Regarding the use of force, officers whove graduated from college are almost 40% less likely to use force. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. and LL.M. In fact, especially if you have children, it can be quite hard to go to work as a police officer since you know that you might never come back and so do your children and your wife. Especially if this case is revealed in public, chances are that there will be huge shitstorms on social media and the pressure to fire you will be enormous. Moreover, you will also learn how to read people and this is crucial to succeeding not only as police officer, but also in various other parts of your life. The Pros and Cons of Being a Police Officer Pros. Check out the top positive things about being a cop. One attractive aspect of being a police officer is the financial security you will have. Cons. Being a police officer is rewarding, but also challenging. Now You Know the Pros and Cons of Being a Police Officer. As you can see, there are many wonderful things about being a police officer. Some disadvantages of empowering private police with full police authority are the attraction which such authority holds for many undesirable candidates, the risk of increasing unnecessary arrests, limited constitutional restraints on private security employees compared to public police, the increased liability of government entities for actions of private security officers they have licensed, the risk of inequitable enforcement, and expanded administrative responsibilities for municipal governments licensing private police. Gaylene Armstrong receives funding from various state and federal granting agencies in support of criminal justice research. Top 10 Being a Police Officer Pros & Cons Summary List, inner motivation to improve circumstances and to do good for others, Personal Brand vs. Corporate Brand: 24 Key Pros & Cons, 24 Key Pros & Cons Of Investing In (Retro) Video Games, 34 Major Pros & Cons Of Investing In Comic Books, Gold Bars vs. Gold Coins: 23 Precious Pros & Cons, 31 Cool Pros & Cons Of Owning A Classic Car, 24 Key Pros & Cons Of Unemployment Benefits, 32 Key Pros & Cons Of Investing In Trading Cards, 30 Precious Pros & Cons Of Investing In Art, You learn how to deal with difficult people, Police officers have a good fitness level, Being a police officer lets you grow in character, Variety of different fields you can work in, Police officers often suffer from mental issues, You can improve conditions in your community, Police officers have to make difficult decisions, Police officers can retire relatively early, Mistakes of your colleagues can cost your life. It resonates at home with spouses and children. Being fit and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is not only wise, but it is crucial for an officers physical and mental states. WebThe advantages of being a probation officer. Being a police officer also means that you will face a high level of insecurity regarding how your day will really look like. In Texas, a police officer was fired, charged with murder, and sentenced to a $10,000 fine and 15 years in prison after body-worn camera footage contradicted his initial statement in the Apr. Of course, to succeed in this regard, you also have to build a strong network over time. Cons of a Career as a Probation Officer. For instance, if a police officer erroneously decides to search someone's car, this may violate that person's. In turn, you will also become more patient in case things dont work out the way you want them to be. Those attributes we contract from experience tend to become permanent character traits. Hence, you will have a huge responsibility in this regard and under pressure, chances are that you will also make wrong decisions sooner or later. [Youre smart and curious about the world. Being a police officer can also be quite stressful. In fact, you will have to decide when it will be appropriate to use your gun and when there will be no need for it. In the long run, this can lead to serious health issues since constant stress is just not good for us. Try refreshing the page, or contact customer support. Consequently, the police officer must decide on their own in the particular moment what to do. Being a police officer is inherently dangerous, and each day they go to work, police officers are risking their lives. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[336,280],'environmental_conscience_com-banner-1','ezslot_15',144,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-environmental_conscience_com-banner-1-0');Another benefit of being a police officer is that you will also stay fit. Now I can do what I really love to do and I want to enable as many other people as well to go this exciting path towards happiness instead of money. Police body cameras provide visual and audio evidence that can independently verify events. Police enjoy a high status and reputation in society, since policing is a well-respected position. The salaries are relatively handsome. As a police officer, you have the power to significantly improve the conditions in your neighborhood since you can send people who behave in a criminal manner to court and many of them will end up in jail and can no longer have a bad influence on your neighborhood. One important advantage of being a police officer is that cops have a pretty high reputation in society. Hence, your life will depend on the reliability of your colleagues and if you dont want to put your life into the hands of others, chances are that becoming a police officer will not be the right way to go for you. Many police officers are also just not happy with their jobs. Research has found that when police departments use community-policing strategies, people are more satisfied with how police serve their community and view them as more legitimate. Intro to Criminal Justice: Help and Review, The Role of the Police Department: Help and Review, Psychological Research & Experimental Design, All Teacher Certification Test Prep Courses, Introduction to Crime & Criminology: Help and Review, The Criminal Justice Field: Help and Review, Criminal Justice