Should I Become A Police Officer

Pass The Licensing Exam

Should I Become a Cop?

The next step to becoming a police officer is to earn a passing score on your states police licensing board exam. Your education and training will prepare you to take the Peace Officer Standards and Training exam.

Each state has its own licensing board, so the tests will also vary. But generally speaking, most POST exams cover topics like: practical application and techniques, civil and criminal law, community policing, victims rights and management and communication. By passing this capstone exam, you are licensed to become a police officer and enforce the law in your jurisdiction. You are now free to seek employment with a police department.

Education & Training For A Police Officer

To become a police officer you usually have to gain your Senior Secondary Certificate of Education, or complete Year 10 plus a trade certificate. Tertiary qualifications may add to your competitiveness and, wherever possible, the AFP seeks to recruit graduates from a wide range of disciplines, not limited to law, justice or criminology studies.To get into the degree courses you usually need to gain your Senior Secondary Certificate of Education. Institutions have different prerequisites and some have flexible entry requirements or offer external study. Contact the institutions you are interested in for more information.Successful applicants complete 24 weeks of training at the AFP College in Barton, ACT. Recruits complete a further 12 months of on-the-job training.

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Being A Police Officer Helps You Overcome Your Fears

Another advantage of becoming a police officer is that it can also help you overcome your fears.

At the beginning of your career, you will likely be rather intimidated and insecure regarding how to handle difficult situations.

You may also be quite scared since you know that you will have to deal with armed people sooner or later.

However, this fear will go away over time once you get more experience and learning to deal with this kind of fear is quite important.

In fact, it can even make you much stronger and overcoming our fears is crucial to really grow in character and to develop a more stable personality.

Some Police Officers Develop Paranoia Over Time

Since their job can be quite dangerous, many police officers also develop significant paranoia over time.

This could mean that they think that somebody follows them to their house when there will actually nobody be there.

This can be quite problematic since police officers may attack uninvolved residents due to their paranoia.

Does California Have A Police Academy

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The POST-certified Regular Basic Course is the training standard for police officers, deputy sheriffs, school district police officers, district attorney investigators, as well as a few other classifications of peace officers for the state of California. These are the required training that an individual must past:

The basic academy is both physically and mentally challenging. It includes a minimum of 664 hours of POST-developed training and testing in 42 separate areas of instruction called Learning Domains. Most POST-certified basic training academies exceed the 664 hour minimum by 200 or more hours with some academies presenting over 1000 hours of training and testing.
40 plus hours are spent alone in the range for an officer to learn, qualify, and show proficiency using issued firearms for their handgun, long rifle, and less lethal. There is a 30% failure rate, because of qualifications to pass the day and night range.
40 plus hours in the Emergency Vehicle Operations Course. There is a 30% failure rate for this and if you combine the Firearms Range and EVOC-that is simply 60% of the class.
The students attending the academy are subject to various written, skill, exercise, and scenario-based tests. Students must also participate in a rigorous physical conditioning program which culminates in a Work Sample Test Battery at the end of the academy. Students must pass all written and physical tests in order to graduate from the basic academy.

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How Long Does It Take To Become A Police Officer

When choosing to embark on any career, its certainly helpful to know how long the educational process will take. For those wanting to work as a police officer, there is no clear-cut answer to the question of how long training and education will take. It really depends on your long-term career goals, as well as which path you choose to get there. Here are some of the most common timelines you might encounter when looking at becoming a police officer.

Military training: The time required depends upon the commitment to service this might be anywhere from a few years to a few decades

Police training academy: Up to one year

Associate in Law Enforcement: Two years of full-time study

Bachelors in Law Enforcement: Four years of full-time study

Masters in Law Enforcement: One to three years of full-time study

Nowthat you have a rough idea of how long each educational pathwayusually takes before being able to serve as a law enforcementofficer, lets talk about what to expect from each specific path.

Step 2

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That Theres No Formula To Fit Most Situations

In school, you learn a variety of approaches to scenarios you might encounter as a police officer. But in real life, the complexity of each situation means you have to always engage in critical thinking and adjust your approach to meet each encounter.

