Research Data Analysis on a Career in Law Enforcement

Many people studying in the field of Criminal Justice should choose their career carefully. There are many interesting careers that are arising as the years pass by. To become a successful employee you need to be able to fulfill many requirements, qualifications, and trainings.

Before the days when I had a confident mind about what I wanted to achieve in life in order to fulfill lifelong goals, committing to a career in service to criminal justice and law had always intrigued me as a way to earn a living. In high school there was an extracurricular Criminal Justice class that I remember having a profound impact on my life. The lessons of how the structure of the system worked as well as the importance of an honest and honorable way to earn a living played to a keen and personal interest I had in the field. At the time it was a very new post-9/11 world, and departments such as Homeland Security and other federal sectors of government were on my radar as possible outlets for a potential career. The outset of my young,

Law enforcement is a career that is both violent and rewarding in many capacities. Justice needs to be served in law enforcement and they have a responsibility to uphold the law and serve the people in the community. Law enforcement is crucial in the world today as a global realm as life continues to be more complex and law enforcement struggles to combat many aspects of crime. In order to combat these problems and have a positive future in the criminal justice system, everyone must work together on a bigger scale.

There are many stereotypes that women in the law enforcement field have to face. In order to recruit more women into policing, law enforcement agencies should attempt to overcome the idea that policing is a "male-oriented profession". This paper will cover parts of the history of women police officers, some views and stereotypes of the female officer, job related issues, life outside of the workforce and job satisfaction.

In recent years, recruitment and retention of police officers has been a pain point for many departments across the nation. Odd and inflexible hours, uncompetitive pay, para-militaristic organizational structures, and a negative public perception have all worked to diminish the pool of applicants interested in careers in law enforcement. Add to the mix the sexist “brotherhood” police culture, emphasis on masculinity and aggression, and the nearly non-existent opportunities for advancement for women, and over half of the eligible workforce has been discouraged from even considering a career in law enforcement. In 2013, women comprised just over 57% of the labor force, but accounted for only 13% of sworn police officers (USDOL, 2013; Crooke, 2013). Not only are women sorely underrepresented in the field of law enforcement, but those who are employed experience discrimination at the hands of their supervisors and coworkers, and as a result, the attrition rate for women is often much higher than that of their male counterparts. Departments should pledge dedication to recruiting and retaining more female officers, as research indicates that not only do females perform just as well as males in patrol positions, but they also have a unique set of advantages to offer agencies when employed in law enforcement. In order to improve the recruitment and retention of females into policing roles, departments must determine the biggest deterrents for women who are considering the pursuit

When an individual chooses a career in law enforcement they realize it can be a very rewarding, yet dangerous career path to take. Most people often hear about all the potential dangers such as officer involved shootings and physical confrontations before making the choice to join the ranks of the few who will always stand for what is right. However, today there is a new danger to law enforcement known as the mass media which adds a whole new realm of difficulty to an already taxing job. The negative effects of the media can be felt nationwide by law enforcement agencies and these effects include creating a divided community, unrealistic expectations, and the devastation of current and future law enforcement careers. This presentation

People have always had some kind of enforcement of law to protect them. The police officer’s main focus is to protect the citizens they are around and serve justice to criminals that get in the way of protecting citizens. This is an interesting career choice because the people with this career have a daily duty to keep the streets safe and clean from any dangers. The topics that will be covered are the salary of detectives their main duty, the typical day they experience, years on the job that are rewarded in different ways like a new job opportunity or an increase in pay, educational requirements, and skills required.

What many do not seem to realize is that a law enforcement agency is not a job, it is a career. One must truly be dedicated and determined to work in the field because it is all about your love for what you are doing.

Finding a career in which you feel personally rewarded by helping others and knowing that you are making a difference should be one’s main goal. Officer Mares, was able to achieve this goal when he joined the LAPD as a police undercover agent back in 1996 when he was only 21 ½ years old. Nineteen years later, he is going strong, satisfactorily performing his duties as an officer and serving the community of Los Angeles. He feels rewarded, with this career and loves his schedule, and he is happy when he goes to work. He focuses on knowing that he is making a difference one person at a time. He states, “ I may not change the world, but I am making a difference one individual at a time, which in turn makes a better community for our kids to grow in.” (Mares) Back in the days, around 1960 being a police officer or becoming part of a department that served and protected the public was highly regarded. However, that is no longer the case. Now the Police Department is an affiliation you almost do not want to be involved in.

