Careers in Law Enforcement

Typical Jobs in the field: Uniformed Police Officers, Sheriffs and Deputy Sheriffs, Detectives, Highway Patrol Officers and Customs inspectors

Typical Work
Law enforcement officers guard the safety and well being of a nations citizens and are expected to exercise their authority whenever necessary, identify, pursue, and arrest suspected criminals, resolve problems within the community, and enforce traffic laws. Regardless of work, police, detectives, and special agents must spend considerable time writing reports and maintaining records that are needed when legal actions require them to testify in court. Officers who work in small communities and rural areas have general law enforcement duties. Large police departments, by contrast, officers usually are assigned to a specific type of duty. Some may work with special units such as mounted and motorcycle patrol, harbor patrol, canine corps, special weapons and tactics or emergency response teams, or task forces formed to combat specific types of crime.

Necessary Education
Law enforcement candidates must be citizens, usually at least 20 years of age, and must meet stringent physical and personal qualifications. In larger police departments, where the majority of law enforcement jobs are found, applicants usually must have at least a high school education; a few police departments accept applicants as recruits who have less than a high school education, but the number is declining. Courses helpful in preparing for a career in law enforcement include accounting, finance, electrical engineering or computer science, and foreign languages. Physical education and sports are helpful in developing the courage, competitiveness, stamina, and agility needed for law enforcement work.

Testing:
Eligibility for appointment generally depends on performance in competitive written examinations as well as on education and experience. Physical examinations often include tests of vision, hearing, strength, and agility. In some agencies, candidates are interviewed by a psychiatrist or a psychologist, or given a personality test. Most applicants are subjected to lie detector examinations or drug testing. A number of agencies subject sworn personnel to random drug testing as a condition of continuing employment.

Skills, Interests and Personal Traits
Characteristics such as honesty, judgment, integrity, and a sense of responsibility are especially important in law enforcement work. Knowledge of a foreign language is an asset in many agencies

Salary Range
The lowest 10 percent of annual earnings (detectives and criminal investigators) earned less than $31,010.
The highest 10 percent of annual earnings (police and detective supervisors) earned more than $90,070

Associations and Organizations
Each country has their own police, secret service so look on your country's government webpage.

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