Police Officer - Research Paper Example

(source: Criminal Justice USA Website) Beyond these basic qualities there is scope also for officers to develop their skills in extra areas so that they can take up highly specialized roles, for example with expertise in particular types of crime such as drugs, or immigration, or even specialist tactical operations like riot control and undercover work. Once a person is accepted into the criminal justice system, there is a huge potential for further career paths to open up. The Lynn Police Department website has information on commendations that officers have received for good work, and this gives an insight into what kind of circumstances they have to deal with, such as resuscitation of a person who has collapsed, or disarming a violent person, or just doing a good steady job in an office for many years.

There are many sources of information and advice on the job of a police officer. Barry Baker’s book suggests that police officers will have to possess compassion and a sense of adventure, and that they are entrusted with great power. This means also that they must be under scrutiny all the time, and so they have to be able to maintain the highest standards. This is true not only in the hours of work itself, but also at home: “You must be prepared to conduct your personal life with the same degree of discretion as your professional life.

” (Baker, p. 2). This makes the job of police officer sound extremely challenging and provides a solemn starting point for an interview with a serving police officer. The police officer who agreed to the interview is a patrol officer who works both in the office and in a patrol car. He started in law enforcement after working in the housing sector. It was interesting to note that he did not pass the police examination the first time. He persisted until finally he did pass and then he was interviewed and appointed.

It is obvious that he spends a lot of his time out on the job, answering calls and dealing with incidents that happen day by day. He spends more time in the despatch office, however, and for this he needs to have good office skills and he has to think fast and deal with complicated scenarios. Perhaps this is why he recommends that a person who wants to become a police officer should study for a degree. These writing and thinking skills are going to be very important in a job like this. It was important to him also to learn from other officers.

So much of the job requires experience. People behave in unpredictable and dangerous ways sometimes, and it is always useful to hear how more experienced officers have coped with things in the past. The office was very sure that the police academy was essential when it comes to tactical skills, but he thought experience and listening to experiences of others was just as important as the technical skills that are taught in the academy. When asked what was difficult about the job, the officer mentioned the way that people get out of control.

He said that police officers are not able to lose control, and that they have to be fair at all times, and be aware that they are being watched. This was a big pressure for him, because he had to deal with others being out of control, while maintaining professionalism and control of