Police work offers an opportunity for a satisfying and rewarding career. Before you apply, you will want to find out everything you can about what police officers do on the job. You will also want to learn about all the different assignments available to police officers. Which one is right for you? To answer that question, think about your reasons for wanting to become a police officer.
Why a person should become a police officer is a question each potential recruit must ask themselves. Some people become police officers because they want job security. Police officers have a steady job, with a steady paycheck, and a limited chance of being laid-off. Some people become police officers because they want to work outdoors for a few years before changing to an indoor job. Still other people become police officers to avoid close supervision, while others become police officers because they want to help others or give something back to their community. You must determine for yourself what your career goals are and whether or not entering law enforcement will allow you to achieve those goals.
The authors of this book recommend that those who are interested in entering the police field attend a Citizen’s Police Academy and become an auxiliary police officer or reserve officer in their community to get a better understanding of police work. They can also request to do volunteer work for their police department. The more a person knows about a career in policing, the better position that individual will be in to make the decision that a career in law enforcement is the right choice.
In some states, state laws specifically explain the duties of police work, while in other states, each police department is allowed to define the scope of its responsibilities. For example, the State of Missouri defines policing for the police departments of St. Louis and Kansas City (MRS Section 84.320 (2006)), specifically spelling out the duties of municipal police officers. The job description defined by the State of Missouri provides an excellent example of both the expectations for Missouri police officers as well as for police officers everywhere. The statutory duties for a municipal police officer in St. Louis and Kansas City are to:
• Preserve the public peace.
• Prevent crime and arrest offenders.
• Protect the rights of persons and property.
• Guard the public health.
• Preserve order at every public election, and at all streets, alleys, highways, waters, and other places.
• Prevent and remove nuisances on all streets, alleys, highways, waters, and other places.
• Provide a proper police force at fires for the protection of firemen and property.
• Protect transients at public wharves, airports, and railway and bus stations.
• See that all laws relating to elections and to the observance of Sunday, and relating to pawnbrokers, intemperance, lotteries, policies, vagrants, disorderly persons, and the public health are enforced.
• Suppress gambling and bawdyhouses, and every other manner and kind of disorder and offense against law and public health.
• Enforce all laws and ordinances which have been passed or may be subsequently passed.
Since the 1970s the opportunities for women and minorities in policing have increased substantially as law enforcement agencies have begun to recognize the importance of ensuring that the police force they hire resembles the public it polices. Today, police departments do not have a sufficient number of women and minorities applying for policing to meet that goal. For this reason, many police departments are actively recruiting women and minorities because they would like the opportunity to hire them. In today’s policing environment, both women and racial minorities who meet the criteria and qualifications to be police officers have unlimited opportunities.
Affirmative Action is a part of the civil rights laws that has been implemented through the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) attempt to enforce programs established by Congress. EEOC is an independent federal agency that oversees federal civil rights laws. EEOC is the agency that investigates cases of discrimination and takes action to eliminate discrimination when they locate it. Affirmative Action policies and federal law make it a crime to discriminate against any person because of race, national origin, religion, gender, age, or sexual orientation. This means that a person cannot be discriminated against in the hiring process, promotional process, or in wage determinations.
In the field of policing, there are a wide variety of positions that police officers can hold during their careers. Many factors influence whether an individual police officer will hold one position throughout their career or many different positions. The leading factor influencing a police officer’s career is the desire of the officer to achieve the skills necessary to be placed in a new position. Additionally, factors such as time in rank and the size of the police department impact the opportunities available to police officers. Following is an outline of the many positions available within law enforcement.
The most common method of patrol for decades has been the automobile. The patrol vehicle offers mobility and covers a large geographical area or beat. The automobile offers a fast response in emergency situations and can carry important equipment like fire extinguishers, additional ammunition, computers, radar units, and informational manuals. The patrol vehicle is also helpful for pursuing suspects in vehicles and for transporting prisoners. Finally, it should be noted that the automobile provides protection for the officer from both crime and inclement weather.
Foot patrol officers are useful for special events, such as parades and dignitary protection, and for public relations (PR). They are also useful for patrolling shopping malls, beaches, apartment complexes, schools, and areas where a motorized vehicle cannot gain access. Officers on foot can observe more than officers in vehicles. They can use their sense of smell and sense of hearing to identify problems. In addition, foot patrol can improve communication between the police and community. Foot patrol officers can function as community organizers and dispute mediators and be important links between social agencies, law enforcement, and members of the community in need of specialized assistance.
