Police Officer Research Paper

Police officers play an important role in the law enforcement system. They observe and monitor criminal activity, volunteer and participate in community patrols, respond to emergency calls, issue tickets throughout the community , make arrests, investigate crimes , and will testify in court if needed. A majority of the time officers only need only a high school diploma to qualify to become a police officer but many officers have two or four year degrees in criminal justice. A police officer's first order of business is to serve and protect. In matter of fact the phrase "serve and protect" is a very common belief of many law enforcement agencies. Police officers serve and protect their communities by helping citizens in times of emergency and …show more content…
They are also expected to work closely with everyone in the communities they serve. Officers need to treat everyone fairly and also keep track of the latest trends in policing. It is important for officers and maintain the psychological and physical discipline that is required for effective policing. In many jurisdictions police officers are viewed as role models, and a lot of times officers are invited to speak in schools and hospitals. Most of the time Police officers are the first people to respond to an emergency call so they are always trained in first aid. Some police officers are trained to handle specialized crimes such as drug trafficking, gun transportation and terrorism. Officers may be required to handle special duties such as witness protection, protection for import people and hidden surveillance. Depending on the jurisdiction, police officers may be required to punish minor infractions by issuing citations for traffic …show more content…
Officers in the field must deal with constantly changing situations and routine calls which can go bad very quickly. They also go after dangerous and sometimes desperate criminals who make poor decisions out of panic which could put an officer or anyone in the area in harm. A police officer must be able to quickly judge a situation and make quick and accurate choices which will benefit the community, using the tools at their disposal, which can range from weapons to ticket books. Historically, foot patrols are the oldest form of police patrol work. The use of foot patrols decreased significantly in the last century before coming back as a community policing tool. The benefits are mainly in the form of community goodwill and improved relationships between the police and community. Foot patrols are once again being used as a community policing

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