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Becoming a Police Officer Essay
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Becoming a Police Officer Essay
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Most of my childhood memories consisted of dreaming to become a police officer. The idea of keeping a community safe from criminals, shows that you want to be a hero to your community. This heroic quality, however, is not easy as it takes great precautions and procedures that must be followed in order to serve the public. Being a part of the Law Enforcement is a complex process, which consists of applying to an agency, police academy, and job positions.
Applying to be a police officer requires an educational background, as applicants go through numerous tests in order to qualify. Many of the exams test various skills which include reading comprehension, memory, judgment, and writing skills (www.discoverpolicing.org 1). The minimum requirements to be a police officer is a high school diploma or associates degree, and a bachelor’s degree for federal police jobs. In college, many police officers major in criminal justice to learn about the law and justice system. In addition, students are encouraged to learn a foreign language as police officers serve a diverse community (www.collegequest.com 1).
In Los Angeles, there are various ethnicities including the White, African American and Latino communities. Having the capabilities of bilingual helps because many communities are diverse and the residents may not speak English. A good way to become a cop is by getting a degree in criminal justice. Some police agencies like to have officers who have a degree in almost anything. Before being accepted into police academy you have to undergo a “psychology examination” (www.discoverpolicing.org 1).
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The exam is to make sure that the new recruits are trustworthy and mentally stable or sane. These exams are also taken to prevent a...
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...otorcycle patrol units are very similar but bicycles can maneuver in more place and that big or heavy to be carried in a street chase (www.education-portal.com 1).
The criminal intelligence unit holds all information of filed criminals or felons. They help get information for international criminals and national criminals. Missing persons unit is a database that has all the information on missing people right before they disappeared. Most missing persons are gone for a period of 1 to 3 days. They go missing because they have personal problems which they can’t handle. If you decide to go missing and the police go looking for you it isn’t a crime because you just needed to get away from you’re your problems (www.dci.sd.gov/Operations/IntelligenceUnit.aspx 1). Police car patrols can be one (Adam Unit) or two officers riding together (Lincoln Unit).
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,
The Vancouver Police Service is just one example who have changed their hiring standard requiring applicants to have a minimum of 30 credits from an accredited university or college (Vancouver Police Service, 2017). Many agencies like the RCMP still only require a minimum of a high school diploma to be hired. Police agencies in Canada need to start changing their hiring process to only look for people who have obtained a diploma or a degree from an accredited post secondary school. If agencies start hiring people who have post secondary education the recruits will be entering recruit training with a wide range of skills already learnt. Canadian police agencies need to look ahead and realize how complex crimes are becoming and start hiring highly educated and trained personnel. Another aspect that will be beneficial to police agencies hiring more educated officers is the appearance it will have on the public. After all the police can only function with the support of the pubic, and many people believe that police officers should have more education than only a high school
The influence of higher education on police officer habits would surprise many according to Matthew D. Bostrom, D.P.A of the Saint Paul Police Department in “Police Chief Magazine-The Professional Voice of Law Enforcement”. Although a degree is required for some agencies and considered ideal for any person looking to join the law enforcement field, surveys show otherwise says Bostrom. According to a study conducted in St. Paul, Minnesota there were more on-duty vehicle collisions by officers with formal education beyond high school than those who only obtained a high school diploma. The article also shows figures indicating more disciplinary actions towards officers with college degrees and a significant difference in those of officers with high school diplomas only. The measurements of work habits shown indicate that perhaps a college degree in general is not necessary to be an effective police officer. Traffic Officer James Dunn of the California Highway Patrol in an interview said, “a degree can be beneficial, but some people are very eloquent and knowledgeable even without attending college-a person can learn the specific duties of any job, but college does not teach you the responsibilities of being a police officer. You learn that by hands-on training”. Although a degree is helpful, Officer Dunn admits that he has been very successful in the law
The article Police and Higher Education: Where are We Now by Roy Roberg and Scott Bonn discuss and review past articles and ideas about whether or not police officers should be required to have earned a college degree in order to qualify a position in law enforcement within the United States. The first person who believed in the idea that police officers should be required to hold a college degree in order to be qualified for a position was August Vollmer. August Vollmer was “the father of American police professionalism” (Walker & Katz, 2011). Vollmer is best known for being a supporter of higher education within law enforcement. However, many officers and high ranking officials did not believe in the concept of needing to obtain a college degree in order to protect their community. A majority of police officers in law enforcement did not have a college degree nor did police departments require it to be considered a position. Moreover, many police departments did not necessitate a high school diploma but rather a general equivalency diploma. The first time that this idea was utilized was during the time of the 1960’s, when, in the early 1960’s, crime was increasing drastically and by the late 1960’s the ghetto riots took place, opening the eyes of those in charge that something needed to change, and change quickly in order to prevent criminal activity and chaos.
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 ...
To become a Police Detective you have to at least have a high school diploma; bachelor’s degree. It is required because it can help you earn good jobs as detectives. After high school, state and local agencies encourage you to continue education by taking course and training related to law enforcement. The federal agencies and some police department require some college coursework or a college degree. Many community colleges, 4 year colleges, and universities offer programs in law enforcement and criminal justice.
This paper will show four different police departments that are currently hiring or recruiting for police officers. There will be a summary on the research found on the process used to recruit police officers. It will also show their current hiring trends and what hiring practices they have that are successful or not successful. The paper will also go over the different methods departments use to train their new officers and their values.
Most people, if asked would surely agree that being a police officer is not easy, but most probably do not realize that becoming one is just as difficult. During our field trip to the Warren County Police Department Major Bowles and officer Fields talked a little about the extensive process, similar to the process our textbook, Forensic Psychology describes, of being hired into the police department. After putting in their application and being selected to move forward in the program a future police officer must have a background check, complete a psychological screening, a polygraph test, several interviews, and a physical test. If they pass each of those they continue on to the police academy. In whole, the process takes over a year before
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
The minimum education requirements to become a police officer in America is a general education diploma or High school diploma. But with increased competition in becoming a police officer many departments require that you have an associate’s degree or bachelor 's degree, even if the department you apply for only requires that you only have a G.E.D/high school diploma having somewhat
Serve and protect as a police officer in the city of Santa Ana has been my career dream goal since I was growing up being influenced by police officers throughout my education. Seeing so many casualties by violence in my community is one of the reasons why I am pursuing this profession, so that I can be able to accommodate the best way I can to reduce the violence. Other reasons why I am desiring to become police officer is to save someone 's life, help people make better choices, challenging tasks, and serve my community. Although dilemmas with people being unsupportive with law enforcement has increased, I will continue to pursue this career and make a tremendous impact in the community. This career will provide me with excellent benefits
Being a police officer requires high level of ethics and standards. Corruption within an agency can affect a community, state, and even a nation. Corruption may seem inevitable but using proper screening, extensive and continuous training and holding officers responsible can deter officers from becoming corrupt.
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;
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.
In the past eight years as a police officer for the City of South Salt Lake, I have found that personal growth and achievement in my career have been based on certain past experiences. Such experiences have molded what my personality is today. I have found that in order to be triumphant in my personal and professional goals, it has been necessary for me to reflect not only on my strides, but also my mistakes.