A police career is a challenging and sometimes dangerous choice. It is not just writing out tickets or making traffic stops. Police departments are part of the city and state governments. The main responsibility for police is to keep order.

Depending on the country, the names for police are different. When attending school for a police career, there are many courses that must be taken. Proper training is essential in order to survive. A police officer must maintain the law and order by enforcing the laws of society. Federal, State, and local official create and pass the laws that all must live by.

A police career also involves training sessions on the weapons range. A police trainee must pass the test on the shooting range, and a yearly test after being sworn in as an officer.

A police career may involve the officer walking the streets of his or her district, keeping the peace and arresting lawbreakers. A police officer responds to calls for help and aids those in need of medical attention.

They investigate crime, interrogate potential criminals, and are required to keep detailed notes that will assist in the prosecution of criminals that have been arrested. Keeping detailed reports are very time consuming and some feel is the worst part of their duties.

Choosing a police career involves hours of classroom time, role-playing different scenarios. A police officer must be able to respond to any type of crisis call whether on duty of off. A required course in a police career is psychology.

A police career will also train personnel in disaster situations. They will be taught what to do in case of natural disasters or terrorist attacks. They are taught protocol for every situation.

Police academies throughout the country have federal guidelines in which they have to teach students who choose a police career. This is done not only to have a uniform police force, but also when emergencies arise in different states, police be transported from other states to assist with local enforcement agencies.

The more mundane duties of a police career involve issuing traffic tickets and citations, or transporting an intoxicated person to the police station.

Not everyone will be accepted to a police career. There are a number of factors that are used to determine if the person is both mentally and physically capable of becoming a police officer. There are extensive psychological tests that are given, as well a physically endurance tests. Officials feel that if their officers are carrying weapons, they have to be completely in control.

It is also preferred that the candidate that chooses a police career have some kind of higher education. The course that is preferred is criminal justice.

Often, retired military will seek a police career. They have the discipline and training that is necessary for law enforcement. They are able to pass the rigorous physical fitness courses that police academies require. As police agencies are operated by a chain of command that is similar to the military, there is very little adjustment time. For those who have the proper qualifications, promotions come more quickly. Along with the increase in pay for these promotions, comes a lot of paperwork.

Retired military are always accepted, with the exception of having been discharged for psychological reasons. A police career is one of the few career choices that can carry weapons legally. Although the standard issue is a nine-millimeter handgun, officers may carry shotguns in the trunks of their cruisers for situations that require more than a handgun.

All of those who choose a police career start out in a very low position. They usually are assigned to a specific community and get to know the citizens and businesses. Only after a specific period of time will they be considered for promotion.

When choosing a police career, it must be taken into consideration that there can be dangerous situations. A police officer is often faced with situations that are unpredictable. A simple traffic stop can have a disastrous outcome. They never know just what will happen at any given time.

In past decades, the police have had to deal with unpredictable situations. If they were at the scene of an accident, they would assist and comfort the injured. Today, they are hesitant to even hold the hand of a victim for fear of contracting diseases.

When apprehending a criminal, they need to exercise extreme caution, not only so they do not violate the rights of the criminal, but also because of the dangers of communicable diseases.

The dangers that are associated with a police career can cause stress on the job. In the United States alone, over eighteen thousand officers have died in the line of duty. Some departments require that the street officers wear protective vests to protect them from being injured.

Some protocol of police departments requires that the officer seek help from the department psychologist. This can be helpful in determining if there is a problem with officer.

In today’s police career, an officer is allowed to search, seize and arrest a criminal. They are not allowed to search or seize without probable cause. If this occurs, the defense will argue that their rights have been violated. If this can be proven, then the criminal is set free. Special care is taken not to violate the rights of the accused.

With a police career, a police officer is allowed to interrogate a criminal, but cannot abuse or use excessive force in any way. Reading the arrest person their Miranda rights is also a part of the police career. Specific laws that even the police have to follow.

There are some officers that have gone their entire careers without having to draw their guns. Others draw them on a daily basis. It depends on the region. In small rural communities other then an occasional drunk and disorderly charge, there is very little crime. In large cities, it is rampant. More police officers are needed in a big large cities and towns.

