Introduction The best characteristics of a good law enforcement professional would be integrity, honesty, calm under pressure, and strength. In summation, the law enforcement professional only wants to use physical force and restraint as a last resort as a tactic to enforcing the law. The most effective law enforcement professional are those that are able to resolve issues and enforce the law without resorting to a physical confrontation. As such, effective verbal communication is probably the number one asset and quality of whatever profession. Effective communication skills enable officers to develop rapport with the public, fellow workers, and informants and disarm would be felons. Sound communication skills may enable a law enforcement office to avoid severe harm or even destruction. Moreover, good law enforcement officers are not only strong and manly but they are also meek and mild. A good professional should be driven by a strong and sincere motivation to help better other peoples’ lives and situations, protect those who cannot protect themselves, and make a positive difference in the world be it large or small. Good law enforcement officers and professionals feel a sense of responsibility and dedication to community service. Law enforcement officers must be physically and mentally fit at all times in order to effectively carry out their duties. Non only is law enforcement physically demanding but also it is also emotionally demanding. In parliamentary law for a law
6. NO QUALITY IS MORE INDISPENSABLE TO A POLICE OFFICER THAN A PERFECT COMMAND OF TEMPER; A QUIET, DETERMINED MANNER HAS MORE EFFECT THAN VIOLENT ACTION.
To a majority of society, law enforcement officers are viewed as the protectors of society. Due to the fact that officers provide a service to the community they could be placed in a position
Taking personal responsibility and paying attention to detail are two very important character traits to have. It is important for civilians to demonstrate these traits but even more important for police officers and police recruits. Police officers and recruits should be held to a much higher standard than civilians because of the position they are in or will be in where they enforce the laws over civilians. They should be a role model for people to follow.
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.
The criminal justice system is one of the most important components in the public service system. Since it is a system that citizens encounter daily it would be most beneficial for those who are employed to behave as ethical leaders. Leadership skills and ethical behavior are both parts of the duties of any officer serving the law. Often employees are placed in quick decision situations that can have fatal outcomes if not handled properly. By ensuring that all officers of the law have a set of functioning ethical leadership skills can not only develop a well-rounded individual, but also builds the relationship between the community they serve to protect. The police and other officers of the law have great discretion and power over an individual which makes having responsible, ethically behaving persons on the front lines even more important. With the right training and education, ethical officers can set the bar and improve the quality of life of the community they serve as well as other officers.
The police must be stable, efficient, and organized along military lines (Bohm & Haley, 2012). Officers must be professional in everything that they do. The police department must be able to withstand departmental changes. The military is always uniform, clean, knowledgeable, trained and always prepared for the next mission and most police departments follow a military chain of command
My first interviewee officers jack Davidson, patrolman from Somers point police department. When interviewing Patrolman Davidson, I found the following to be his impressions of the police force in general. Officer Davidson spoke of why ethics and character are important in the field of law enforcement. His response was that ethics and character go hand in hand. In law enforcement it seems that there are so many reasons to do the right thing. The reasons began with public opinion and also should include their influence on the youth who will be growing up to be citizens of the city, state, or country. If a police officer does not behave with
This shared understanding is limited to law enforcement officers and their counterparts throughout the law enforcement community. Law enforcement officers articulate “working personality” though their understanding of common duty requirements and daily vulnerabilities, which include; danger, the pressure to be efficient, and authority.
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
As a police officer, the major objectives are to maintain order, enforce the law, protect one’s property, and to save lives. In addition, police are divided into two roles based on how they perform their duties. The two roles of a police officer are a public servant and a crime fighter. A police officer whose role as a public servant is to serve all types of people, as well as criminals. Public servants regularly provide advice and make judgments as to the degree of risk they should take with the public. Many decisions involving risk are relatively easy to make, but others are complex and significant consequences (Kernaghan and Langford, 2016). These risks may involve using force and the consequences could be media backlash or a potential termination. Public servants abide by the oath and uphold the integrity and honor of the organization as an officer. Also, public servant officers like to play it safe because they like to be known as ordinary citizens who like to go home to their
If you currently are or will be considering becoming a law enforcement officer you will hopefully find the following information useful. I will be conveying to you not only the importance of professional appearance and means you can use to be more efficient at presenting such an appearance. While representing a state, city or county a less than professional image as an officer is not acceptable. As a public servant an officer’s appearance is the public’s first impression of who you are and what you represent or stand for. Not caring about your own appearance as a professional may lead some to assume you do not care about your job. We will discuss the reasons an officer should take extra pride in their appearance as well as steps to take that will assist in achieving a more professional appearance. Hopefully you will consider the advice given to you and make yourself a more professional looking officer or officer to be.
6. NO QUALITY IS MORE INDISPENSABLE TO A POLICE OFFICER THAN A PERFECT COMMAND OF TEMPER; A QUIET, DETERMINED MANNER HAS MORE EFFECT THAN VIOLENT ACTION.
Perceptions of what constitutes a qualified police officer have been crafted as a result of numerous television shows and movies. They are often portrayed as heroic, invincible, and possessors of brute strength. While some of these physical attributes are in fact expected and required of police officers, they are not the only ones and at times,
Becoming a police officer is not just a choice one makes, but in actuality a life decision. Officers must make sure they follow morals as well as the code of ethics. No matter if you’re an officer that patrols the city streets night after night, or an officer patrolling school grounds or malls, you’re still important. Everyone feels a sense of comfort when they know they are safe.
The modern law enforcement officer has diverse duties and responsibilities, it is imperative we provide excellent training to improve our services and to continue to demand excellence from our Deputies. The training also serves to motivate and inspire officers to broaden their knowledge and abilities. The key to longevity in law enforcement is to combat burn out by finding new challenges personally and obtaining advanced education in the field.