Being a police officer is one of the most demanding jobs in today’s world. Black’s Law Dictionary defines a police officer as “a peace officer responsible for preserving public order, promoting public safety, and preventing and detecting crime”. There are many dangers that go along with performing these duties. As police officers it is our duty to protect citizens of our communities and also to be hunters for those who are committing crimes. There are many people out there that do not like police officers and make the job very dangerous. It is important that there is a level of trust between officers in a department. An officer must be able to trust that, when or if he needs help, other officers will be there. 4004727500
Police agencies put many policies and regulations in place to make sure that their officers are safe on the streets and that everything is done correctly to avoid dangerous or legally troublesome situations. These policies are made by the highest ranking officers in the department. A system known as the “chain of command” was instituted to ensure that all policies are followed in the department and to allow officers to focus on their individual responsibilities. The Chain of command is a series of administrative or military ranks, positions, etc., in which each has direct authority over the one immediately below (dictionary.com). With each new rank comes new responsibilities and duties that must be done. Each rank has direct responsibility for the ranking officers below them. This allows for a more structured and disciplined department. Lower ranking officers can bring smaller issues to a superior such as a sergeant instead of going directly to the chief, allowing the chief to focus on bigger things in the dep...
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...d show respect for those in authority. If the chain of command is understood and followed it will help to develop trust and respect among officers. Everyone in the chain of command has specific duties and responsibilities. Knowing who to go to and who to ask questions to shows respect for superior officers and the knowledge they have to offer.
With the profession of police officers getting more dangerous and constantly changing, it is important that there is structure in the police department to ensure that things run smoothly. With so many laws and policies officers are required to follow, discipline is one of the most important aspect of the police department. Following the chain of command ensures that everyone takes care of their individual responsibilities, and therefore that the entire department is reaching its goal of serving and protecting the community.
"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.
The job of a law enforcement officer sometimes can be tough. Officer are sometimes plagued with situation that test their ability to enforce the law and maintain order. Police officers today face a constant battle to maintain higher ethical standards. This mission becomes tougher each day when one considers the importance of fighting terrorism, drugs, human trafficking,
When political anarchy, social injustices, and crime end up leading to civil depravities that go against the foundation of democracy, society depends on the police to come in and keep the peace, while attempting to restore the order. These officers are asked to pursue criminals in vehicles, and on foot, repeatedly expose themselves to the dangers of the crimes, and remain calm while being under pressure at all moments on the job, and even off duty. Being an officer of the law takes a special person
The police in the United States established four innovative features: hierarchical organization, communication capacity, uniforms and patrolling. (Monkkonen, 1992). Hierarchy gave the police an ordered and centralized system similar to the military ranking system; for example Sergeants and Colonels, which are rankings found in both military and domestic police. Even with the absence of electronic communication systems in the past, the police had the communication capacity to relay information through their recognized chain of command. Citizens reported any offenses to officers who would relay the message to police headquarters. Uniforms made the police more visible to the public, hence making them more accessible. Lastly, patrolling made the police more active in communities, which was a tactic used to hopefully prevent crime by instilling a police
Everyday law enforcement personal have the possibility to face dangerous events in their daily duties. In performing such duties a police officer could come by a seemingly ordinary task, and in a blink of an eye the event can turn threatening and possible deadly. When or if this happens to an officer they won’t have
It is easy for police to get caught up in the idea that it is them against the rest of society (Barkan, 2012). Many citizens in today’s democratic society have a negative or fearful view of our law enforcement. Think back to grade school, who was that one kid in class that everyone was annoyed by or despised? Most people would answer the teacher’s pet or the tattletale. We have grown up from a young age to have a negative view towards those that get us into trouble when we think we can get away with something we know is wrong. In the adult world, the police force can equate to those tattletales.
