How to Become a Police Officer - Foothill College

How
to
Become
a
Police
Officer
1
Job
Description
Police
Officers
(law
enforcement
officers)
patrol
a
specific
geographical
area
and
respond
to
calls
to
protect
people
and
property.

The
nature
of
the
duties
depends
on
the
size,
scope,
and
budget
of
the
organization.

Uniformed
police
officers
issue
citations,
direct
traffic,
arrest
individuals
breaking
the
law,
give
warnings,
investigate
suspicious
activity,
and
patrol
a
jurisdiction.

A
large
amount
of
time
is
spent
writing
reports
and
keeping
detailed
and
accurate
records
in
case
they
need
to
testify
in
court.
Work
Environment
The
daily
job
duties
assigned
to
a
police
officer
can
be
dangerous
and
stressful.

This
profession
has
one
of
the
highest
on‐the‐job
injury
and
illness
rates.

A
person
needs
to
be
constantly
on
alert
and
ready
to
encounter
and
appropriately
handle
a
number
of
threatening
situations.

A
person
working
in
law
enforcement
will
witness
death
and
suffering
as
a
result
of
accidents
and
criminal
behavior.

It
may
take
a
toll
on
personal
and
family
life.

Additionally,
police
officers
have
demanding
jobs
that
can
become
quite
physical
at
times
and
working
out
to
stay
in
shape
is
a
way
to
give
100%
to
the
job.
Typically,
a
police
officer
works
40‐hours
per
week
during
a
specific
shift,
and
paid
overtime
is
common.


A
person
works
a
“shift”
schedule,
and
usually
junior
officers
work
weekends,
holidays,
and
nights.
Career
Outlook
Employment
of
police
and
sheriff
patrol
officers
is
expected
to
grow
with
local
governments
hiring
the
vast
majority
of
police
officers.

Overall,
individuals
who
meet
the
psychological,
personal,
and
physical
demands
for
a
police
officer
will
have
more
favorable
employment
opportunities
with
local
police
departments.

Additionally,
applicants
with
military
experience
or
college
training
(B.A.
Degree)
will
have
the
best
opportunities
with
local
and
state
departments.
Income
The
California
Employment
Development
Department
provides
labor
market
information:
http://www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov.


The
annual
2010
wages
for
a
Police
Officer
in
California
ranged
from
$65,436
‐
$93,637
depending
upon
degree
and
experience.
In
addition,
the
benefits
package
usually
includes:
medical,
dental
and
life
insurance,
retirement
plans,
vacation,
sick
leave,
family
leave,
and
long‐term
disability
pay.

Extra
incentives
are
given
for
educational
advancement
and
special
training
pay,
bilingual
allowances,
uniform
and
equipment
allowances,
and
retirement
at
age
50.
There
are
many
career
paths
to
pursue
once
you
become
a
police
officer
including
sergeant,
lieutenant,
chief
and
more.

Most
of
these
promotions
or
specialties
require
advanced
education,
such
as
a
B.A.
Degree
and
continuing
education
courses.

How
to
Become
a
Police
Officer
Requirements
A
person
can
be
hired
as
a
police
officer
with
a
high
school
diploma
or
GED.

A
college
degree
or
1‐2
years
of
college
coursework
is
recommended,
especially
for
pay
raises
and
promotions.

State
and
Federal
agency
jobs
require
applicants
to
possess
a
4‐year
college
degree.
A
candidate
must:
• Be
a
U.S.
citizen,
21
years
of
age
or
older
• Meet
demanding
physical
and
personal
qualifications
• Undergo
a
variety
of
tests
(physical,
medical,
written
and
psychological)
• Pass
a
background
check
• Speak
a
second
language
is
a
definite
assets
to
work
in
federal
agencies
and
urban
departments
Education
Requirements
What
to
major
in?

