United States Law Enforcement Officers Essay

Every day, law enforcement officers encounter danger while carrying out their duties. The foremost duty of law enforcement officers are to serve and protect citizens. Most law enforcement agencies do this successfully. However, many people view law enforcement officers as the enemy. People need to be better informed about law enforcement and why officers take specific actions in certain circumstances. In our society, police are in a very dangerous position when it comes to the amount of force they can use when dealing with an individual. Officers use discretion when deciding the best course of action for the situation, whether it be physical force, persuasion, or coercion. They must take the correct course of action, because if they are too lenient or to forceful, even when dealing with petty things, they can be reprimanded by superiors and the public. Should police use force? Which circumstances warrant use force and what are the limits of force they can use? These questions are often asked when police are compelled to use force.

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.

When an officer first decides that he or she would like to become a police officer, they are put through rigorous training, extensive background checks, and tedious mental and physical health exams in order to determine their level of fitness for the job. Being a police officer is a dangerous profession that can lead to repeated exposure to trauma and challenges that can cause stress in even the most well-trained individuals (Alicea, 2016). In 2014, more than 42,000 police officer suicides were counted (Clark and White, 2017). By recognizing the seriousness of police officer suicides and taking proactive steps towards addressing the issue, suicide rates would decrease and officers would be better suited to adapt to their stressful work conditions.

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.

My goal’s I attend to achieve in pursuing a certificate in Basic Law Enforcement are primarily to make an impact in the community. Furthermore, I enjoy the various jobs that Law Enforcement has to offer. Last reason, would be to be part of an exclusive organization that I can be proud of. My past experiences in my work history have been mostly related to customer service, problem solving, and interpersonal skills. I also have interacted with plentiful of people, on many different social levels and many diverse cultures.

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

Law enforcement officers are given an incredible amount of discretion solely due to the nature of their career. They are faced with potentially life threatening situations, which require an exceptional amount of judgment. Due to these situations, officers are expected to think and act quickly, consciously, and appropriately. It seems that the use of force is a very necessary aspect of policing, however, the amount of force used should be handled with great discretion. Officers who use an excessive amount of force are more than likely to cause a community to become a negative environment.

In addition, police officer exposed to high levels of stress relate to their job have been at an increased risk for adverse health problems, including depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder, (Grant & Terry, 2012).

As crime coexists with humanity, the presence of the police force ensures the suppression of crime and the safety for our society. Every occupation has its own work stress. What is unique is all the different stress found in one job. Aside from the heroic services police officers perform in their duty, they experience overwhelming stress in their daily duty. Police stress refers to the negative pressures related to police work (Police Stress, n.d.). In order to maintain peace and order, there must be an effective police force up and running. For that to happen, departments need to be aware and deal with the negative effects caused by police stress. Whereas, police officers must conquer their stress in order to work at their

Law enforcement, in some form, has existed for centuries and since its creation there has been numerous improvements. Improvements have come about because of community changes and the need for more effective ways of policing the people. As crimes became more fierce and complex so did the need for the investigation and solving of these crimes. Criminal investigative techniques were not just born from thin air, some thought and planning had to go into figuring out the proper ways to go about doing things. Pioneers of the criminal justice and criminal investigation field such as August Vollmer, Alphonse Bertillon, Edward Henry, and Edmond Locard have made superior contributions to the development of criminal investigative techniques. These techniques have impacted the way police operate today and set a substantial base for law enforcement to build on.

This first section is designed to delve into the safety measures that officers put into place to ensure their safety and the safety of the community. First and foremost we must take into account the officers safety. A memo titled, “ Officer Safety and Wellness” from the United States Department of Justice included this statistic:

Law enforcement officers have encountered some very deadly days. The life of a law enforcement officer is one of constantly being aware of your surroundings, dealing with the uncertainty of not knowing the individuals you have to approach, and being able to cope with the visual images seen after vicious crimes. The life of a law enforcement officer, who protects and serves, is both challenging and rewarding. The first law enforcement system was established in Boston, Massachusetts over 350 years ago. During this time in the Colonies that were not heavily populated, the sheriff served as the main law enforcement officer. During the 1800’s, 24-hour law enforcement service and systems similar to what is used today began to emerge (NLEMI). Law enforcement officers face incredible dangers. With over 900,000 law enforcement officers nationwide the Federal Bureau of Investigations reported approximately 1,165,383 violent crimes in 2014. Approximately one law enforcement officer dies every 61 hours (NLEMI).The law enforcement profession is the most challenging and dangerous career, because officers must be aware of every law and action they take at all times, manage constant training and stress, and protecting others as well as themselves in the line of duty.

The history of policing can be traced back to the beginning of time. When looking at the subject of police work there is a large culture and history that follows along with it. There are many topics that can be analyzed when identifying, and describing the elements and the significances that are associated with policing. A large element of the police job that plays a large factor in the work and attributes to the policing culture is the amount of stress that an office will face while performing on the job. Another part of the job that plays a large part in the culture

Interestingly, physical danger is ranked low on the list of stresses by police officers! A study of 2376 Buffalo NY police officers found that compared to the white male population police officers had higher mortality rates for cancer, suicide, and heart disease (Constant). Suicide is one of the worst effects that stress can have on police officers.

I am writing to express my interest for the general law enforcement internship position. As a criminology major, I am interested in law enforcement and particularly in the work of investigations because of its focus on careful examination to discover facts or gain information on people who are breaking the law. Through my studies and activities at the University of Minnesota Duluth, I have developed both the content knowledge in criminology and the leadership skills needed to be successful in this position.