In today’s society, most cops are looked at as the “bad guys”, but what if you had the opportunity to change that? What if you could pick and organize your own police force in the manner you think it should be? If that was the case police forces would get worse or better. He is how I would recruit if I was the chief of my own department.
The character of a police officer plays a huge role in their job. I like how the book has the “traits that make a “good” officer. I agree with this and would also want my officers to live by those traits. The twelve traits are: enthusiasm, good communication skills, good judgment, sense of humor, creativity, self motivation, knowing the job and the system, ego, courage, understanding discretion, tenacity, and a thirst for knowledge. Those are all great steps to becoming a good officer. The one that stands out to me most is “knowing the job and the system”. Understanding your role as an officer and knowing what is expected of you. Understanding the justice system and knowing that you are practicing the laws correctly. I will have men and women in my department but the men will be doing the main job as a cop. Whereas, the
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Not only will they have to be street smart, but also book smart. They can either get their bachelors in criminal justice or be in the military. These two will get them one step closer to becoming an officer. In college, they will have to learn their general education classes and also, learn more and more about their major each year. They will have hands-on experiences and will be able practice what they will soon be doing as an officer. In the military, they must go through boot camp. They also learn about leadership, self-discipline, confidence and the ability to act quickly. When candidates apply to become an officer they must have recently graduated or two years prior. This way any information they have learned is not forgotten and the information is still
"A policeman’s first obligation is to be responsible to the needs of the community he serves…The problem is that the atmosphere does not yet exist in which an honest police officer can act without fear of ridicule or reprisal from fellow officers. We create an atmosphere in which the honest officer fears the dishonest officer, and not the other way around.", -Frank Serpico.
objections, and he shows that not only he is a good cop but is also a good man in the
Clay grew up playing multiple sports and he felt like he could succeed in job that demands teamwork. Along with the influence of his family he chose to become a police officer. The major problem officers are placed with these days is the trend of the media using racism against officers. Clay believes this is becoming a constant issue in their department because it’s encouraged a lot of people to start challenging officers and fighting them. The problem is that “When one officer from wherever screws up or handles a situation poorly, it makes it like we are all bad and that’s not the case”. He believes that if social media and the news continues to put stories out here with false information it poses a threat to future officers and their ability to effectively do their jobs. Many police departments are starting to back off such as Baltimore City Police and possibly others due to severity of recent events like the Baltimore riot and the past history of the Rodney King case. Clay believes it has now become Cops versus the community and that’s not the case with his department. “People forget that officers, and many others that serve this country are human”. One bad person ruins the rep for thousands of others who are only trying to do their
The majority of departments only require a high school diploma. Although a college education is not a requirement, it can greatly increase one’s chances of getting hired. A degree in criminal justice or criminology would be very beneficial, but an associate or bachelor's degree in any department gives a person the best chance of advancement within his or her specific department. In fact, most higher positions such as chief of police require a bachelor’s degree or higher. Besides this, an individual who is going into law enforcement will need to attend a police
Police work is no easy task being an officer requires having the guts to protect and serve their community, it takes integrity and respect to others. As an officer one must know radio codes, traffic violations, state laws, how to lead, trust their team, how to interact with civilians, etc. Officers must have and must be able to express patience with civilians and must provide a safe environment to civilians. To become a Police Officer education comes first, the educational requirements are to have a high school diploma or GED, and a Bachelors degree in Criminal justice. Also to attend police academy in which they train to become mentally tough, and physically strong. They are tested on how much pressure they can take and their endurance. There is also a physical test that they take to ...
Among those things necessary for the correct functioning of a police department are: well hand-picked and properly trained personnel, adequate instrumentation, and an organized structure of body command and management. If these represented in the department, which would make the department have most of the necessities for achievement. For best results, however, the morale of the department additionally should be unbroken on a high level. All personnel ought to be eager and willing to do an honest job; otherwise there's one thing wrong with the organization or its headship (Gocke, 1945). Morale is to the mind what "condition “is to the body; it's the fitness of the mind for the task at hand. It’s the perseverance to stay to the task while not tiring; to carry on while not a breaking of spirit; it's the endurance and also the strength to resist mental infections that worry, discouragement, and exhaustion bring with them; it's the display of continuous ability to come back with fitness and readiness to act.
