Would You Make A Good Police Officer Four Checkpoints To Cross Off Your List
This may surprise you, as we tend to think of nurses, or teachers, when we think of these qualities in professional settings. The truth is: Good police officers have a healthy amount of compassion and empathy. In order to put on that badge and protect the community, you need to care about those that youre serving. You must be willing to put your own life on the line for the sake of the safety and survival of your community.
Of course, there will be times on the job that you will also need to have patience and emotional strength. There will be moments of frustration, and many days that are hard to forget. As important as it is to have compassion and empathy, it is also important to be able to detach from role at the end of the day. Many officers struggle with this, particularly officers who have a lot of compassion. They care so much that their work often comes home with them and causes emotional distress. Striking a balance will help you perform your job, protect the community, and live a full and healthy life outside of the squad car.
Here is an important skill that can mean the difference of life or death, as we mentioned earlier. As an officer, it is important to relay information in detail, painting a vivid and accurate picture of what happened. Excellent communication skills are a key part of serving your police department.
- Active listening
- Keeping calm
- Treating people with dignity and respect
Explain What You Plan To Do In Your Role
In your answer, explain what you would strive to do in your role as a police officer. This helps the interviewer see that you are a motivated and ambitious person who is right for the position. Show the interviewer that you want to make real, positive changes in your community and that you have a plan for how to do this, and provide an answer that demonstrates your commitment to public safety.
Here are a few ideas for what you might plan to do on the job to show that you have good intentions as a police officer:
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Lower crime rates in the community
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Help people build trust and respect for the police
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Treat people of all backgrounds fairly
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Work to help people understand the law better
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Make people feel safe and secure
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Mentor troubled children and teens
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Help ex-convicts become productive members of society
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Pathways To This Career
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Top Traits Of Successful Officers
Strong Initiative
Crimes do not solve themselves, and criminals at least most of them generally go out of their way to not implicate themselves. As such, a police officer must always be willing to take initiative in order to discover criminal activities that may not be readily obvious.
For instance, traffic contacts present many opportunities for police officers to uncover crimes. During the course of a routine stop, the officer may discover unnatural behavior or other indications that the cause of the stop was more than meets the eye. Without going beyond the bounds of due process, a police officer can pursue his reasonable suspicion to ask the driver and occupants additional questions while noting observable parts of the interior.
Whereas a lesser-motivated officer might hand out the ticket and continue with their patrol, an officer with initiative can do more to understand whether their suspicions are correct and whether the traffic violation was the end of the crime discovery period or merely the beginning of it.
Sense of Ethics
Although many law schools and other institutions try, ethics is a subject that is difficult to teach or impart. Individuals who possess an innate sense of personal ethics and an understanding of how laws impart ethics are at an advantage since grey areas can be so hard to categorize.
Adept at Communication
Even Tempered
Common Sense
Desire to Learn
Patience, Tolerance and Kindness
Driven to Serve
Knowledge of the Law
Enthusiasm for Action
Have You Got What It Takes To Be A Police Officer
Being a police officer means youll serve your local community, protect the public, prevent crime, and provide support to victims. Its a varied, rewarding and challenging job, where you get to see the direct impact of your work.
So what does it take? Brilliant police officers need a range of skills which your studies will have equipped you with, no matter your chosen subject.
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Amid Protests And Calls For Reform How Police View Their Jobs Key Issues And Recent Fatal Encounters Between Blacks And Police
Police work has always been hard. Today police say it is even harder. In a new Pew Research Center national survey conducted by the National Police Research Platform, majorities of police officers say that recent high-profile fatal encounters between black citizens and police officers have made their jobs riskier, aggravated tensions between police and blacks, and left many officers reluctant to fully carry out some of their duties.
The wide-ranging survey, one of the largest ever conducted with a nationally representative sample of police, draws on the attitudes and experiences of nearly 8,000 policemen and women from departments with at least 100 officers.1 It comes at a crisis point in Americas relationship with the men and women who enforce its laws, precipitated by a series of deaths of black Americans during encounters with the police that have energized a vigorous national debate over police conduct and methods.