Many cities have a traffic division with a team of police officers assigned to monitor traffic. The traffic officer’s ultimate goal is to minimize serious and fatal collisions. To achieve this goal, these officers are responsible for the enforcement of traffic laws and for investigating serious automobile accidents. Accident reconstruction is also a common responsibility of the traffic division. This responsibility involves reconstructing the scene of serious accidents to determine the cause or causes of the collision. Often, a skilled traffic investigator will be able to determine if any changes to the roadway, signage, or enforcement procedures could be applied to prevent further tragedies in the same area. Occasionally, it is information forwarded by law enforcement to the appropriate manufacturers, educators, engineers, and legislators that initiates changes necessary for the improved health, safety, and welfare of the entire public.
Bicycles have been used by police officers since someone thought they provided a good way to chase down horse-drawn vehicles. Today, bicycles continue to be an effective transportation tool because they offer police officers more speed, mobility, and flexibility than they have on foot. They are useful for patrolling college campuses, parks, beaches, housing areas, and congested downtown areas. Bicycles are a good PR tool and an effective mechanism for controlling crime in the downtown areas of cities.
Motorcycles have been traditionally used for traffic enforcement and control. A few cities also use them for escort services for funerals or for parades. The motorcycle has maneuverability and can move through crowds of people or traffic more easily than a conventionally sized vehicle. However, their popularity with policing agencies seems to rise and fall with the price of fuel because of the obvious safety problems associated with motorcycles. Police officers often drive in dangerous situations, and motorcycles offer little protection from weather, other traffic, or situations involving crime.
Horse patrol units are often developed because they are excellent PR tools. They also provide important services to law enforcement. The mission of mounted patrols is to provide high visibility patrol to the busiest sections of urban areas. Mounted patrols are also used for crowd control tactics and formation riding and to assist with non-mounted police tactics. Finally, mounted patrols are often seen participating in both urban and rural search-and-rescue operations because they are able to access areas that foot patrol, bicycle patrol, and policing vehicles have more difficulty accessing, such as heavily wooded areas or areas around ravines.
In addition to drug smuggling along America’s coastlines, predatory crimes occur on rivers, lakes, and the ocean. For this reason, agencies with authority to police waterways often develop marine patrols. The marine patrol has three main functions: rescue and recovery, agency assistance, and law enforcement. Police respond to calls for assistance from boaters, kayakers, or anyone else on the water in distress. They assist other agencies, such as the United States Coast Guard, United States Customs, or other marine patrol units, who need back up or are too far away to respond to a call. The marine patrol can also be used to transport police or fire personnel to places that are easier reached from the water. For special events, the marine patrol can be used to enforce no-wake zones, speed restrictions, no-access areas, and general safe boating,.
Many police departments are developing aircraft patrol units. These units provide aerial support to ground-based units in traffic law enforcement. They detect speeding and reckless drivers from surveillance overhead. They are also used to assist other enforcement agencies by providing air support for such things as drug activity surveillance, covert surveillance, tracking of criminal suspects, VIP escort support, searches for missing persons and downed planes, aerial photography, and emergency organ transport.
Helicopter units provide many of the same services as patrol planes, but they may be called on to provide additional types of assistance. Helicopter units may be needed to assist with firefighting efforts, to transport severely injured accident victims, or to assist with ground mapping efforts.
Many medium-sized and large police departments assign police officers to units designed to address issues with juveniles. It is also not unusual for small police departments to have at least one officer devoted to issues surrounding juvenile offenders if sufficient juvenile problems exist in the area. The laws relating to juvenile offenders differ from the criminal laws for adults because juveniles are not usually considered criminals: they are considered offenders. States have adopted specific laws and procedures for the dealing with juvenile offenders. Because state laws deal with juveniles in a non-criminal manner, officers assigned to deal specifically with juveniles require specific training on the procedures, laws, and methods for speaking to, investigating, and detaining juveniles.