The first step is to weed out the ones who just are not right to be a officer. The next step is to find the ones who fit the needs of the department. Medical and psychiatric testing, personal interview, and background information is used when identifying if a person is a good fit. There is research that has identified five personality characteristics that allows a police officer to excel in his or her job: extrovert, emotional stability, agreeable, conscientious, and open to experience. People also need to be aware of working in a high crime area. Even if the person has all five traits, but can’t handle the stress they may need to find another profession. There may be times new hires come from another department, but before hiring they need to talk to the previous employer. There may be certain reasons that the officer for hire is wanting to move to a different department. They could have been disciplined or terminated if they had not agreed to resign. This is not okay for the officers are not taking the consequences for their behavior.
Wuestewald, T. (2013). Police Chief Magazine. The Changing Face of Police Leadership. Retrieved from http://www.policechiefmagazine.org/magazine/index.cfm?fuseaction=display_arch&article_id=859&issue_id=42006
The police officers have established themselves as warriors, therefore fighting against the public, instead of communicating in a way that helps resolves issues (Stoughton, 2015). This brings the subject back to police training and how to potentially distance police officers from this mindset, and get into the mindset that they are guardians and not warriors. Therefore, police training must consist of a police mission to uphold their code of conduct to protect and serve by promoting public safety, and building public trust rather than distancing themselves from their home and community.
The perfect police might not exist, but it would be great to have a police officer that is perfect for the job. The perfect police officer should have these three characteristics, integrity, adaptability, and impartial. The first quality integrity is something a police officer needs because it would improve the relationship a police officer will have in their community. For example, in an inferior community the police officers are seen as an untrustworthy group, which might lead to people not reporting crimes because they believe the police will lie and blame them for the crime. However, if the police shows integrity and tries to find the actual person who committed the crime, police officers will have a better relationship in the community.
When a police agency is recruiting a police officer there are many things they look for because when hired in the officer now represents the whole agency. Integrity is important to a police officer because they represent the profession, the people they protect and honor. The badge represents integrity, and nobody wants to be the one to tarnish the public view of the department they serve or the profession. A police officer must have good decision making and problem-solving skills. Also, physical fitness is a key part of the job. People skills matter. Being able to read people and communicate effectively. Police officers are peacemakers. Departments usually have the luxury of being very selective about who they hire. The need to reason and employ
Police officers have a very reputable job, meaning they must be professional at all times. The job of a police officer is to protect and to serve the public. Since most of their time is spent in the public eye, they are expected to maintain professional behavior. The first step in projecting their professionalism is their dress. They should be dressed neatly,
The police must be active members in their community to understand the people they are protecting and how they can be proactive in the crime prevention in that given community. For the second question in the survey I stated that it is the public’s job to obey the law and make the police’s job easier and not more difficult. Once again, I was close minded in my answer. The public is tasked with policing the police; however, it does not mean they are making the police’s job more difficult, it is just about holding them accountable for their actions. Police require a wide set of characteristics, if they want to be successful during the application process and enjoy a long career in public safety. When asked in the survey at the start of this course, I answered that an officer requires the ability to treat all people fairly in all situations. This is a phenomenal quality for a police officer to have, but it is just one of many that an officer must possess. Adaptability was the first the trait that stood out me, when reading the modules, because it is essential for a new and old officer to continue to grow and adapt.
To become a police officer there are five basic requirements that one must first meet. Although these requirements may vary slightly from state to state they are pretty basic and not to difficult to meet. First an applicant must be a U.S. citizen or at least a permanent resident alien who has applied for citizenship. The next requirement seeks that an applicant be 21 years old by his academy graduation date. Agencies also have an education requirement, which can vary from department to department. Some departments will accept an officer with a high school degree or at least a GED; while police departments require some form of a college education whether that be a bachelors degree or a minimum number of college credits. Agencies also ask that the applicant has a valid drivers license and there is a minimum fitness requirement to ensure that an applicant will be able to keep up with any obstacle that he or she may face out on the field.
When you think of police what does it mean to you? The responsibility of a police officer is to protect the public and to serve the community. Also, they detect and to prevent crime, police officers strive to maintain the law. New police officers work with the general duty as patrol divisions, that provides a range of experiences and assignments. The General duty of policing involves patrolling in assigned areas to enforce laws, protect public safety, and arrest criminal suspects either by car, foot, bicycle, or in some cases, horse. Police officers can also do some of the following: they Investigate accidents and crime scenes; to secure evidence and interview any witnesses; they collect notes and reports; they can provide emergency assistance to victims an disaster, crime, and accidents;