2013

What it takes to become a Police Officer

Jordan Jepperson Criminal Justice 11/19/2013

To some becoming a police officer may seem like a daunting task, while others may be surprised at how little an amount of schooling is actually required. I can say for myself I was surprised to see that as little as a high school diploma makes you eligible to begin training as a police officer. I have always just expected them to be required to have at least an associates degree. To start a career as a police officer there are certain steps to be taken pertaining to training and schooling. You are required to pass a few exams as well. I will give a list of these things required of you and then I will go through and talk about each one in a little more depth as my paper goes on. First, you must earn at least a high school diploma. Then demonstrate your physical ability for the job through agility, strength and endurance tests, pass a criminal history check, and pass the civil service exam testing your problem-solving abilities, general knowledge and aptitude for the job. You must also impress the people with your interview, where you will demonstrate why you are a good candidate for the job of protecting the public. Finally you must complete the police academy training, where you study policing tactics, crime scene processing, police ethics and use and care of firearms. As I mentioned earlier some people may think this is not so much to do while others think the opposite. I personally think a couple years of college under a persons belt may be a little more qualifying. You really only need a high school diploma to qualified to become an officer, which I personally do not agree with. I believe that earning a degree in college shows that a person is responsible and dedicated. I would want any person who is assigned to protect the public and enforce laws to have proven themselves through college. Any experience learned in college, even for an associates degree, can be experience applied in the job force. What I am trying to say is that I would feel comfortable knowing that the police officers on the road are dedicated in

all areas of life. I dont like the idea of a possibility that one of them was the kid that didnt want anything to do with school after high school so he chose this path to steer away from college. Of course it is suggested that you do receive some sort of college degree which will better the chances of you getting the job as a police officer, I just wish is was the only way. The agility, strength and endurance testing mentioned earlier are different in each academy. The name itself may vary from the physical agility test, the physical ability test, the physical performance test, or the fitness test. No matter what it may be called, it is a test to measure a persons ability to perform physical procedures that may come up on a normal day on the job. The requirements of such a test differ across America with different agencies. Some may put a higher priority on the physical test than others. For example some departments allow different cut-off scores based on age and gender called (age-norming and gender-norming.) While others do not use these; with the argument that people challenging an officer are not first going to determine the age and gender of an officer before running or fighting. I agree with this, I believe that you should be able to pass the same test as every other officer regardless of age or gender. Either way, these tests involve physical exertion in such exercises as sit-ups, push-ups, running a certain distance in a certain time, lifting and dragging something equal to the weight of a human body, and one of the most intimidating to most officers is climbing a six foot wall. Sometimes there is another test called the general fitness test. These tests are less physically exerting and almost more like medical exam. Instead of actually making you participate in physical activities it measures your body composition, aerobic capacity, muscular strength and endurance and your flexibility. The way this works is that your height and weight will be measured to see that these capacities are proportionate, along with your body-fat content.

Many departments see this test as a better way to see your ability to complete tasks without becoming injured or disabled. Depending on the agency you may be required to do these two tests early on, or they may have you wait and do it towards the end of your training and schooling. Either way, if you fail they may still give you a chance through something such as a second-tier entry group. Passing criminal history check is a must. We wouldnt want someone to become a police officer carrying a weapon when they have murdered a child in the past for looking at them wrong. I know that is a little over the top but the check is there to make sure the person has not involved themselves in any crimes in the past. How could we expect someone who has committed a crime in the past hold others accountable for that same sort of crime? It just wouldnt work. It also would not be good if this officer ran into one of the friends he committed the crime with as they are committing the same thing again, it would be hard for him to arrest them. Especially with them seeing him as a hypocrite. The Civil Service Exam is a comprehensive test given to those who want to become a civil servant. The term civil servant is used to refer to a professional job in the US government such as a police officer. The questions posed are split between ones related to general knowledge and academics and those knowledge requirements based on the job being applied for. Just like every other job you may apply for in this world. You must go through the interview process. After all the testing and learning is done a police department will take a look at your skills and see your accomplishments. Then they will sit down to interview you. You must be able to tell them why you are a good and able candidate for the job of protecting the public in

the interviewers jurisdiction. So just because you have done all the training and testing doesnt mean you can receive a job for free. You still have to impress the boss during the interview. Lastly, you must finish the police academy training. Police academies also referred to as law enforcement training facilities, are specialized schools that offer a series of courses to certify people as law enforcement officers. Each state has established its own requirements for police academies. I would prefer that the United States government would regulate these requirements so that every officer in the US was doing the same training and learning the same things. An example of some of the training and skills learned are, enhanced observation skills at the frick, police and the media, courage under ire: responding to adversarial questioning, EEO: fact, fiction, and the issue of civil liability, and hostage negotiation. Academic classes also cover a topic that remains most important of law enforcement: ethics. Ethics training keeps officers safe from lawsuits alleging excessive use of force, civil rights violations and racial discrimination. This training also involves understanding how to make decisions in the heat of duty. In conclusion, the requirements necessary to become a police officer are pretty demanding. No there is no requirement for a college degree (which I think there should be.) But with all the physically demanding tests I feel they work for it. Then with the academics portion of things they do take some classes in the academy that I would die of boredom from. These people do a lot to gain the badge they wear on their chest. I do respect them for all they have gone through to earn the position of putting themselves through it all again each and every day as they go out on duty. If you want to become an officer of law, study up on these things and make sure you are in the best shape of your life.

Bibliography
Conger, Cristen. howstuffworks. n.d. 19 11 2013 <http://people.howstuffworks.com/policeacademy.htm>. Editors, Learning Express. education.com. 16 3 2011. 19 11 2013 <http://www.education.com/reference/article/physical-agility-test/>. HowtoBecomeaPoliceOfficer.com. 2013. 19 11 2013 <http://www.howtobecomeapoliceofficer.com/>.