & Day, D. (2016). Police leadership in 2045: The value of education in developing leadership. Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice , 10 (1), 26-33.
Telep, C. W. (2017). Police officer receptivity to research and evidence-based policing: examining variability within and across agencies. Crime & delinquency , 63 (8), 976-999.
van der Meer, C. A., Bakker, A., Schrieken, B. A., Hoofwijk, M. C., & Olff, M. (2017). Screening for trauma‐related symptoms via a smartphone app: The validity of Smart Assessment on your Mobile in referred police officers. International journal of methods in psychiatric research , 26 (3), e1579.
Venema, R. M. (2016). Police officer schema of sexual assault reports: Real rape, ambiguous cases, and false reports. Journal of interpersonal violence , 31 (5), 872-899.
