Ole' Shamus will keep tryin' to get on here, but like police work, things get away from ya pretty quick.
Well, I was recently sent a questionnaire from a student who wanted to ask a few questions about my job. Below are the questions and my answers....
Describe your job.
-I am a Police Corporal in a County Police Department. I am assigned to Patrol. My daily duties include answering a
variety of calls for service, conducting periodic checks of businesses and
neighborhoods, traffic enforcement and investigating crimes and complaints that
come through the communications center.
I also handle follow up investigations from those calls and complaints
that do not fit the criteria to be investigated by the detective units. To use the old cliché, “to protect and
serve” is actually what we do in patrol.
We are the first contact between the community and the department, and
even the county government. In my state, we are considered to be a large metropolitan department, and have
approximately 600 sworn officers, including patrol and specialized assignments.
Do you like your job? Why or why not?
-“Like” is a hard thing for me to do as a Police
Officer. I do enjoy my job. I enjoy the feeling that I make a
difference in a small or large way in people’s lives. So, instead of “liking” my job, I find it fulfilling. The potential to make a difference and
improve a situation we are responding to is great. Whether it is locking up the “bad guy”, or helping an
elderly motorist change a tire and get home, we have the potential to impact
lives, hopefully in a positive way.
What do you like most?
-What I enjoy most is the good work and the people I
encounter who are appreciative of what we try to do for them. I also enjoy the camaraderie of the
officers on my shift, and the people I work with. I also like the excitement of the job, and that every day
has the potential to be different.
What do you like least?
-Politics. The
politics of the department and the county government are brutal. I hate politics, and they are in
everything. Duty assignments,
equipment, where you work, and with whom.
The politics aren’t always official. They often come in the form of cliques. The old saying, “It’s not what you
know, but who you know” is prevalent in department politics. There is a slang term in Police work,
where you “follow a Rabbi”. It
refers to becoming close with a supervisor who is on a “fast tract” or rapid promotion,
who will take you with them to either specialized duty assignments, or coveted
Units within the department. This
is also where the term, “the Good ole boy network” comes from. This mentality and practice kills
morale and performance within the department.
What characteristics are needed to be successful?
-Success is a broad term. Success can be measured in a variety of ways depending on
what you hope to accomplish or gain from your career. Some view success as a numbers game. How many lock ups, or car stops you
make, or how many tickets you write.
Others by the money made.
How many hours of overtime you work, or how many “secondary gigs”, or part
time jobs you can get. Others yet,
define it as the specialized units they work in, or the rank they obtain. I define success as whether or not you
have that sense of fulfillment. It
has taken me 15 years to change my definition of what I consider to be
“success”. But it is how I view it
now. It isn’t the money, or the
numbers, or the special assignments.
It is the fact that every day I know that I have provided the best
service I could for each particular situation or call I responded to that gives
me the feeling of success. For me
to be successful, and for a lot of us out here, at least in patrol, it is doing
our job the best we can.
What education, training, and skills are needed to obtain
the job?
-Most Police departments only require a High School
Diploma. A few will accept a GED,
but not many. More Departments now
require some college, whether it be a number of credits or an AA. Federal agencies require a BS or a BA,
and prior law enforcement experience.
My department requires a High School Degree. To be Police, however, you also need a clean record free of
arrests, and a “good” driving history.
After a series of tests and evaluations prior to employment, you are
graded with the other applicants, and selections are made to enter the
academy. In my department you are
paid while in the 26 week training academy. The academy covers constitutional and criminal laws, state
laws, county codes, and procedures of the department. Recruit officers are
trained how to shoot, drive, and how to effect arrests. They receive medical training, and
other skills needed to effectively carry out their daily tasks. After the recruits graduate, they
participate in a period of time in field training. They will ride with several training officers, or senior officers,
and learn how to apply those new acquired skills in the “real world”. While employed as a police officer, we
are to attend several continuing education training courses or “in-service”
training courses to maintain our certification. Topics are chosen by both the
department’s training academy, and the State training commission.
What advice would you give to someone who wanted a job like
yours?
-Start in High School.
Know that decisions you make now, affect the chances of employment
later. The pool of qualified
applicants is getting smaller every year due to recreational drug use and
getting arrested for “petty” crimes such as shoplifting and underage
drinking. Also, take some college
courses in law and criminal justice.
I would not recommend majoring in this field, as the only thing you can
do with a criminal justice degree in law enforcement and progressing on to law
school. I majored in General
Studies, but had a concentration in Crim. Justice, actually, I earned a
certificate, but earning an AA in general studies allows me the chance to earn
a major in a different topic when I decide to continue towards my BA or BS
degree. Don’t give up. It takes several months and even a year
or more, to go through the hiring process to be a police officer. The training is demanding, both
mentally and physically. I wish I
was more prepared physically before being hired. I struggled with the highly athletic atmosphere of the
police academy. Finally, know what
you want and what you are getting in to.
Do several “ride-a-longs” and experience what a day is like as a police
officer. Decide if it is something
you like, and something you can handle.
Police work is not like the movies, or TV. It is demanding.
It will take a toll on your body, and your mind. It will change who you are and your
personality. It is good work, it
is a noble profession, if you go in with realistic goals and expectations, this
career is and can be very rewarding.
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