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Michael Swift

Daniel Alburger

English 3

2 February 2016

Police Officer

A person standing at gunpoint with a criminal, not knowing who will pull the trigger first.

The person, shaking and trembling on the inside because they do not know what will happen

next. Any normal person would shoot first to protect their life. So why would a police officer get

frowned upon in society for defending themselves. Obviously some cases exist where a police

officer does something wrong because of personal opinions and feelings. It does not seem fair

that society looks at police officers as the bad guys because of the poor decisions and actions of a

few. A well-trained and educated police officer gets paid to look out for and protect the

community from people breaking the law.

If a person wants to pursue a police officer as their career they need to pass various

requirements. From an educational standpoint, the requirements for a police officer range from

having a high school diploma to a college degree (Discover Job). Although an increasing

amount of police departments require at least one or two years of college coursework or an

associate's degree (Discover Job). A person pursuing a federal police officers job as their

career would need, at minimum, a bachelors degree (Discover Job). A person could go to

community college for two years while they stay home and save their money; they could then

achieve an associate's degree. A person could also go to a four year college if they wanted a

federal job for example, federal police officer, FBI, DEA, etc. In urban police departments and
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federal agencies, speaking another language will give you a great advantage on other people in

the competition for the job. (Discover Job).

Aside from the educational requirements, legal requirements for the job exist as well. The

person must have U.S. citizenship, or in some cases, permanent alien residents who have applied

for citizenship (Discover Application). While some agencies take cadets as young as eighteen,

most agencies require the minimum age of 21 (Discover Application). Ideally the person must

have a clean record because if they do not they can get disqualified and will fail to get a job as a

police officer. If the person has ever gotten convicted of a felony, a misdemeanour involving

domestic abuse or a sexual component, illegal drug use, poor driving record, DWI/DUI

conviction, or poor credit history or finance problems they can get disqualified and turned down

for the position (Discover Application). Some crimes may have a sliding limit that may adjust

based on the severity of the crime (Discover Application). For example, if a person has a

marijuana charge from 10 years ago the police department would most likely let it slide.

A person has to go through a lot of training before becoming a police officer. A person

has to go through nine months of BLET, Basic Law Enforcement Training, and three months of

field training (Parker). Agencies run their applicants through a comprehensive series of tests

and exams, each designed to narrow the field of applicants to advance only those who are most

qualified (Discover Application). The hiring process starts with filling out a basic application

and pre-screening questionnaire to see the applicant's interest and eligibility. Based on how a

person fills out the application and questionnaire, will determine if they will get invited back to

take the written exam (Discover Application). Next they take a written exam to test that

individual's aptitude. It tests the applicants reading comprehension, memory, writing skills, and
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problem-solving/ judgement skills. After completing the written exam the applicant takes a video

exam assessing the persons interpersonal skills and judgement (Discover Application). When

the person finishes with the first two tests they then take the physical fitness test. Next, they will

get a background check done on them to see if they have a criminal history. (Discover

Application). The drug test, which comes after the background investigation, will test the

applicant for illegal substances (Discover Application). If the applicant passes the drug test,

then they will take a psychological test (Discover Application). Just like a person needs to pass

certain physical requirements, a person must also have enough mental stability for the job

(Discover Application). After the psychological test, the applicant gets hooked up to a

polygram, more commonly known as a lie detector. Agencies do this to verify information given

to them through the application process (Discover Application). The next step in the process

requires a face to face interview with one of the members of the hiring authority (Discover

Application). During this they evaluate the applicants general appearance and demeanor,

communication skills, understanding of and interest in policing as a career, and response to

questions and scenarios. Lastly, a medical exam finishes up the long hiring process (Discover

Application). A person will only take the medical exam, if the job gets offered to them

(Discover Application). During this test, the applicant will get tested to see if they medically

fit for the job. A typical exam will include: height, weight, vision, hearing, chest X-ray, blood

test, urine test, blood pressure, electrocardiogram, and screening tests for illegal drugs

(Discover Application). If a person passes all of the tests, then they go into the academy and

classroom training.
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After completing the tests successfully, the person will then get accepted into the

academy. Each state and jurisdiction have different training requirements. In some areas, a

person can go through basic law enforcement training at a local community college and then

apply to the agency of their choice (Discover Recruit). Other jurisdictions may require a

person to take the in-house training program after successfully completing the hiring process.