One of the most important lessons I learned in my first year or so is that gaining cooperation or compliance is more art than it is science, Grattan says. I think one of the first things new officers learn when they hit the streets is that every situation is unique, and no two personalities are the same. This means there is no boilerplate approach to anything in law enforcement.

Do You Sleep At The Police Academy

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Recruits, people in training to become police officers, may live in dormitories for six to eight months, waking up at 5 a.m. and turning the lights out at 10 p.m. sharp. After a day of intense physical training and academic classes, they eat dinner and settle down for a few hours of studying before heading to bed.

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Successfully Pass A Background Check

You can expect any law enforcement agency youre applying for to conduct a number of checks into your background, including criminal history and even credit history. While this isnt literally the first step to becoming a police officer, it is the first one youll need to consider before you get too invested in the process. If you have concerns about how your background might impact your candidacy, you may want to consult a police academy admissions representative about it.

Your credit history may be analyzed because it gives potential employers an idea of your level of responsibility and potential problems like gambling-related debts. Police departments look into applicants history of criminal activity, employment, residency and academic records as well.

Basically, the police department is going to get deep into your business, says Adam Plantinga, and 17-year veteran sergeant with the San Francisco Police Department. Dont leave anything out on your background packet. If you omit something, even inadvertently, and it comes to light, you will likely be eliminated as a candidate. Departments are looking for responsible people who play by the rules.

Things like felonies and gross misdemeanors could disqualify you from becoming a police officer, but less serious offenses could also be problematicit really depends on the department and its policies.

How Does Police Academy Training Work

No matter which program you choose, before beginning work at a police department, you will have to enter a police academy for formal training. This training will consist of various elements that prepare you for life as a police officer, including training it the classroom, field training that walks you through the rigors of the day-to-day work, and in-service training that allows you to begin working with the public on a probationary basis. Heres more about police academy training:

Classroom education

The classroom curriculum will focus on a variety of subjects, ranging from the law itself to administrative and department procedures. Cadets will also learn not just what the law is, but how to apply it in the real world. For example, a police officer may know that probable cause is required for a warrant to conduct a search, but what about the exceptions where a warrant isnt needed? Or what should the officer do or say if an individual contests the validity of the warrant? Much of this classroom training will be necessary before field training can take place or to put the hands-on skills into context.

Field training

In-service training

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Create Specialized Traffic Patrol Officers

The vast majority of police-civilian interactions happen on the road. According to a 2015 Department of Justice report, of the 50 million Americans who came into contact with the police that year, 25 million were pulled over in a car they were driving or were a passenger in . Another 8 million were involved in a car accident. And many of the 9 million who called the police to report non-crimes were reporting traffic accidents.

There is no justifiable reason why armed police officers should be in charge of road safety. Police officers are not hired for a particular talent in highway navigation, accident report taking, or citation writing. And deploying armed officers to perform such routine tasks introduces the risk of unnecessary lethal force into many millions of encounters every year. The police killing of Philando Castile in 2016 was one instance of a routine traffic stop going horribly wrong and it simply wouldnt have happened if the officer hadnt been carrying a gun. Sandra Blands arrest and subsequent suicide following a failure to signal a lane change was another.

Some US cities are even beginning to take steps in this direction, largely because armed police officers are a uniquely expensive way to handle traffic patrol. In 2017, the city of New Orleans endorsed NOPD hiring third-party report-takers for accidents in which there is no injury and no concern about a driver under the influence.

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You Will See Really Bad And Sad Things During Your Career

Most Americans are fearful of police body

Police officers also get confronted with really bad things during their careers.

This is quite logical since whenever you need the police, something bad has happened to others.

In fact, many police officers see things during their career that are that disgusting that they have difficulties to mentally process and to forget them their whole lives.

Thus, before deciding for a career as police officer, make sure that you are mentally stable enough to deal with those pictures in your head that will not look pretty most of the time.

