Running Head: KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES 1

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities Important for Police Officers

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Knowledge, Skills & Abilities Important for Police Officers

Knowledge base, skills, and abilities (KSAs) usually distinguish qualified and unqualified

candidates for the position of a law enforcement officer. Today, the United States is increasingly

becoming diverse hence need well trained and educated officers who can handle citizens

respectfully and equally. To meet the wide variety of expectations and challenges and also meet

the demands of the 21st century policing, officers must be able to act procedurally fair and just

(Flavin, 2019). This paper will mainly discuss some knowledge, skills and abilities that I believe

are important for police officers as they perform their duties daily.

Throughout a day, a law enforcement officer is required to make tough decisions, either

life or death decisions that require them to have certain skill sets. In most cases, most of these

decisions require a combination of instinct, research and proper procedure. In general, police

work in the community helps in strengthening the relationships between citizens. It is important

to involve the community in some of the discussions that can help in the provision of better

police services and improved community relations (Kaiser et al., 2019). One of the skills that can

help in achieving this is good communication skills. As noted early, the United States has

become a very diverse country hence resulting in different languages that might serve as barriers

to effective policing. Therefore, if police officers cannot be able to communicate with the public

effectively, it may further complicate the delivery of services and strain of resources. Such

miscommunication may also result in loss of trust and misunderstanding between the public and

police officers. Therefore, it is vital for all officers to navigate the issue of the language barrier

by coming up with ways to communicate with the people they serve.

There are a number of reasons why police officers should have good communication

skills. I believe that effective communication between the officers and victims as well as
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witnesses in a crime scene, helps in solving the case in question quickly. Through effective

communication, officers are able to write detailed reports about the crime incident. Besides, the

officer will be able to appease an angry mob, listen to their concerns, ask questions, and involve

in conversations that show concern of the case at hand. In addition, having good communication

skills means that an officer can write a report that can be read and understood by his seniors,

judges, prosecutors and lawyers (Kaiser et al., 2019). In law enforcement, every detail of a report

is scrutinized by the defense lawyers for any inconsistency hence one error can result in the

dismissal of the case. Therefore, apart from effective communication, one should have good

writing skills.

The ability to take responsibility, demonstrate courage, use good judgment, and solve

problems are some of the many skills that a successful law enforcement officer should possess.

However, one skill that stands out on this list is that of problem-solving skills. In their daily

activities, officers are usually called up to make tough decisions and solve problems in the

community that requires informed facts, good instincts and correct judgment of character (Flynn

& Herrington, 2015). In a crime scene, a police officer is required to collect all of the facts and

evidence and analyze them to solve the case in question. All this requires problem-solving skills.

Officers should analyze the nature of the problem, do research and draw conclusions from the

presented facts before making a move or an arrest. Officers should avoid making rush decisions

based on intuitions since it could compromise the case and loss of public confidence to exercise

sound judgment.

I believe that better policing can be facilitated and informed decisions made if all police

officers have good problem-solving skills. In most cases, the work of the police officers is to

maintain law and order, and in their duties, they encounter different scenarios that require sober
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and sound judgment (Baum, 2015). Through problem-solving skills, officers can be able to solve

complex cases ailing society. Eventually, exercising good judgement based on actual evidence

will help bring criminals to jail, promote public safety and boost community trust in the police

officers.

Abilities are something that a person possesses and they show how well officers

demonstrate and use their knowledge and skills when required. The law enforcement is a very

tough profession that requires officers to operate in a tough, hostile and stressful environment.

Therefore, the first thing that these officers should possess is the ability to manage and deal with

an excessive amount of stress. Officers on a daily basis work in hostile situations where the lives

of people at risk, such as active shootings, suicide attempts, hostage standoff or a bank robbery

(Bond, 2014). In all these situations, the safety and lives of the citizens largely depend on the

decisions made by the officers at the scene. It is important to note that policing is a work

environment that is psychologically stressful, filled with exposure to death, human misery,

ambiguity in work encounters, high demands and filled with danger. Therefore, officers should

be properly trained to handle high levels of stress without interference with the job performance

and work ethics

Better policing can be achieved when all officers are able to handle and manage stress in

their work environment. In some cases, some officers have found themselves making

questionable decisions due to the high level of stress either at work or at home. In the

community, there are a lot of scenarios that push officers to the limit to the point of breaking

down due to the things they witness or do. Therefore, to effectively serve the community, an

officer should be of sober mind and have the ability to manage his or her stress levels, prevent

post-traumatic stress and have a clear trace of their thoughts (Bond, 2014). In police, demand
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levels are always very high; hence skills to cope and manage stress are extremely important and

help in better service delivery. With proper stress management strategies, every officer will be

able to perform his or her duties without lashing out or folding under pressure.

