Police Officer, Detective

Job Opportunities

• Employment of a police and detectives is expected to increase by 9 to 17 percent through 2014.
• Because of attractive salaries and benefits, the number of qualified candidates applying to be federal agents and state police officers exceeds the number of job openings.
• Competition should remain keen for higher paying jobs with State and Federal agencies and police departments in affluent areas.
• Opportunities will be better for a police officer in local and special police departments that offer relatively low salaries or in urban communities where the crime rate is relatively high.
• A more security-conscious society and concern about drug-related crimes should contribute to the increasing demand.
• Employment growth can be hindered by reductions in Federal hiring grants to local police departments.
• Layoffs are rare because retirements enable most staffing cuts to be handled through attrition.

Basic job responsibilities

A police officer or detective:

• maintains law and order
• collects evidence and information
• conducts investigations and surveillance
• writes reports and maintain meticulous records
• testifies in court

Work environment

• Being a police officer or a detective can be very dangerous and stressful.
• In addition to the obvious dangers of confrontations with criminals, a police officer or a detective needs to be constantly alert and ready to deal appropriately with a number of other threatening situations.
• Many law enforcement officers witness death and suffering resulting from accidents and criminal behavior.
• Being a police officer or a detective may take a toll on their private lives.
• Uniformed officers, detectives, agents, and inspectors are usually scheduled to work 40-hour weeks, but paid overtime is common.
• Junior officers frequently work weekends, holidays, and nights.
• A police officer or detective is required to work at any time their services are needed and may work long hours during investigations.
• Whether on or off duty, officers are expected to be armed and to exercise their authority whenever necessary.

Police officer, detective

A uniformed police officer — has general law enforcement duties, including:

• maintaining regular patrols and responding to calls for service.
• directing traffic at the scene of an accident, investigating a burglary, or giving first aid to an accident victim.
• identifying, pursuing, and arresting suspected criminals; resolving problems within the community; and enforcing traffic laws.

A police officer can specialize in such diverse fields as:

• chemical and microscopic analysis
• training and firearms instruction
• handwriting and fingerprint identification

A police officer can work with special units, such as:

• horseback, bicycle, motorcycle or harbor patrol
• canine corps
• special weapons and tactics (SWAT)
• emergency response teams
• in courts as bailiffs

State police officers:

• arrest criminals statewide and patrol highways to enforce motor vehicle laws and regulations.
• issue traffic citations to motorists.
• direct traffic, give first aid, and call for emergency equipment at the scene of accidents.
• write reports used to determine the cause of the accident.
• render assistance to other law enforcement agencies, especially those in rural areas or small towns.

A Detective:

• is a plainclothes investigator who gathers facts and collects evidence for criminal cases.
• conducts interviews, examine records, observe the activities of suspects, and participate in raids or arrests.
• may specialize in investigating one of a wide variety of violations, such as homicide or fraud.
• is assigned cases on a rotating basis and works on them until an arrest and conviction occurs or until the case is dropped.

Police Officer, Detective

Requirements:

• Candidates must be U.S. citizens, usually must be at least 20 years of age, and must meet rigorous physical and personal qualifications.
• Physical examinations often include tests of vision, hearing, strength, and agility.
• Eligibility for appointment usually depends on performance in competitive written examinations and previous education and experience.
• In larger departments, where the majority of law enforcement jobs are found, applicants usually must have at least a high school education, and some departments require a year or two of college coursework.
• Candidates should enjoy working with people and meeting the public.
• Personal characteristics such as honesty, sound judgment, integrity, and a sense of responsibility are especially important.
• Candidates are interviewed by senior officers, and their character traits and backgrounds are investigated.
• In some agencies, candidates are interviewed by a psychiatrist or a psychologist or given a personality test.
• Most applicants are subjected to lie detector examinations or drug testing.

Before a first assignment, a police officer usually goes through a period of training:

• In a police academy, often for 12 to 14 weeks.
• Includes classroom instruction in constitutional law and civil rights, state laws and local ordinances, accident investigation patrol, traffic control, use of firearms, self-defense, first aid and emergency response.