The criminal justice system has come under fire over the last couple years over the handling of many incidents involving police officers use of force and the lack of punishments being handed down to them. Police officers play a vital role in ensuring law and order is maintained in the communities they are protecting and serving against any crimes and to help during natural disasters. This paper will explore how the criminal justice system is viewed in the eyes of a police officers and the thoughts on everything that has been ongoing.
1. A single catastrophic event, often followed by civil liability litigation, leads to the chief of police being replaced (Swanson, 2012, pg. 650). This forces changes because it addresses a single incident and forces change. A good example of this would be the failure to adequately respond to an incident. This can be seen when an incident unarmed person is killed by the police. This can be a result of inadequate training or a trigger happy force. None the less the reason, the community and high up administration want justice and thus sometimes come in the form of change agent or decision maker, e.g. the police chief.
Police officers in today's society have a tough job. They are required to enforce the law, but must also respect the rights of every citizen while they do so. To put this issue in perspective, imagine that someone in your neighborhood is planning to rob your home. You'd like them stopped before the crime happens, but you don't want police to accuse everyone on your block of plotting a crime.
Police officers have procedures they must follow. Anything can happen while on the line-of-duty. Officers should be ready for any situation that is thrown at them. They are not always ready for the things they can’t control though. Just because they have a badge does not mean they are not human. We must respect what they do for a city because it is a dangerous job. An officer 's job is not always easy, a life can be taken in an instant without the right procedures.
Steven Seagal once said , “It is a lot harder now to be an Police Officer than what it used to be.” When I was six years old my family and I had got into really bad accident, a Police Officer pulled out my mother, brother and me before the car caught on fire. He could have saved the younger man in the other car, but he made the decision to save my family. Ever since then I have always admired Police Officers and their service. The career of a Police Officer is a eye opening and amazing experience ,because you 'll come in contact with parts of society that you never knew existed . The research will describe the career of a Police Officer, what is required to become a successful, and the impact this career has on society.
A common style of police leadership is a more bureaucratic style where the leader manages “by the book”, everything must be done in accordance with pre-written policies and procedures (Cordner & Scarborough, 2010). When a certain problem or concern isn’t covered by the book the leader refers to the next level for a decision. This style removes the ability of the leader to manage and forces a strict accordance to the “book”. This style can be very effective when dealing with dangerous situations which can be a common occurrence in police work.
I believe the chain of command is important in a police agency for many reasons. It is a roadmap that shows the route within the organization that order would flow coming down through the organization or that requests flow going up the organization, like a two-way street. The chain of command also establishes formal lines of communication within the department for organizational purposes and it must be used by everyone to communicate formally. This will eliminate crucial departmental problems. For example, if the chief administrative level does not follow the chain of command downward and gives an order directly to the patrol officer, this could cause confusion. For example, the supervisory level might feel that it is alright to do the same thing sending information up the chain. The purpose of the chain of command is to show individuals who their bosses are, from the chief
One day in the distant future I want to become a police officer and eventually became a detective of some sort. But before becoming a detective one must be a patrol officer for the first few years of their career, and in this paper, it can hopefully give you some valuable information on how to start off being a patrol officer for the Gilbert Police Department.
Law enforcement agencies serve the community in the form of enforcing the laws written by the legislature. They protect the people, prevent crime, and protect civil rights and liberties. The laws written by the legislature are ever changing and adapting to the world we live in. The law enforcement agencies carry out these laws with enforcement and judicial side handles those individuals that have broken these laws. Law enforcement agencies have multiple functions and sizes depending on geographical size and the population of the city/ county. The roles in a county agency may differ from a city or municipal agency. Counties have to cover larger geographical areas as compared to the municipal or city agency that is only responsible for the incorporated areas. The agency with greater availability to financial support is the agency that has the means to devise a team to focus on certain crime areas. All departments regardless of size must have someone at the top of the rank structure. A police department operates much like the military in which structure and chain of command is implemented. Quasi-military is a term used to describe the rank structure of today’s police departments (Grant and Terry 2012). From the bottom to the top of the r...