Either way, a person needs extensive training prior to getting the job. According to BJS, the

median duration of basic recruit training - excluding any field training component - was 18

weeks across all academies with a range anywhere from four weeks to six months (Discover

Recruit). The average class size for training ranges from 21-32 recruits per class. Generally

larger agencies have larger class sizes. The majority of a persons initial training will take place

in a classroom (Discover Recruit). During the academy training a person holds the rank

cadet or police trainee. After successful completion of the academy, a cadet needs to go

through field training before officially becoming a police officer. During field training a cadet

will normally pair up with a training officer. The cadet will accompany the training officer on his

or her routine patrol. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the median number of hours

in field training goes up to 180 hours or about eight weeks (Discover Recruit). Most states

require additional education after completion of the hiring process, academy and field training to

maintain certification (Discover Recruit). If, after a few years on patrol, you decide to apply

for a special assignment, additional training will be involved. Likewise, advancement in rank

will involve training on leadership and supervisory skills (Discover Recruit). Also with

promotion opportunities will come more training and education.

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Our police play a very important role in our nation as a whole. Police officers represent

our nation in many ways. We will not have justice in our nation unless it is our police officers

first priority. The kind of people we need watching our communities need to be more educated,

better trained and deployed. It says the deadly force used by police these days is a national

disgrace. The problem is not bad cops but a bad training system for the cops. Our Bill of Rights

declares we are not to be deprived of life or liberty without due process and while we assert these

values, we have not practiced them as much as we should have. Unfortunately it is common that

the police treat races differently. One of the changes the commander wants to make to the

department is to integrate the department. He announced that one half of the new officers being

hired must be woman or police officers of color (Couper).

Police officers salaries vary widely. Geography can play as a big factor and where a

person lives. If the person lives in a more populated and more expensive area the pay range can

have a higher range if they live in a smaller more urban setting. For example in North Carolina a

police officer's average yearly salary ranges from 35,000$-$50,000. North Carolina's police

departments pay very little opposed to others. In San Jose, California, the police department pays

$33.26 an hour until sworn in (San Jose). The starting step 1 salary ranges around $80,600 a

year, and the top step salary will range around $107,000 a year (San Jose). Salaries get

determined by experience, training, and education (San Jose).

San Jose has an immense starting pay for an officer, making it an ideal police department

to work for (San Jose). As stated in the previous paragraph San Jose almost double the starting

pay of a police officer in North Carolina (San Jose). A police officer starting out in

Washington makes upward of $65,000 a year (Washington). A police officer starting out in
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New Jersey makes around $55,000 (Careers). Although they do not start out making a lot,

they do not need that much to live in New Jersey. Also by the end of their career, a New Jersey

police officer makes around $76,000 (Careers). A New York police officer starts out making

$45,000 which not a lot of money at all for the living expenses and taxes in New York

(Careers). After 5 years of working as a New York police officer the salary goes from

$45,000 to $90,000 (Careers). Even though they get high pay, the acceptance rates for NYPD

fall very low due to the population and size of the city. In Weston, Connecticut police

departments entry-level or certified payment gets up to $55,000 to $78,000 (Careers).

After retiring, a person's pension consists of two percent times the number of years they

served for the police department times their final compensation. Final compensation consists of

the average annual base pay for the highest three consecutive years of service (San Jose). It

excludes premium pay or any other forms of compensation (San Jose). A persons pension gets

determined based on how many years the officer worked for the department.

A law enforcement officer has many duties that come with his or her job. Some of their

duties include: patrol areas, enforce laws, answer calls for help, arrest people guilty of

committing a crime, and they also testify in court and conduct traffic stops. The main objective

of a police officer consists of looking out for citizens and protecting the community (Couper).