Police officers face many dangers in their jobs. Police officers are constantly being faced with the unknown and the unpredictable. They never truly know the outcome of any situation they enter into. This can make policing a dangerous profession. Dangers faced by police include death, increased risk of infectious diseases, and serious and minor trauma, both physical and emotional. These dangers are encountered in many different situations i.e. apprehension/arrest and investigation of criminals, conducting vehicle stops, investigating people and crimes, protecting the public from dangerous situations or individuals, investigating traffic accidents and witnessing the carnage that often results from those accidents, responding to suicides and directing traffic.

Individuals are drawn to police work for many reasons. Among these often include a desire to protect the public and social order from criminals and danger; a desire to hold a position of respect and authority; a disdain for or antipathy towards criminals and rulebreakers; the professional challenges of the work; the employment benefits that are provided with civil service jobs in many countries; the sense of camaraderie that often holds among police; or a family tradition of police work or civil service. An important task of the recruitment activity of police agencies in many countries is screening potential candidates to determine the fitness of their character and personality for the work, often through background investigations and consultation with a psychologist.

A police officer is a person who works for a police force. It usually only refers to those who have been sworn in as law enforcement officers, and does not include civilian support personnel. A police officer is employed in most cases by federal, state/provincial or municipal governments and has the responsibility (or duty) of enforcing federal, state/provincial laws along with municipal/city ordinances. They also have the responsibility of keeping the public peace. This is usually done by uniformed pro-active patrolling within their jurisdiction looking for and investigating law breakers, and by responding to calls for service. Police officers are required to keep notes of all situations in which they take action and appear as witnesses during both criminal prosecutions and civil litigation. One of the lesser-known but most time-consuming duties of officers is completion of documentation of activity (”reporting”).

It must be noted that the responsibilities of a police officer are extremely broad and not in any way limited to the duties mentioned above. Police are expected to be able to respond in some fashion to any and all situations that may arise while they are on duty. Also police must act as government officials in the cases of investigation. In some communities rules and procedures governing conduct and duties of police officers requires that they act if needed even when off duty.

The major role of the police is to maintain order, keeping the peace through enforcement of laws and societal norms. They also function to discourage deter and investigate crimes, with particular emphases on crime against persons or property and the maintenance of public order, and if able to apprehend suspected perpetrator(s), to detain them, and inform the appropriate authorities. Police are often used as an emergency service and may provide a public safety function at large gatherings, as well as in emergencies, disasters, and search and rescue situations. To provide a prompt response in emergencies, the police often coordinate their operations with fire and emergency medical services. In many countries there is a common emergency service number that allows the police, firefighters or medical services to be summoned to an emergency.

Police are also responsible for reporting minor offences by issuing citations which typically may result in the imposition of fines, particularly for violations of traffic law. Police sometimes involve themselves in the maintenance of public order, even where no legal transgressions have occurred.

Candidates for the police force must have completed some formal education. Increasing numbers of people are joining the police force who possess tertiary education and in response to this many police forces have developed a “fast-track” scheme whereby those with university degrees spend 2-3 years as a police constable before receiving promotion to higher ranks, such as plain clothes detective. Police officers are also recruited from those with experience in the military or security services. Most law enforcement agencies now have measurable physical fitness requirements for officers. In the United States, state laws codify state-wide qualification standards regarding age, education, criminal record, and training.

Police agencies are usually semi-military in organization, so that with specified experience or training qualifications officers become eligible for promotion to a higher supervisory rank, such as sergeant. Promotion is not automatic and usually requires the candidate to pass some kind of examination, interview board or other selection procedure. Although promotion normally includes an increase in salary, it also brings with it an increase in responsibility and for most, an increase in administrative paperwork.

After completing a certain period of service, officers may also apply for specialist positions, such as detective, police dog handler, mounted police officer, motorcycle officer, water police officer, or firearms officer (in forces which are not routinely armed).

In addition to any formal qualifications required, potential police officers should have a genuine interest in working with the public and possess an inquiring mind.

Most all police officers work in a police station. A police station is a building which serves as the headquarters of a police force or unit which serves a specific district. These buildings typically contain offices, various accommodations for their personnel and their vehicles (such as locker rooms and a maintenance garage), temporary holding cells, and interview/interrogation rooms. Alternative terms include precinct or precinct house for regional facilities of the New York City Police Department and other urban police departments in the United States, and detachment for local facilities of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police or division by the Toronto Police Service in Toronto, Ontario. District offices are used by the California Highway Patrol, and substations are used by county sheriff forces with more than one facility. A police precinct is a form of division of a geographical area patrolled by a police force.