Considering the work responsibilities it cannot be denied that pursuing a career as a police man is not always trouble-free. It might seem exciting and adventurous, but to get started in this field is not easy. As a result, genuine hard work and a proper training is highly recommended.
Taking up a job as Police officers a person must meet a few of the basic educational qualifications and require collage credits. Police officers requires a high school diploma. Although, finding an advanced schooling degree is generally not necessary, but acquiring an associate’s degree like a 2-year degree or perhaps a bachelor’s degree is very important in some police agencies. Now once someone gets accepted with a police officers agency, they receive 12 to 14 weeks of education inside a police academy. The education basically includes classroom instruction in constitutional law and civil rights, local ordinances, state laws and accident investigation. Adding to this all, sometimes the criminal justice courses can be extremely helpful to someone who wishes to act as one of many cities dedicated police force agents. In reality, today many agencies pay tuition for officers to earn a diploma in criminal justice or justice administration.
Pass A Backround Investigation
You must undergo a background investigation in order to obtain employment as a police officer. Details from your entire life will be required. Every school you attended, every address you have lived at, any jobs you held, military service, driving records, vehicle or property ownership, arrest history, drug history, alcohol habits and the like. Questions can be asked about your immediate family also.You will be asked questions, photographed and fingerprinted during your background investigation. Your signature will be required on a series of forms releasing personal records for review. You’ll also have to write a personal history statement that supplies your investigator with all the information there could possibly be about your life.
You will be asked to provide three references. When you identify friends, co-workers, etc. as your references, be sure to inform them that they will be contacted by your investigator so they are not caught offguard. If they do not comply with the investigator, it could set your entire application process back.
There are two “iron-clad” rules for passing your background investigation. First, put together all of your records and documents as soon as you know you’ve made it to the background check stage. Second, do not lie about anything whatsoever from your past.
Pass The Physical Agility Test
Do you remember when you were in elementary school gym class and you were required to take a fitness test every year? We were tested on how many push-ups and sit-ups we could do, how long it took us to run a mile, and how flexible we were doing that painful sit-and-reach stretch where your fingertips had to pass a certain number of inches? Anyone with long legs and tight hamstrings dreaded the sit-and-reach. Trust me.If you are pursuing a career as a police officer, prepare yourself for a vigorous yet achievable physical agility test as a component to you exam. Regardless of your height, weight or gender, you will be measured on sit-ups, push-ups, running a specified distance in a specified time, lifting or dragging an object that simulates a person’s weight and similar exercise that mimic the tasks an officer will perform on the job. In California, climbing a six-foot wall is a part of its state and city police departments.
In the 1970s physical agility tests were changed to accomodate women and smaller applicants into police officer careers. Different cutoff scores and passing scores are based on age or gender, although New Jersey State Police hasn’t budged on their cutoff scores maintaining that all officers must achieve the same level of fitness since fleeing criminals do not discriminate so to speak.
Agencies that accept alot of candidates at once conduct the physical agility test early in the application process to weed out the weak links. Start and stick with a fitness regimen on your own. Concentrate on your upper body strength, reflexes and cardiovascular endurance. Include daily stretching in your routine to keep your body flexible. Incorporate leg exercises because strong legs help you run past your competitors and support your upper body pushing heavy weight.
Attend Police Academy
All officers must participate in training at a police academy prior to securing employment. This rigorous training lasts between two to six months and combines classroom instruction with applicable training. Trainees learn the laws they must enforce, how to write reports and how to investigate crimes. Outside the classroom, they learn about weapons, self-defense, arrest techniques and practice shooting as well as maintain a challenging physical fitness program.Small police departments usually send their trainees to regional or state academies. Large departments like the New York City Police Department operate their own training. States vary on the number of hours required in training. For example, California requires 664 total academy hours broke down into 560 class hours and 104 hours of testing.
Law enforcement jobs are available at the local, state and federal level. Training programs are tailored for these levels. The most famous law enforcement training academy in the United States is the FBI academy in Virginia. Trainees undergo serious investigation and learn advanced behavioral science, forensic science and interrogation tactics.
Skills Needed For A Career In Law Enforcement
Interviewers are looking for certain skills and personality qualities because a law enforcement officer needs to have advanced, refined and innate leadership skills. In dangerous situations, an officer needs to have the confidence to take control. During routine interactions, officers still need to lead the encounters because victims can panic.Law enforcement officers need to exhibit good judgment. Making the right decision can save lives or catch a criminal. As with any occupation, excellent interpersonal communication skills are a must. On television, police officers are portrayed and rough, tough and aggressive but the ability to communicate effectively and convey a sensitivity toward cultural differences is critical. Officers should not use unnecessary force.Soft skills like integrity, patience, and discretion can’t really be tested on a paper exam, but are still essential in law enforcement.
The pre-employment application process is intense. Applicants are put through many tests, examinations, and interviews as well as background checks on financial and criminal history. Work history is also reviewed but if you’re a new graduate, you may not have extensive work history. Volunteer hours in your community also reflect well on applications. If a candidate’s main motivation for pursuing a career in law enforcement is to carry a gun or order people around, this career is probably not fit for them.
What Are An Officer's Responsibilities?
The actual duties and responsibilities of the police officer are numerous. Their primary job is to protect and serve their community. A police officer does not have to adhere to any program in terms of how they carrying out their work schedule. They typically work a 12 hours of work day. The actual job is tough, physically and mentally demanding.The typical day begins either early morning or perhaps in the evening depending on the shift that they work. Most police officers do not work less than 45 hours a week. Their schedule will also include nights and weekends. They can work a round-the-clock if their work demands it.
Sometimes an investigation will require long hours in an effort to catch a criminal. So police officers are accustom to doing whatever it takes to get their jobs done.
Police officers have a social responsibility to their communities to help stop and prevent criminal activities. They work hard to make their communities feel safe and secure. When they do these things, their communities give them respect and appreciation in return.