Police Officer Career Paper

This was an article I found through the APUS library that offers information on the hours that police officers work. It also explains the complications of being overworked and its results. I will use this information to expand on the day-to-day operations of an officer. I will also be able to determine some cons of pursuing this career.

A patrol officer is responsible to enforce the local, state, and federal laws in a community. They also have to protect the people from crime and help the department create a good relationship with the community. Now depending on the department it might take two to five years before getting promoted into the next stage as a detective. Most departments however, prefer an officer that has a degree in criminal justice. A detective is responsible for looking at cases finding out who created the crime. After being a detective, the next step is to be a detective supervisor. A detective supervisor is responsible for all the other detectives. They are also assign cases and make sure that the department runs well. The next chance of advancement is to be a police sergeant. A sergeant is the one that gives everyone something to do. They also lead and represent the police department. If everything goes well the advancement will eventually lead to the city’s

Police officers have played a major role in society by protecting us from crime. Their responsibilities include not only preserving the peace, preventing criminal acts, enforcing the law, investigating crimes, and arresting those who violate the law but also directing traffic, community relations work, and controlling crowds at public events.

An officer is someone that a lot of people look up to. They are people who have high reputations and they are seen as people who are in command which is why many citizens respect them but for the officers it can be very challenging. Officers have the pressure of having to work multiple and various hours in order to provide the community with safety but for some, the satisfactory of having done their duties is not enough. In the movie Training Day we see a lot of police corruption. In this movie we see Detective Alonzo Harris who is a thirteen year veteran train Jake Hoyt, a rookie police officer from the Los Angeles Police Department to see if he has what is needed to join the supreme narcotics unit.

While being a police officer, you have guidelines and rules that you need to follow just as if you worked as a chef or even a sales associate you have rules

Police Officer, also commonly known as policewoman, police agent, or police employee is a warranted law employee of a police force by definition. Their main duties are to protect and serve the United States. They keep their streets safe and enforce the rules to keep our country under control. Police officers work under a department or a city. The ranks that police officers can be very between places. In a city the ranks can be; Chief of Police, Deputy or assistant chief, Colonel, Lieutenant Colonel, Commander, Major, Captain, Lieutenant, inspector, Staff Sergeant, Sergeant, Corporal, Master police officer, police officer, Trooper, Detective, Recruit, Cadet, Trainee, or Probationary officer. Frank's can be skipped or emitted and structure is often determined by individual municipalities. State and local law enforcement agencies employed more than 1.1 million people on a full-time basis including about 765,000 sworn personnel back in 2008. In 1838 the city of Boston established the first American Police Force followed by New York City and 1845 Albany New York and Chicago in 1851.

Officer fatigue can be a quite serious problem for police departments. Excess fatigue will generally reduce alertness, decrease performance and worsen mood. These symptoms can reduce officer's performance and safety with potentially life-threatening effects. Patrol officers are expected to remain alert and able to resolve complex, emotional, and potentially dangerous situations. They are expected to be able to multi-task, as well as stay alert during periods of inaction. These activities can be quite difficult for a fatigued officer to complete (Vila 1996). Community oriented policing efforts can be seriously compromised by officer fatigue with excess officer fatigue harming community-police relations (Vila & Taiji 1999).

A career in policing is an extraordinary experience. It offers amazing training and many opportunities to rise through the ranks. As a paramilitary force, a police officer's duty is the serve and protect the public from any and all immediate threat. They are responsible for threats partaking within a certain jurisdiction, although their police authority may extend their jurisdiction if necessary. A few main duties a police officer has as well as protecting the general public is: Patrolling the streets, arresting criminals, and appearing in court.

Police work has demanding schedules characterized by long hours, recurrent night shifts and significant overtime. The insufficient rest or irregular sleep patterns, combined with the stress of the job, can lead to sleep deprivation and possible sleep disorders. All of this contributes to law enforcement officers having one of the highest rates of on-the-job injury and illness.

Police officers are responsible for protecting people and property. Related job titles include Sheriffs and sheriffs deputy, detectives, and state police officers. However all of these job titles have similar duties for example they are all responsible for the protection of people and property. These job titles might be very similar but they do differ in many ways. Police officers patrol the city issuing citations keeping the peace and conduct traffic stops. Sheriff 's and deputies hold practically the same duties as police officers but do so for the entire county. A state police officer could also be addressed as a state trooper. These officers usually patrol highways and issue citations and are frequently called for comprehensive law enforcement services. Detective is the title that differs from the others the most. Detectives aren 't in uniform. They investigate crime scenes and find evidence for criminal cases. Detectives conduct interviews, observe activities of suspects, and also participate in raids. Although a normal police officer does not earn as much income as related titles it is still a very demanding and dangerous job.

Police departments are updating and changing their policies because fatigue among patrol officers are on the rise. There are police departments that work twelve, ten, and some even work eight hours shifts. After their shifts are over the police officer goes to work for a different business, or they are hired for other special events such as concerts, football games, basketball games, and some community events. Some officers are contracted to conduct security work for department stores like Walmart, or Target. After the police officers have finished their shift, they then go to their second employment and then go home for a couple of hours rest and return to the police department for their shift. The officer is then fatigued while on shift, and there are times that no one knows the lack of rest of a person but the police officer, who is then putting other officers at the police department

No matter what time of the day or night, officers can be called onto a scene and they will arrive. Night shift officers stay awake all night and have a complete opposite work and sleep schedule than most people. More crime is likely to happen at night because criminals know that the majority of people in a city are asleep at night, so their risk of getting caught is lower. Although, police officers have to respond and act when crime happens, even at night. Day shift officers encounter the same risk of danger than night shift officers. More wrecks and traffic stops occur during daylight hours, so they do more physical interaction and work. Many officers work twelve hour shifts so literally half of their week is spent working. Officers do not

I understand that the life of a police officer is spent responding to crimes in progress, patrolling assigned areas to maintain public safety, interviewing witnesses and suspects, apprehending fugitives, collecting evidence, writing reports and providing testimony in court. Police officers usually

The time that police officers spend handling calls for service is also considered part of patrol work. Officers on patrol respond to calls, take reports, quell disturbances, and so forth. The

A police officer is a nonmilitary person who is employed by a government agency and has the legal status of a peace officer. A police officers job is to respond to calls, enforce laws, make arrests, issue citations, and occasionally testify in court cases. The job of an officer is not as easy as it seems. Police Officers have one of the most difficult jobs due to the fact that so many people looking up to them as well as there being so many responsibilities that come with these jobs. People are always watching so there is no room for mistakes to be made. When it comes to being a police officer, there are many different issues that they face.