Within Americas police and sheriffs departments, the survey finds that the ramifications of these deadly encounters have been less visible than the public protests, but no less profound. Three-quarters say the incidents have increased tensions between police and blacks in their communities. About as many say officers in their department are now less willing to stop and question suspicious persons. Overall, more than eight-in-ten say police work is harder today as a result of these high-profile incidents.
From Security Guard To Police Officer
While there are a fair number of employment opportunities, as you have seen in the information presented in this article, policy agencies hire only the most suitable candidates. So you need to do what you can to ensure that your application stands out from the rest.
Police agency recruiters advise applicants to significantly improve their chances of being selected through:
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Example Answer : Build A Relationship With The Community
“I want to be a police officer to help restore the relationship between the police and the community. I have always viewed the police as people who want to help others, which is extremely important to me. While living in this community, I have noticed that the public could respect and trust the police more. As an officer, I plan to make an effort to rebuild this important relationship. I think that with a more positive police presence, we can gain people’s trust again and help them live better lives.”
Potential Disqualifiers For A Policing Career In Canada
When preparing yourself for a policing career, you need to be aware of what will disqualify you from the police application process. As far as the written, physical, and medical exams, the requirements are fairly consistent across all agencies.
Language Disqualifier: You need to be fluent in either English or French including being able to speak, read, and understand one of these languages.
Physical Disqualifier: You cannot be in poor physical condition. Failure to successfully complete the physical examination in the minimum time frame is an automatic disqualification.
Test particulars can vary from one police agency to the next. However, all tests simulate critical incidents that police officers are exposed to. For example. the Physical Abilities Requirement Evaluation , used by the RCMP, consists of three sections:
Psychological Disqualifiers: A candidate can be disqualified if they do not meet the minimum psychological examination requirements.
Work Environment Disqualifiers: Police departments require you to work shift work which includes nights, evenings, weekends, and holidays as policing takes place 24 hours per day. If you are unwilling to accommodate this type of work schedule, you will be disqualified from the process.
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Do You Possess These Police Officer Qualities
If youve set your sights on becoming a police officer, its important for you to evaluate your specific traits and challenges to ensure youll be cut out for a career in law enforcement. We desperately need good police officers, McKenna says. Now more than ever, we need people who care about the job and will build rapport with the public.
If you have some of these lesser-known qualities of a police officer, you might be a natural fit for a career in law enforcement. With the proper training, you can leverage these talents to help make a meaningful impact in your community. Learn more about the process in our article, “How to Become a Police Officer: Your Step-by-Step Guide.”
Rasmussen University’s Criminal Justice program has not been approved by any state professional licensing body and does not lead to any state-issued professional license. In Minnesota, the Criminal Justice Associates degree program does not meet the standards established by the Minnesota Peace Officer Standards and Training Board for persons who seek employment as a peace officer.EDITORS NOTE: This article was originally published in 2015. It has since been updated to include information relevant to 2019.
Police Are Highly Committed To Their Work But Say More Officers Are Needed
A look inside the nations police departments reveals a great deal about how officers view their jobs, their leadership and their resources. For the most part police officers give their workplace a positive rating and are committed to their agencys success. A solid majority of officers are either very satisfied or satisfied with their agency as a place to work. And an overwhelming share of officers agree that they are strongly committed to making their agency successful.
Still, police do not offer universal praise of their departmental leadership. Only three-in-ten say they are extremely or very supportive of the direction that top management is taking their organization. About half are moderately or slightly supportive and 15% are not supportive at all.
And police express serious concerns about resource limitations. At the most basic level, most police say their department does not have enough officers to adequately police the community. Police who work in larger agencies are more likely than those working in smaller agencies to say that there is a shortage of officers in their department .
Again there are gaps by department size, with smaller departments giving their leadership significantly higher ratings when it comes to training and equipping them, as well as communicating job expectations.
Most officers say their use-of-force guidelines are appropriate and helpful
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Municipal Police Force Salaries & Benefits
In comparison to the federal police force, the municipal police agencies offer slightly higher salaries.
The Calgary Police Service offers a starting salary of approximately $66,000/year.
