Police Officer
Why Is Police Work a Job of Tomorrow?
The country is growing more security conscious, thereby increasing the demand for law enforcement officials, especially in areas of high population density. In fact, in
the 2006 fiscal year, federal, state, and local government spending for police protection, corrections, judicial activities, and legal activities increased by 5.1 percent from the previous year, according to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics. The trend in increased spending for law enforcement is expected to continue well into the future as the population figures continue to multiply, making it more necessary to have bigger police departments to properly patrol the crowded communities. Employment opportunities for uniformed police officers are expected to grow 11 percent by 2016, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Uniformed police officers make an average salary of $47,460 annually.
What Does a Uniformed Police Officer Do?
Police officers have varying niche responsibilities depending on their fields of specialty and the size of the police department in which they are employed. However, all city-employed police officers typically must respond to emergency calls as well as perform regular surveillance patrols around neighborhoods. These patrols are usually done in pairs, and during surveillance, the police officers are responsible for resolving any public disputes that may arise and act as figures of authority and justice to keep the streets safe at all hours. Most police departments have different sections that handle specific areas of the city, such as outlying neighborhoods or different divisions of the inner city. However, in a smaller police agency, such as those that are responsible for the safety of small towns, there may not be any subdivisions of enforcement areas. Sheriffs and deputy sheriffs act as police officers on a county level, and state police officers, also known as highway troopers, act as police officers on a state level. State police officers generally enforce traffic laws and respond to vehicle accident scenes.
What Kind of Training Do I Need to Become a Uniformed Police Officer?
Uniformed police officers must have at least a high school diploma, although an increasing number of police departments are beginning to require a college associate or bachelor’s degree in criminal justice as well. The competition for employment is predicted to heighten in the coming years, so those with a higher education are more likely to advance in the field than those without one. Many agencies will pay for their employees to earn a degree in criminal justice while they are employed. Criminal justice degree programs cover judicial processes, law history, and other related topics. An associate degree would take two years to earn, and a bachelor’s degree would take four years to earn. After completing the necessary education to apply for a law enforcement position, prospective police officers must also undergo job-specific training at a police academy, which typically lasts 12 to 14 weeks.