Agencies in the U.S.: Help and Review, Law Enforcement in the U.S.: Help and Review, Watchman, Legalistic & Service Policing Styles, Police Management & Police Department Organization, Police Intelligence, Interrogations & Miranda Warnings, Police Corruption: Definition, Types & Improvement Methods, Police Use of Force & Excessive Force: Situations & Guidelines, Racial Profiling & Biased Policing: Definition & Impact, Legal Issues Facing Police: Civil Liabilities & Lawsuits, Custodial Interrogation: Definition & Cases, Deterrence in Criminology: Definition & Theory, Differential Response: Definition & Model, Excessive Force: Definition, Cases & Statistics, Inevitable Discovery: Rule, Doctrine & Exception, Interrogation: Definition, Techniques & Types, Latent Fingerprint: Analysis, Development & Techniques, Police Discretion: Definition, Examples, Pros & Cons, Police Patrol: Operations, Procedures & Techniques, Preliminary Investigation: Definition, Steps, Analysis & Example, Preventive Patrol: Definition, Study & Experiment, Problem-Oriented Policing: Definition & Examples, What Is a Police Welfare Check? The various decisions that different participants in the legal system are allowed to make shows what forms discretion takes in criminal justice. Similarly, community-oriented policing emphasizes building relationships with citizens to identify and respond to community crime problems. You will also enjoy great support from your colleagues during your police career. Since police officers enjoy a high reputation among the general public, they often get additional perks. Please note that all the information I provide on this website is to my best knowledge. The 2015 task force recommended community and problem-oriented policing strategies as ways to strengthen police-community relations and better respond to crime and other social problems. As you can see, there are many additional benefits for police officers and this can compensate for the relatively low salary policemen get at the beginning of their careers. Do Not Sell My Personal Information, If you need further help setting your homepage, check your browsers Help menu. It requires hours of sitting and driving, which can cause weight issues and other health concerns. Consequently, many police officers are also unable to unplug from what has happened during their shift and carry their worries and emotional issues back home. Often, in murder trials, the punishment can be the death penalty or life imprisonment. All rights reserved. This is necessary since most unlawful activities happen at nighttime. All rights reserved. The pay and advancement opportunities can be good depending on where you work. Discretion affords police officers autonomy and authority. Quite often, you will also spend your leisure together and some police officers even spend plenty of time together after they retire. Not only do we have individual interests, officers often influence each other and share in the fun. 2020 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Media, All Rights Reserved. A lock ( In fact, policemen are at much higher risk to suffer from mental problems since they have to deal with so many conflicts and also see so many bad things during their active careers. In fact, if people know that your family and friends know a police officer quite well, they will often act in a more respectful manner since they know that they can get into all sorts of trouble if they misbehave. Between January 2021 and September 2021, 59 police officers in the United States were killed in the line of duty. In fact, shifts of police officers can be quite long and depending on what happens in your district, you will have to work long hours and will come home exhausted. Leaders with a graduate degree are twice as likely to be familiar with evidence-based policing, which uses research to guide effective policy and practice. Being a police officer in America is a tough job.. From there, once the supposed offender has been arrested, the prosecutor can use their discretion to chose to either bring charges against the offender or to dismiss them. In other words, the statute may indicate that a certain act is illegal; the police officer can then expeditiously make an arrest based upon his interpretation. Many people also underestimate the amount of paperwork police officers have to deal with. It can be a great alternative to a boring desk job. Policemen can also retire earlier than people in most other jobs. It's the most comprehensive and trusted online destination for law enforcement agencies and police departments worldwide. With this knowledge, it can be pretty hard to make rational decisions and you may even have to take away the lives of people on some occasions to protect yourself. It is unique devotion to people which comes along with the territory. Protecting the community and being on the front lines takes an emotional toll. Copyright 2023 Police1. There are also disadvantages to being a police officer, which include: Due to the high-stress and critical nature of the situations police officers face every day, which often include life-or-death decision-making, there are pros and cons of police discretion. Consequently, if you are not willing to take this risk, you should definitely go for a different career path instead. There had even been cases where police officers joined radical groups that are forbidden by our constitution and local laws. You should really be convinced about it and should take your mission quite seriously. Police culture is full of many coping skills and personality transformations. Among street-level officers who have the most interaction with the public, having a bachelors degree significantly increases commitment to community policing. Similarly, researchers have found that officers with at least a two-year degree were 40% less likely to lose their jobs due to misconduct. Thus, especially if you are a rather skeptic person who doesnt like to rely on others for such important things, becoming a police officer may also not be the right way to go for you. Thus, make sure that you are willing to work hard if you really