The Vancouver Police Department offers new hires $70,154/year with an incremental increase to $90,198 after 3 years. Benefits include paid vacation, medical and dental benefits and a BC Municipal Pension Plan membership.
The Toronto Police Service has a starting salary of $63,564.98 for their cadets. After year 3, police officers receive an annual salary of $90,836. Benefits include paid vacation, family medical and dental benefits, life insurance, pension plan, parental/maternity leave and more.
Considering that the median income for individual Canadians was $36,400 in 2018, according to Statistics Canada, the starting salary for a Canadian police officer is an attractive one.
When deciding between the federal or municipal level, keep in mind that while the RCMP might have a lower salary, the role involves police duties at the international, federal, provincial and municipal levels with a much wider variety in operational and administrative opportunities.Some specializations that are unique to the RCMP are: Integrated Border Enforcement Team, National Security, Marine Services, International Peace Operations and many, many more.
The Application Process For Police Officer Candidates
It isnt easy becoming a police officer. Potential candidates need to go through a stringent application process designed to weed out those who dont have what it takes to become outstanding police officers.
Police officers help maintain peace and order and ensure that members of the community stay safe. This job comes with immense responsibility. The application process itself is not for everyone.
Canadian police agencies generally follow the same process which involves a series of tests, checks and interviews, including:
- A written exam
- A polygraph exam
- A background investigation
Some of these tests require detailed paperwork but minimal preparation. For some tests, like the physical tests, you would be best prepared if you did a fitness training program, prior to, depending on your fitness level. Other tests, like the polygraph exam, require no preparation at all.
Applicants can be declined at any point in the stages listed above and even if a candidate passes every stage, an offer of employment is not guaranteed.
Once you have completed all assessments, your entire application package is reviewed and measured against other applicants to determine the most suitable candidates for the role as a police officer.
If you are recruited, you can expect a conditional offer of employment that allows you to advance to the final step before you become a police officer: cadet training.
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Tips For A Successful Law Enforcement Career
What Every Police Supervisor Wants Their Officers to Know
Guest Post by Sgt. Gary Apperson Anchorage Police Dept., MSCJCurrently an adjunct professor for the University of Wisconsin-Platteville teaching undergraduate criminal justice and research writing courses, online distance education program.
I am retired from a 25 year police career in a large police department of 400 sworn officers and 100 non-sworn. After my retirement, I earned a Master of Science degree in criminal justice and I currently teach undergraduate criminal justice classes for a state university in the Midwest. I would take this moment to highly recommend getting your 4 year degree 1) for prospective officer candidates, a degree opens doors for jobs/careers, 2) for working officers, a degree makes police work easier and more effective in your efforts, promotions, and because you know so much more, and 3) for senior officers, a degree can open more doors to great retirement jobs.
Ethics, integrity, and attitude are your most valuable assets never compromise them in your personal and professional lives. I could write a book on how many police careers were forever ruined all based on lapses in these core values. Ethics are doing the right thing, even when no one is watching, your integrity cannot be taken from you you can only give it away, and your attitude is what others see of you and therefore judge you.
Very best,
List Of Police Services Websites
Thank you for your interest in our local police services. Below is a comprehensive list of of the Police Services in Ontario. Once you click the link, you will be directed to the Police website.
Those interested in federal-wide policing can contact the RCMP for job opportunities. Please note that the RCMP does have a different Constable Selection Process and does not require the OACP Certificate in order to apply.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Section 83 of the Comprehensive Ontario Police Services Act, 2019, stipulates a person appointed as a police officer must:
is a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada
is at least 18 years of age
is physically and mentally able to perform the duties of the position, having regard to his or her own safety and the safety of members of the public
is of good character
has successfully completed, prescribed training by the Minister
In addition, you must
obtained a University Degree or a diploma from a college of applied arts and technology,
possess a valid driver’s licence with no more than six accumulated demerit-points, permitting you to drive an automobile in Ontario with full driving privileges
have current certification in Standard First Aid Level C CPR by the time the offer of employment is given
be able to pass a security clearance as well as background investigation, credit and reference checks.
This certificate is valid for 2 years. That includes all documents in Part A and the Part B, Part C testing.
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