A high fitness level is not only crucial to stay healthy in the long run, it can also help you in the dating market and makes your life easier in various other aspects. Police officers work long hours, often with irregular shifts, including night shifts. You may start your career as normal patrolman, but you can get promoted pretty soon if you are ambitious enough and are willing to put in the work. Its the nature of the beast. 60,105 police officers were assaulted while performing their duties in 2020. Police work is rife with circumstantial stressors. Colleges and universities can help officers acquire the skills needed to help to reestablish trust between our communities and those who are sworn to protect and serve. If you make mistakes, people may even sue you. Often police officers have to deal with angry, distressed citizens or people who do not want to cooperate, which can make police work feel like a thankless job. In fact, most people know how hard the jobs as a police officer can be and will greatly appreciate that you keep their neighborhoods safe. Officers with a bachelors degree reportedly: have fewer citizen complaints choose options short of an arrest to resolve problems are less authoritarian are more ethical have fewer disciplinary problems compared to their high school graduate counterparts What are the reported disadvantages of a bachelors degree? Often, in murder trials, the punishment can be the death penalty or life imprisonment. New police chief hired at N.C. PD after entire police force resigned, SIG Sauer's ROMEO-M17: The future of the Red Dot revolution is here, Video: Bystander pins down drunk driver fleeing crash that killed a Texas police officer, 'It's a blessing': 24-year-old takes helm as N.C. police chief, 'Hold your heart open': Officers, community members attend funeral for Kansas City cop, K-9, keep officers job satisfaction rates high, Open the tools menu in your browser. Officer Bob receives a dispatch alert that there is a suspect on foot in the area who just held up a bank. It is all a balancing act. 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. This in turn better enables them to more rigorously and regularly evaluate policies and practices adopted by their departments. Due to the bad things and the difficult decisions they have to make during their shifts, many police officers also suffer from serious sleeping issues. Officer Bob decides simply to warn the driver in this instance. After finishing university, I traveled around the world. Discretion affords police officers autonomy and authority. Copyright 2023 College-educated officers are also less likely to shoot their guns. Consequently, make sure that you are also willing to do this kind of work before deciding to become a police officer. Many policemen also develop mental issues in the long run. Many citizens are shielded from the horrors we encounter. Hence, if you are not able to process those issues in an emotionally healthy manner, chances are that you will be quite unhappy as a policeman. Many police officers receive medical, vision and dental insurance. There are advantages and disadvantages of police discretion, just like there are pros and cons of being a cop. Since you will have to resolve conflicts on a regular basis and also have many stressful days during your career, chances are that you will stay in shape. In fact, many police officers have to spend significant amounts of time on paperwork and other administrative tasks. Police officers usually also get more money if they work on weekends, in the nighttime or on holidays. All of these things have been shown to increase critical thinking, moral reasoning and openness to diversity. Officer Bob decides to intervene. 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. Jessica is a practicing attorney and has taught law and has a J.D. Many police officers also suffer from sleep deprivation or even insomnia. Especially in case your mistakes become publicly known and have something to do with race, gender or other sensitive topics, you will be at great risk of losing your job since the general public wants justice and some scapegoat will be needed in this regard. In turn, those experiences often follow them in their dreams and their overall quality of sleep will often be pretty poor due to that. In fact, while many other jobs will be automized and will be carried out by machines in the near future, policemen are not that replaceable since there is plenty of individuality and discretion in each case and police officers have to make decisions depending on many different variables and circumstances. However, the majority of the general public is still thankful for the help and security police officers ensure on our streets. Furthermore, the use of discretion helps to foster police and judicial economy. Consequently, if you are not willing to take this risk, you should definitely go for a different career path instead. However, from these experiences, you can really learn how to handle those situations and you can grow in character. She has tutored English and History, as well as STEM classes, such as Statics, Calculus, and Thermodynamics. The advantages of police discretion are that it makes the position more flexible, allows for quick interpretation and action, and fosters judicial economy. WebPros of a Career as a Probation Officer. Specialty assignments hone in on someones individual talents whether they are born or made. However, it can also be a dangerous, stressful and difficult job. Over the past years, there has also been a trend of people losing respect for the police. The disadvantages of police officer discretion are that it can escalate a situation or violate someone's rights if applied improperly. While many people who work in office jobs have to go to the gym to stay in shape, you as a police officer dont have to do this since you will stay in shape in a natural manner and can spend your time in a more enjoyable manner. Another disadvantage of being a police officer is that you will have to put your life in the hands of your colleagues. You will just have to live with the fact that your life could be over anytime. My name is Andreas and my mission is to educate people about the different career paths that are possible in our current state of the world. For instance, as college students, aspiring or current police officers participate in internships, do community service or study abroad. However, I will not take any responsibility for incorrect information and will not be liable for any negative consequences that might occur due to the reliance on this information. What is police discretion? Officers genuinely care about making a positive impact in their community. However, Ive quit pretty soon after that since I havent found true meaning in my job. Our fuses and energy become shortwith sleep deprivation, long shift hours, societal isolation, and continued exposure to negative human elements. As an associate, I may earn commissions from qualifying purchases from Amazon or other programs. Great! Consequently, be aware of the fact that people will not respect you that much anymore and that you will have to deal with insults or even attacks sooner or later in your career. However, before you sign your contract, make sure you read this article since I show you all the pros and cons of being a police officer. Proactive Policing Strategies & Examples | What is Proactive Policing? As long as your kids are still small, they will not realize how dangerous your job really is. Because of the high level of responsibility, police are held to high standards by internal affairs and the general public. Everyone and everything is suspicious until proven otherwise. For instance, the officer could misinterpret a statute and make an erroneous arrest. A college education helps officers become better at identifying quality information and scientific evidence. Gaylene Armstrong receives funding from various state and federal granting agencies in support of criminal justice research. Bureau of Labor Statistics: OOH: Police and Detectives, Police One: The Pros and Cons of Being a Police Officer. While many people dont want to have this high level of responsibility, others love it and if you are the kind of person who really wants to have this power, becoming a police officer might be the right way to go for you. 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. The definition of especially heinous, however, is left up to the prosecutor's discretion. In fact, being a policeman is not safe at all and you should be aware of the fact that you put your life at risk every time you leave your home. It's not a lame assignment or a job for a cop looking for a cushy job The officers deter criminal activity such as theft, vandalism and terrorism, protect their employers investments and enforce Some people may enjoy the commitment and camaraderie, but others may seek a change in career after a few years. The job requires long hours, and many officers spend their lives on the force. Being a police officer also implies making difficult decisions. In any establishment, we choose the seat with our backs to the wall and a view of the entire place. While this can be exhausting and you will see many bad things during your career, you will also get significant action and chances are that you will never get bored as a police officer since so many different things will happen throughout your career. Now let's look at another example. Learn about the practice of police discretion and how police officers make decisions based on the best possible situational outcome. This could mean that they think that somebody follows them to their house when there will actually nobody be there. As a police officer, you will also have to deal with many difficult family problems and you will generally see the worst of humanity. We would be lost without our firearm and badged clipped to our waistbands. A study of officer-involved shootings from 1990 to 2004 found that college-educated police officers were almost 30% less likely to fire their weapons in the line of duty. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. This can be rather unclear in many situations and one mistake in this regard can even cost your life. 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