aspire to a police officer career. Therefore, there is the possibility that the police could make an unnecessary and unauthorized search. The job is simply too hard for that and you would just not become happy if you dont have an inner motivation for it. We have come to an age where the public thinks the system and the police have a solution for their every problem. Its the nature of the beast. You can also work in many different departments. We cant sit still nor do we seem to have the mindset at times to settle down at home. Many citizens are shielded from the horrors we encounter. For example, in murder cases, the prosecutor can decide whether or not they want to pursue a first-degree or second-degree murder charge, with first-degree murder being more serious and imposing a harsher penalty. Please note that all the information I provide on this website is to my best knowledge. However, in reality, there are also many downsides related to this job. A high fitness level is crucial to maintain a high quality of life and therefore, becoming a police officer can also improve your life in general. You can get our highlights each weekend. In fact, this can get really nasty, especially if your mistakes have led to serious adverse outcomes. Many people also greatly underestimate the stress that comes along with being a police officer. As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over 84,000 People still want the personal component since they feel safer talking to a police officer instead of just talking to a robot in case of emergency. Probation officers play a significant role in society and in the law enforcement process. As an associate, I may earn commissions from qualifying purchases from Amazon or other programs. Based on the Word Net lexical database for the English Language. Discretion gives officers the flexibility to perform their job. Varied hours. Law enforcement officers exercise police discretion when deciding whether or not to draw their weapon, make an arrest, shoot someone, search someone, render assistance to someone, or issue a ticket to someone. Community policing and problem-oriented policing require problem solving and creative thinking skills that the college experience helps develop. College-educated officers are also less likely to shoot their guns. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[336,280],'environmental_conscience_com-leader-3','ezslot_21',193,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-environmental_conscience_com-leader-3-0'); Networks are crucial for promotions, not only as a police officer but also in the corporate world. If someone was not competitive as a rookie, they probably will become so in time. The following are the types of decisions that might require a police officer to use their own discretion. In fact, attacks and insults towards police officers have increased quite a lot over the past years. Let's look at some examples of when a police officer must use his or her discretion. In fact, there are countless career opportunities out there and you should just choose the one that seems to be right for you. With all these ambitious peers and competitive factors pressuring us, who wants to be at the bottom? However, the majority of the general public is still thankful for the help and security police officers ensure on our streets. Some employers Juvenile Justice System & Law | The Rights of Juvenile Offenders, Critical Issues Facing Women & Minority Police Officers, Use of Force Continuum | Use of Force Models & Examples, Ethics, Discretion & Professionalism in Policing. You always feel secure.. Police officers also have to make really difficult decisions. Police officers toe the thin blue line, the line between lawfulness and illegal acts. So daily we are exposed to human misery and conflict which gives us a very narrow version of society. Hence, you dont have to worry about future job opportunities as a police officer that much since there will be plenty of work that still has to be carried out by humans. Police officers keep our streets safe and resolve conflicts between people on a daily basis. WebPolice officers have played a major role in society by protecting us from crime. In fact, there is plenty of frustration around in the cop world since many people just had different plans for their lives and thought that being a cop would just be different. There is just that much insecurity involved in this job that you will never know when you are called to the next operation. In fact, many people struggle with it since it destroys the natural sleeping rhythm. Because of the high level of responsibility, police are held to high standards by internal affairs and the general public. Learn about the practice of police discretion and how police officers make decisions based on the best possible situational outcome. If you make mistakes, people may even sue you. If the police had to consult with other officers or go to a judge every time they needed to make an on-the-job determination, this would result in a drain not only on the economy but also on the overall law enforcement and judicial systems. Since there will always be people who dont comply with the law, police officers will always be needed and your future job prospects will be quite decent. Gabrielle Nicolet has been writing and editing professionally since 2004. An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice. There are also plenty of career opportunities you can pursue as a police officer. Another problem with being a police officer is that you can also lose your job due to only one big mistake. Why is being professional important? Policemen not only have to work at nighttime, they also have to work on holidays. Research shows that, overall, college-educated officers generate fewer citizen complaints. This can be quite problematic since police officers may attack uninvolved residents due to their paranoia. From this time on, I wanted to make a contribution to ensure a livable future for the next generations in every part of our beautiful planet. It is all a balancing act. 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