Laredo Police Department Analysis

Becoming a police officer takes a lot of heart and determination. To become a police officer you must obtain a high school diploma or GED, pass the law enforcement entrance exam, graduate from the police academy and work towards promotion. In order to graduate from the police academy recruits must undergo 21 weeks of intense training. At the police academy recruits will learn all the following: state laws, criminal investigations, patrol procedures, firearms training, traffic control, defense driving, self-defense, first aid and computer skills (“An Overview of Police Academy Training”). The final step before graduating from the police academy recruits will take the Oath of Honor. “On my honor, I will never betray my badge, my integrity, my character, or the public trust. I will always have the courage to hold myself and others accountable for our actions. I will always uphold the constitution, my community and the agency I serve” (“What Is The Law Enforcement Oath of

Many times, it comes down to extra training and education one can bring to the job. My Marine Corps training has taught me many different skills such as: leadership, first aid and combat skills that I can use in any situation. The main thing any police department would look at is my urban combat training. This training gives me the ability to make decisions fast and in the heat of the moment while the world around me is in complete chaos. Having been trained to keep a cool, level head about me as I encounter dangerous situations, will help me if I need to take down a perpetrator who decides he wants to fight it out or do something else to resist arrest. My choice of career has also been influenced by my self-study of police literature that I read in my downtime in my barracks room and the extra education classes I have taken from teachers and professionals in the police field at the educational center on Marine Corps Base Kaneohe Bay. I read books about police training, as well as books written by retired police officers about different situations that happened and could happen while they were on the job. The classes taken at the education center on base were about police/security jobs. The started from local correctional officer positions all the way to the FBI and the situations that came with them. From those classes, I can draw a baseline of what any police

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is the third largest police agency in the United States. The LAPD has approximately 9885 sworn officers and 2718 support staff. They cover approximately 500 square miles and is for the protection of over 4 million people. With that in mind, managing such a behemoth agency is a complicated and problematic endeavor. Therefore, one of the LAPD strengths is the way they manage themselves and protect citizens. Another strength of the LAPD is created many various kinds of investigation divisions, bureaus unit and special operation units. The components allow the LAPD to address a different kind of crimes, services, and investigation. Some of these components are specialized units with members that specially trained to for the unit's purpose or the specific type of crime or investigation. For an example, they have counter-terrorism bureau, background investigation unit, commercial crime division, gang and narcotic division, juvenile division, robbery homicide division and also technical investigation division. The LAPD also addresses the needs of the community by setting up many stations to handle the needs of their constituents. The LAPD also has a support unit to manage the day to day operation such as the personal division, jail division, property division and administrative section to manage massive bureaucratic tasks.

In some small towns, new officers get their training by working with an experienced officer. Inexperienced officers always are accompanied by veteran officers in order for them to learn. In bigger cities, police departments give classroom instructions in laws, accident investigation, city ordinances, and traffic control. Also they give instruction in the handling of firearms, methods of apprehension and arrest, self-defense tactics, and first-aid techniques. Even when you become an officer, you might still have to be trained in order to use new equipment as technology becomes more advanced.

The minimum qualifications include various aspects. Minimum age level is one of the main qualifications. Each department have their own set of rules and regulations but for the most part all departments have a standard age requirement which is no younger than 21 and no older than 35. Experts were not sure if 21 was a good age requirement because they could not tell whether one at such a young age could handle the task and whether if they were mature enough to do the job effectively and efficiently. It is not today in which many department put a age maximum but there are still a few, such as the New York Police Department, they do not allow anyone over the age of 35, for retirement

-In order to become a police officer, there is no experience required, however to move up to a detective, there is a minimum of 5-10 years working on patrol before you can be part of an investigations unit.

The police officer is the first person to deal with any case. They are usually the one who arrest the suspects or investigating each crime. They work directly with the

Minimum requirements are applicant must be age 21 by the date of appointments. High school diploma or GED while bachelors degree in criminal justice is preferred. Valid drivers license with at least one year driving experience and status as a U.S. Citizen or in a process of U.S, Naturalization.

Nevertheless, there is always the need for somewhat of education and experience. For instance, an applicant can have any of the following: have a bachelor's degree, with a grade point average of 2.95 or higher, special consideration will be given to candidates with degrees in Criminal Justice/Police Science or related disciplines; Finance, Accounting or Economics; Computer Science/Information Systems; Telecommunications/Electrical/Mechanical Engineering; Political Science, Psychology; Sociology; Chemistry; and a foreign language including Spanish, French, Russian, Hebrew, Arabic, Dialects of Nigerian, Chinese/Mandarin, or Japanese. A candidate should also possess specialized professional experience conducting independent narcotics investigations of alleged or suspected violations of the law; conducting surveillance and undercover activities or operations, and apprehending, arresting persons suspected of violations; and

Courts, police, and corrections have been established in order to enforce law. These agencies consist of trained and educated individuals in the criminal justice field. Police officers are required to attend an academy where they learn, “…state laws, criminal investigations, patrol procedures, firearms training, traffic control, defensive driving, self-defense, first aid and computer skills” (Education Portal). These officers are prepared to deal with any dangerous situations in a safe and

City or Local Police patrol within city limits and they follow city ordinances as well as county mandates. City police may have specialized units such as S.W.A.T., Mounted Unit, Air Support Division, Art Theft Detail, K-9 Unit, ACTF, Gang and Narcotics Division, Motors and Commercial Enforcement. County Sheriff patrols the unincorporated areas within a county, enforce county mandates and they also operate the county jails. State Police patrol state highways and maintain building operated by the state. Traditional organizational structures of policing agencies, traditionally respond to crime

Law enforcement officers are inducted into the police subculture early in their career. As early as the academy, law enforcement recruits begin learning about ethics, rank structure, ethos, and other values. During the academy, recruits are trained on specific tasks tailored to police work from 8 to 16 weeks. They are taught combative skills, marksmanship, defensive driving, and other techniques unique to law enforcement by the academy staff. The academy staff normally consists of seasoned officers that usually have military training or backgrounds. In most cases, recruits tend to emulate or try to identify with these officers.

It is a long process when becoming a detective. In college, classes such as: English, American history, business law, government, psychology, sociology, chemistry, and physics are suggested. Before becoming a detective, one must attend a law enforcement academy, providing the officer with a foundation of education with sixteen to twenty-four college units in criminal justice or administration of criminal justice. (Morkes 677) After graduation from the law enforcement academy the officer undergoes job training with a field training officer for a period specified by the law enforcement agency and continues to work while on a probationary period, ranging from one to two years.

Patrol accounts for the biggest portion of police work in most police agencies. The terms “patrolling” and ”on patrol” generally refer to what officers do while not handling calls for service—officers do this mostly in patrol cars, but sometimes on foot, on bicycles, on horseback, or the like. While on patrol, officers may look for traffic violations, suspicious behavior, disorder, and unsafe conditions. They may also look for opportunities to interact with the public in casual or more formal situations. This is all considered patrolling.

The United States Army has many jobs in which civilians can choose to enter that will allow them to specialize in a field of their choice. Many people have joined to serve their country, others have joined to make a living and some enjoy the sense of adventure. One of the many jobs available to a man or woman is a military policeman. As a military police, one is in charge of all the doings on the facility they are stationed at, as well as the little things that take place on base, such as traffic control, domestic issues, and other problems that occur. Before a civilian becomes a Military Police they must got through 3 stages of training, basic training, advanced individual training, and weapons training which takes place within . The life of a military police then forms into Basic and Advanced Training, active duty, and eventually, retirement.