New officers need to know that no profession demands a higher ethical standard than law enforcement. Whether or not there are other careers that require a similar dedication to doing the right thing, it is undeniable that there is a tremendous degree of expectations placed upon police officers. Every officer knows, or at least should know by now, that they live in a fishbowl. Friends, relatives, neighbors and strangers watch every move law enforcement officers make, both on and off duty. The fact is that the public scrutinizes police officers more than most other professions, either because they are cynical or hope to catch them screwing up or because they are hopeful

After three in a half years of serving in the United States’ Army, I had decided to leave the service. I returned home to St. Petersburg, Florida where I enrolled in St. Petersburg College. After, obtaining my Associates’ degree from SPC, I transferred to the University of South Florida where I studied for my bachelor’s degree in criminology. After one semester at USF, I had decided that I needed to get some experience under my belt, because I knew that a four year degree would not necessarily guarantee me a respectable career. Originally, I wanted to join the St. Petersburg Police Department. They seemed to have a much diversified agency, and I felt comfortable with the area because I was born and raised in St. Petersburg. There I was putting on my tie, brushing my hair and shining my shoes, I was preparing to meet with the St. Petersburg’s Assistant Police Chief in the morning.

Growing up is exciting and very scary. Being young is fun while it last but eventually everyone has to grow and go in to the working field. Law enforcement has been a big topic whether it be bad or good things said the law enforcement is always brought up. When I was young I took a fast interest in business. The moment I decided I wanted to be a cop was when I met my dad’s best friend that was a cop, and businessman. All any person wants in a career is to make a decent living and do something that they enjoy doing. I’ve always enjoyed helping people that needed help, the Kansas career pipeline let me take some surveys and showed me that I enjoy helping people more than I enjoy building myself something, which I believe that is true.

The job itself shows a lot of determination and willpower to continue a legacy of an investigator. But no matter the case, I’m sure that I will fulfill any part that I need to at any given moment. The career is something that I know I will never get bored of. Well of course keep me interested every day. However, would also make my life more interesting known everyday i could be dealing with something different as in cases.. As always, every job will be difficult times, but I hope that I never feel the need to give up and that my motivation of helping others continues through lost criminal cases and more. Also, I hope that I do not settle for less and continue going up the law enforcement field and achieve goals each and every year for the career. This would always keep me on my toes and I know that it can help me try to keep going up. If I ever decided to switch careers i hope that i let it still be in the criminal/ law field. With this being said the ladder to receive this job will require me to successfully finish school with a prospering degree, always staying vigilant and keep moving forward, and enjoyed every little thing I can from the career. It would be a great experience to learn from and grow from also. But I hope I keep going up the ladder of success and settle to a hierarchy. Ending my essay I have to ask, Am I ready to take the next leap of faith that is called adulthood? We will see as time goes by and I grow as an adult that is striving for a better life and receives a well off career in a nice state/

Every student here at Dalton State is working toward a goal, which is to graduate and start a career in a specific job they have dreamed of doing. My goal is to graduate and start a career in law enforcement. Specifically, I hope to start a career in law enforcement with the Dalton city police department. As long as I can remember, I have always been amazed at what police officers do. I have always thought of police officers being a very special group of people who have taken an oath to serve and protect their community that they dearly love. To me, police officers are people who are willing to do a job that strides to make their community a better place for citizens, even though the job can become more dangerous than most people would expect

For as long as I can remember I have wanted to be a police officer. I’m sure, as a little boy, what first caught my attention were the flashing lights and sirens on the police cars. It could have also been then the facts that police officer were permitted to carry a gun and had the ability to run red lights. This is why as I grew up and played games like cops and robbers, I was always the police officer. During my teenage years, I later joined the police explorer program and really started to learn about police work. That’s when I