Another ability that I think that police officers should possess is the capacity for

compassion and empathy. It is important to recognize that law enforcement officers are among

the highest forms of public service with the sole purpose of not only serving but also protecting

citizens. It is their responsibility to ensure the security and safety of everyone. However, in doing

so, they should perform their duties with a certain level of courtesy, respect and professionalism.

Baum (2015) notes that whether an officer is arresting a criminal or giving out a speeding ticket,

it is important they not only be firm but also compassion and humanity for all the suspects.

It is no doubt that law enforcement is a profession that is rewarding but challenging at the

same time. This profession is faced with community pressure, scrutiny stress, filled with violence

and is generally dangerous and unpredictable. Therefore, I believe that for police officers to

better serve the community, they must show empathy and compassion. As a sworn officer of the

law, they are supposed to respect the spirit of the law. Although today mots police officers have

become so cautious due to active shooter incidents, drug use, gun violence, and an increase in

terrorism, they should not forget these key qualities in their service delivery.

The work of a police officer requires a person who is knowledge-intensive. Knowledge is

generally the understanding of certain information whether through education or experiences in

life. Today, most law enforcement department requires people who have a two-year degree or a

high school diploma (Flavin, 2019). As an officer, one should have the knowledge about the

various procedures, guidelines and duties of his or her job. Knowing the law well also goes a

long way in dispensing duties in a lawful manner that does not compromise the integrity and
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trust of the police department. Therefore, a police officer should be to know how to protect the

public within the set laws, have a range of information in regard to the subject matter and have

the knowledge to master and analyze facts. For instance, an officer should have knowledge of

administrative practices, environmental compliance laws and operational procedures and

systems, among others. Therefore, the knowledge of these laws helps an officer to make

informed decisions in different situations.

In conclusion, the above-discussed knowledge base, skills and attributes of an officer are

symbiotically related and helps in producing successful and all-round police officers who can

handle any situation. It is important to note that the success of an officer depends on the unique

combination of attributes and experience that he or she brings to the department. I believe that to

help facilitate better policing in our communities officers should have deep knowledge of laws

and have relevant education, think critically, have effective communication and problem-solving

skills and have the ability to manage stress and act compassionately and with empathy.
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References

Baum, E. (2015, June 30). 5 Skills Every Aspiring Police Officer Should Acquire. Retrieved from

Newsmax: https://www.newsmax.com/fastfeatures/police-skills-law-

enforcement/2015/07/03/id/652904/

Bond, M. (2014, February 24). The Impact of Stress and Fatigue on Law Enforcement Officers

and Steps to Control It. Retrieved from In Public Safety:

https://inpublicsafety.com/2014/02/the-impact-of-stress-and-fatigue-on-law-enforcement-

officers-and-steps-to-control-it/

Flavin, B. (2019, January 28). The No-Nonsense Guide to What Makes a Good Police Officer.

Retrieved from Rasmussen College: https://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/justice-

studies/blog/what-makes-good-police-officer/

Flynn, E. A., & Herrington, V. (2015, June). Toward a Profession of Police Leadership. New

Perspectives in Policing Bulletin. Retrieved from

https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/248573.pdf

Kaiser, M., Dubois, J., Comey, J. T., Hartnett, S. M., & Skogan, W. G. (2019). On The Beat:

Police and Community Problem Solving. Routledge.

President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing. (2015). Final Report of the President’s Task

Force on 21st Century Policing. Washington, D.C.: Office of Community Oriented

Policing Services. Retrieved from http://elearning-

courses.net/iacp/html/webinarResources/170926/FinalReport21stCenturyPolicing.pdf
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