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Attend Police Academy Training

To become a police officer, you first need to attend the police academy. Your training will include:

Classroom education: This will provide an overview of law enforcement, including criminal investigation methods, laws and regulations, arrest and detainment procedures, and approaches to public safety and policing in general.
Refining your skills: During your training, you’ll refine skills like stress management, negotiation, and communication.
Field training: This will introduce you to administrative duties, how to properly use a firearm, defense tactics, vehicle operations, the proper use of force, and how to handle hazardous materials.

Cops Often Have To Work At Nighttime

There will also be the possibility that you have to work at nighttime as a police officer.

This is necessary since most unlawful activities happen at nighttime.

However, while you can do a great job for your community, it can be quite annoying and exhausting to work at nighttime.

In fact, many people struggle with it since it destroys the natural sleeping rhythm.

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Con #: Pandoras Box Is Closed

Inside our minds are images, voices, screams, visions, smells, and dreams which have been influenced by our career. These are held in a tiny little space inside our heads often referred to as Pandoras box which complicates our moods and influences. There are occasions when our friends or family want us to share our darkest moments, but we usually leave them contained.

Is Being A Cop The Right Job For Me

i became a police officer that should be in prison

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A police officer is a respected member of every community. Becoming a cop is a significant achievement and is a position of honor. In order to determine if being a cop is the right job for you, you have to look at yourself and decide if your career ambitions and values mesh with the activities of a police officer.

Consider the traits of good cops, and you will be able to identify the signs that you should be a police officer. Lets look at the traits of a good police officer as described in an April 2020 article published by Rasmussen College, and you can decide if you possess these characteristics.

Ready To Start Your Journey

Individuals at least 21 years old can enroll in a police academy if they hold a high school or equivalent diploma. Some candidates have an associate or bachelor’s degree or earn extra college credits. Candidates must also be U.S. citizens and have no drug or felony convictions.

Because police work tends to include many physical demands, police academy students need to meet specific physical requirements. The work sometimes involves danger and the risk of injury or death. It requires alertness and the ability to confront scenes of violence and suffering.

Despite the physical and mental demands, many police officers find their jobs meaningful and rewarding because they get to help people.

Many Opportunities To Stay Physically Fit

If staying physically fit on the job is important to you, a career as a police officer may be a good option for you. A police officer may have to chase and arrest suspects, which requires a great amount of strength and endurance. A police officer also trains to pass a physical fitness test before receiving a job offer, and they also work to pass annual renewal tests to ensure they remain physically fit.

What Should I Study To Become A Police Officer

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What should I study to become a police officer is a common question that we all get asked by diligent students who are considering a career in policing. This article will take you through some of the main challenges a police officer faces and what is best to study at GCSE, A level, and degree level to become a police officer.

The Benefits Of Reserve Officers In Modern Policing

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Utilizing the strengths and expertise of volunteers for ultimate agency transparency

Police agencies in the United States are largely based upon the model of Sir Robert Peels London-based Metropolitan Police and his nine principles of policing.

Peels seventh principle focused on the importance for the police to maintain at all times a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and that the public are the police. This principles importance to modern policing is evident in current police-community relations. What better way to ensure that those in the community can relate with and understand the role of policing in society than to properly train them to serve in part-time roles while also serving in other positions and roles in society?

Enlisting members of society to serve in roles within police agencies allows for the ultimate transparency, enabling community members to provide input, understand the role and function of policing, and learn first-hand about the complexities of serving society in this role.

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Impress At Your Police Officer Interview

Many hopeful applicants will be offered an interview during the hiring process. This is an opportunity to get to know you on a personal level, and sometimes that can be enough to land you that coveted job. Here are some questions you might encounter during that interview:

What would you do if you witnessed another officer commit a crime?

If a superior officer told you to do something you knew was against regulations, what would you do?

What de-escalation techniques would you use to prevent a physical altercation?

Would you be able to arrest a family member if you had to?

Describe a time your ethics were tested. How did you handle the situation?

This job can be emotionally challenging. How would you reach out for help if needed?

Give an example of a time when the right thing contradicted the rules of a certain situation. How did you handle that?

What do you consider your greatest strengths in communication? How about your greatest weakness?

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