The primary purpose of the police canine unit is to improve law enforcement while reducing the jeopardy to human police officers. The canine functions as a psychological deterrent to the law violator while at the same time serving as an effective PR tool. Police officers are selected to serve with canine officers based on their willingness and ability to work with a dog. Officers selected for the canine unit receive specialized training. Officers and their dogs are used for search and rescue operations both inside buildings and in the wilderness. They may be trained to respond to the presence of drugs or explosives without the requirement of a search warrant. They may be sent to bring down a suspect who is able to outrun a human police officer or be trained to stand guard and protect vulnerable human beings. The uses for canines and their human police companions within law enforcement is rapidly expanding and becoming a very critical tool in effective law enforcement.
Several medium-sized and large police departments have crime scene investigators whose job is to collect evidence. Police officers assigned to this position usually receive training on how to investigate a crime scene. This position often requires a bachelor’s or even master’s degree in criminal justice, forensics, or biological sciences. The job of the crime scene officer is to take all necessary precautions when dealing with crime scenes, especially those relating to health and safety regulations. Crime scene officers are expected to keep abreast of new technical developments in forensics and in analyzing the crime scene.
Many police departments have a crime prevention officer who has the responsibility of educating the public on crime prevention. This includes performing surveys for businesses and for residences, both houses and apartments. The crime prevention officer is expected to give talks to professional and social organizations on crime prevention. In addition, the crime prevention officer works with patrol officers and detectives in developing and implementing crime prevention strategies.
Community policing has become the philosophy for today’s police officer. Medium-sized and large police departments assign officers to community policing beats. The community-policing officer interacts with the community and participates in neighborhood functions and events. The community policing philosophy is that the community policing officer should function as a problem-solver. Community policing officers are expected to identify community problems, find solutions to the problems, implement those solutions, and then evaluate the effectiveness of those solutions.
In the last several decades it has become increasingly common for criminals and terrorists to take hostages. Today, police officers are needed to negotiate with criminals and terrorists who have taken hostages. Generally, police officers with several years of experience are selected to receive training as hostage negotiators. It has become the job of the hostage negotiator to work to obtain the safe release of hostages without giving in to terrorist demands.
There are individuals who telephone schools and other public buildings claiming that a bomb has been planted in the building. Sometimes these telephone calls are a hoax, but they are always taken seriously. Usually, the building will be cleared until a determination can be made that no bomb exists in the building. It is the job of the bomb squad officer to check out the building and to verify that no bomb exists. If there appears to be a bomb, it is the job of the bomb officer to detonate the bomb in a safe location or to diffuse it. Bomb squad officers receive special training on the detection, handling, diffusion, and detonation of bombs. Today, the bomb squad officer is an important component of mid-sized and large departments. Police officers must volunteer for this dangerous work and successfully pass a vigorous course.
Police officers are often given the responsibility to serve warrants. Municipal police officers serve arrest warrants upon suspects wanted for a criminal offense. They also serve bench warrants for individuals who have not shown up for a hearing or court case. Warrants can also be served on individuals violating a court order.
Many cities have airports. Therefore, it is not surprising to learn that municipalities often assign police officers to maintain a presence at airports. Airport police will monitor traffic concerns such as parking in front of the airport or disturbances within the airport. In addition, if serious matters arise, they are already on scene to respond and to evaluate if back up, or a larger police response is necessary in any given situation.
Many mid-sized cities and large cities have public housing. Because of the large number of people housed in public housing units, it is not uncommon for crime to occur there. To deter crime before it happens, and to provide the fastest possible response time after crime happens, municipal police officers are assigned to patrol public housing complexes. It is not unusual for police departments to have a mini-station located in a public housing apartment complex, with officers specifically assigned to the public housing complex. These officers are often trained much like community policing officers. They are encouraged to get to know the residents of the area they patrol and be aware when they are in need of assistance.
A port authority can include a pier, a bus terminal, a train terminal, a tunnel, bridge, or an airport. In large cities and sometimes in mid-sized cities, police officers are specifically assigned to these locations. Crime can occur in all these locations and police officers are expected to maintain order in all public areas of public transportation.
In large cites with public transportation and city-operated buses or subways, it becomes the responsibility of the police to develop an effective method of patrol. As subways, train cars, and buses are constantly moving, specially trained units are assigned to monitor these areas. Transit police are now authorized to check individuals and their carry-on bags for any explosive devises that could be carried onto public transportation. The transit police also have the responsibility for maintaining order and preventing crime on city buses.