Many
colleges
offer
an
A.S.
Degree
or
B.A.
Degree
in
Criminal
Justice,
Law
Enforcement,
Administration
of
Justice,
Political
Science,
or
Public
Administration,
although
majors
in
Sociology
or
Psychology
are
also
sought
after
degrees.
A.S.
Degree,
Corrections

 A.S.
Degree,
Administration
of
Justice
A.S.
Degree,
Law
Enforcement
 DeAnza
College
College
of
San
Mateo
City
College
of
San
Francisco
 B.A.
Degree,
Criminology
(Sociology)
Evergreen
Valley
College
 CSU
San
Jose
State
University
Gavilan
College
San
Jose
City
College
 B.A.
Degree,
Criminal
Justice
West
Valley
College
 CSU
San
Francisco
State
University
Courses
vary,
but
usually
include
the
following
topics:
Abnormal
Psychology
 
 General
Psychology
&
General
Sociology
Correctional
Counseling
 
 Juvenile
Delinquency
Criminal
Investigation
 
 Patrol
and
Traffic
Criminal
Law
 
 Penology
&
Law
of
Arrest,
Search
&
Seizure
Criminology
 
 Personal
Defense
Correctional
Systems
 
 Police/Community
Relations
Crime
Prevention
 
 Probation
and
Parole
2

How
to
Become
a
Police
Officer
Exams
Civil
Service
Exam:
When
a
person
is
ready
to
apply
to
a
police
department,
s/he
will
take
a
civil
service
examination
that
is
administered
by
the
police
department
a
person
is
applying
to.

The
civil
service
exam
is
offered
whenever
a
department
has
job
openings,
and
some
departments
might
offer
the
exam
on
a
regular
basis
to
maintain
a
pool
of
eligible
recruits.
Physical
Exam:
To
secure
a
job
in
law
enforcement,
a
candidate
will
also
be
tested
on
stamina,
vision,
hearing,
strength,
and
agility.

If
these
tests
are
passed
successfully,
a
person
will
take
drug
and
lie
detector
tests
and
began
a
series
of
interviews
with
the
police
department.

After
these
tests
are
passed
successfully,
a
candidate
will
then
be
sent
to
the
police
academy
for
training
in
law
enforcement.
Training
(Police
Academy)
Once
a
candidate
is
accepted
to
a
police
department
they
will
attend
training
at
an
academy
for
12
weeks
to
1
year
depending
on
the
department.

For
state
and
local
police
departments
that
hire
a
large
recruiting
pool,
a
recruit
will
be
trained
directly
by
the
department
(typically
for
12‐14
weeks).

For
small‐size
police
departments,
recruits
often
attend
a
regional
or
state
academy.
In
some
states,
it
is
possible
to
attend
a
police
academy
first
(without
being
affiliated
with
a
specific
police
department)
and
then
apply
into
police
departments
as
a
full
trained
police
officer.

This
is
a
path
for
a
person
who
is
not
sure
about
the
area
in
which
s/he
would
like
to
work.

Contact
a
local
police
department
and
request
the
requirements
for
a
police
officer
and
the
application
materials.
The
Police
Academy
includes
classroom
instruction
and
field
training
on:
Constitutional
law
 Accident
investigation
 First
aid
Civil
rights
 Patrol
 Emergency
response
State
laws
 Use
of
firearms
 Traffic
control
Local
ordinances
 Self‐defense
After
a
cadet
finishes
the
academy,
an
experienced
supervisor
will
mentor
him/her
and
perfect
the
knowledge
and
skills
learned
in
the
Police
Academy.

This
will
include
filing
the
correct
paperwork,
incident
reports,
discharge
forms,
testifying
when
in
court,
and
search
and
arrest
procedures.
3

How
to
Become
a
Police
Officer
Sources
of
Additional
Information
American
Polygraph
Association
www.polygraph.org
1‐800‐272‐8037
American
Rescue
Team
International
(ARTI)
www.amerrescue.org
(415)
533‐2231
International
Association
for
Identification
www.theiai.org
(651)
681‐8566
International
Crime
Scene
Investigators
Association
(ICSIA)
www.icsia.org
North
American
Police
Dog
Work
Association
(NAPWDA)
www.napwda.com
1‐888‐4CANINE
Occupational
Outlook
Handbook
2010‐2011
Available
in
the
Career
Center
Library
Eureka:
The
California
Career
Information
System
www.eureka.org
Site
Code:
For
current
Foothill
students
only,
please
contact
the
Career
Center
Career
Center
Resource
Library
Room
8329
(650)
949‐7229
California
Employment
Development
Department
http://www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov/
Bureau
of
Labor
Statistics
by
the
U.S.
Dept.
of
Labor
http://www.bls.gov/
4