Without police officers, reprimanding and bringing those who commit crimes and break laws to

justice cannot happen (Couper). Many dangers come with working as a police officer as well.

Officer Randolph Holder was one of 101 cops that year who were killed on duty. 33 of them

being shot (Balsamo). Police officers face the risk of death everyday. Police officers deal with

criminals and crime daily.

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A professional stated that a starting officer with no experience starts out with a

salary of 35-36k. The officer stated in order to become a certified police officer he had to

undergo nine months of BLET, Basic Law Enforcement Training, and three months of field

training. An officer has a certain amount of mandated training that he or she needs to complete

each year. They can also go to different training depending on their career goals and position. A

school police officer said during school hours he patrols, works and directs traffic, help with

student and staff legal issues, and most importantly protects the campus. On the average day an

officer works 8-10 hours a day and 40-45 a week. The officer stated that he works 8.5 hours a

day and 43 hours a week. The officer interviewed said he has worked as a police officer for ten

years. The officer says that the job has boring and interesting parts of the job. In the officer's

opinion, fraud cases can get the most boring and he enjoys hot calls and working as a SWAT

operator. The amount of paperwork and desk work there will fluctuate. Some days an officer will

have very little paperwork and on other days, an officer can get swamped with paperwork. The

officer says that in a small police department they have few promotion opportunities but in a

larger department they receive many more opportunities.

Many officers are killed and wounded on and off the job. Two Officers were shot off

duty at a call for armed robbery. The two officers were in critical but stable condition and were

expected to recover (BIDEN). These officers were shot less than just one month after two

officers were shot and killed. The the officers wounded were age 30 and 38. The two suspects in

the the shooting are still on the loose. Mayor de Blasio called the shootings another indicator of

the dangers our officers face while on duty and said the the city would support them as they

recover (BIDEN). The shooting is just weeks after officers Wenjian Liu and and Rafael Ramos
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were gunned down and killed in their vehicle. Rafael Ramos and his partner, Wenjian Liu, were

New York police officers who were shot and killed on duty. Rafael Ramos was a school safety

officer, who became a police officer at the age of 37. He had a wife, two sons, and a mother.

Wenjian Liu was the son of a chinese immigrant and a newlywed (BIDEN). The police

department was paying tribute to the officers and their families in this article. They will always

be there for the Ramos family for as long as they live. The police department is also paying for

Rafael Ramos two sons, Justin and Jayden, to go through college. This article was not only

paying tribute for the officers and their families but also talked about the officer's duties

protecting and defending the people of the city.

Aside from desk and paperwork a Law Enforcement Officers main job consists

of protecting and serving in the community for a living. Not only does the salary pay very good

for being a police officer but it feels good. Most police officers get into their line of work

because have no greater joy than knowing they helped someone and made a difference in their

lives in a minor or major way. Police officers represent the nation in many ways (Couper).

Without good, hardworking police officers society cannot function. Without police officers

taking down people who commit crimes and break laws, justice cannot bestow upon society. The

police officers job consists of protecting and serving.

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Works cited

BIDEN, JOE. Vital Speeches of the Day.Feb2015, Vol. 81 Issue 2, p58-59. 2p.

"Careers in Law Enforcement." N.p., 2016. Web. 4 Apr. 2016.

Couper, David C. Progressive. Jun2015, p14-16. 3p.

"Discover Policing." Police Officer Job Requirements -. N.p., 2016. Web. 08 Feb. 2016.

"Discover Policing." Police Officer Application and Hiring Process -. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb.

2016.

"Discover Policing." Police Recruit Training and Academy Summary -. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb.

2016.

Parker, Adam Pride Paper Interview 2/8/16

"San Jose Police Department." San Jose Police. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Feb. 2016.

"Washington Law Enforcement Salaries." Law Enforcement Jobs. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Feb. 2016.
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