To Serve & Protect – Becoming a Police Officer
| One of the hottest careers in criminal justice is training to become a police officer. As a police officer, you are responsible for maintaining peace within the community, examining evidence and performing criminal investigations. A time honored profession, becoming an officer of the law is a noble career choice. If you are seriously considering a new career in the oldest branch of criminal justice, it is important to know what some of your law enforcement career options are: |
Police Officers conduct general law enforcement through patrols and responding to emergency calls from the community. Police officer training is extensive due to the important role they play in the community. Many police officers are tasked with protecting a certain location that they are assigned to.
Sheriffs are responsible to enforce the law on the county level. Although Sheriffs are typically elected to their post, they function in ways similar to the local police officers. Criminal justice training can certainly benefit anyone that aspires to becoming a law enforcement officer such as sheriff.
Detectives are promoted from field officers and responsible for collecting and deciphering evidence in criminal justice cases. They perform interviews, examine reports, monitor suspects, and make arrests. Due to the analytical nature of a detective, attending a forensic sciences school could prove invaluable.
Highway Patrol Officers conduct criminal investigation on a statewide level and enforce motor vehicle regulations on the highways. They are often first on the scene of an accident and respond to numerous emergency calls.
To qualify as a police officer, you must be over twenty years old and a US citizen without a criminal record and have earned at least your high school diploma or GED. You must also pass both written and physical examinations, to learn more about becoming a police officer; consult your local law enforcement branch. Police training or additional education in law enforcement often gives the criminal justice applicant an additional boost over the competition. If you are interested in a career in criminal justice, many law enforcement agencies advocate formal police officer training in the form of a certification or degree program in criminal justice. Police Officer jobs are highly coveted and training will highly improve your odds of securing a job in criminal justice. Criminal justice degrees include instruction in the constitution and Bill of Rights, state laws and local ordinances, and accident and crime scene investigation. In addition, you may also receive training in traffic control, firearm safety, self-defense, first aid and emergency response.
Continuing education is mandatory for any with an active job in cranial justice enforcement, including both patrol officers and detectives. Additional police officer training helps to keep their skills sharply honed and current. Many governmental agencies will provide tuition assistance for their officers to earn a degree in criminal justice, and monetarily compensate those that successfully achieve additional education in law enforcement.
Police officers are usually promoted from within to detective or to other specialized areas of investigative work. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a police officer’s annual salary is roughly $47,460, but the upper ten percent made more than $72,000 per year. Competition for careers in criminal justice is intense; especially the ones with the higher paying salaries and a degree in criminal justice can set you miles ahead of the rest.
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