Career Summary

Police officers and other criminal justice professionals investigate crimes, collect evidence, act as negotiators during public disturbances, and provide public services toward the cause of preventing crime.

Police work in a variety of areas, such as:

• In cars patrolling neighborhoods
• On motorcycles on the highways
• On bicycles cruising tourist areas
• On horseback patrolling parks

There are several types of police officer. Patrol officers investigate city crime, write traffic tickets, or direct traffic. Game wardens use boats for lake, river and harbor patrol. Detectives and special agents work in specialized units such as organized crime, forensics or electronic crime.

Most police and detectives work a minimum of 40 hours a week, and report writing is a necessary daily occurrence. Because police work is a round-the-clock job, some police have to work nights and weekends.

Police Training

Police officer training requires you to be in an academy for 12 to 14 weeks, and post secondary education is sometimes required before being accepted into the academy.

Some college subjects that may be helpful in police work are:

• Law
• Security
• Electronic security
• Social services
• Criminology
• Psychology
• Sociology

Many people are attracted to police work because it is challenging, especially those with military experience. There will always be the need for police officers in the future, whether patrolling the street or the frontier of electronic crime.

More information is available...

See Additional Information links below