Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Police Stereotypes
Stereotypes refer to images or attitudes
about people or groups of people that
reflect preconceived ideas.
- Public perceptions of the police are
both positive and negative.
- Sinners/Saints
Police Recruitment
Although practices vary by department, most share common
recruitment standards.
Age
21 is a common minimum age standard
Height and weight
These tend to be “symbolic”
Hispanic and Japanese officers have successfully challenged
height requirement.
Education
Most departments maintain a high school diploma or GED as
their minimum educational standards.
Many offer wage increases for educational achievement
including tuition reimbursement programs.
Criminal Record and Residency
Most departments will not hire persons with adult or juvenile
felony convictions.
About one-quarter of all departments require the officers to live in
the cities where they work.
Homes for Peace Officers and Firefighters Program
Policing as Career
The decision to become a police officer
is influenced by multiple considerations.
Public Service
Non-routine Activities
Tradition
Job Prestige
Money
Hiring Issues
The police are equal opportunity
employers.
Subject to equal opportunity and
affirmative action laws.
Bona Fide Occupational Qualifications.
Qualifications established by employers
whereby they can refuse to hire and
applicant due to specific aspects of the
job.
Trying it on
There are often wide differences in the
perceptions of police work and the actual
realities of the job.
Paper work
Court
Public Reactions
Levels of officer burn-out are among the
highest of any profession in the
Lying Low and Covering Your Ass
A major aspect of field training is learning
“how” to do police work.
The rookie “gung-ho” phenomenon.
New recruits are often criticized by their save the
world attitudes.
The thin blue-line
Never “rat” on a fellow officer
Moderation in all things.
Working to hard is often viewed as causing officers
by problems in the public and with command