Becoming a Police Officer

\Protect and serve. These two words may be simple to any regular citizen. However, they are everything to any police officer. The honorable career of law enforcement is not always an easy one to enter. There are requirements in order to be recruited and employed by any policing agency. In addition to the highly competitive and rigorous application process to become selected as an officer of the law, there are training programs, continued education programs, and other requirements necessary to remain in the career.
The first process of becoming an officer is not a step to take lightly. Initially, the applicant must determine whether he or she is mentally, emotionally and physically prepared for the rigorous …show more content…

2008). Each department may have variant police academies and probationary periods. However, all academies have lectures from which officers learn about the law and criminal justice system as a whole through training in firearms, physical agility, and systems of patrol and traffic. During this probation period, the new officer also learns the legal block of policing.
Once out of the police academy, the officer is assigned to a field training officer (FTO). The FTO officer is responsible for teaching the new officer how to apply the knowledge and skills learned at the academy. The FTO also assists to acclimate the new officer into the police culture or experience the socialization process. On a side note, the FTO has significant influence over the new officer. Often times the FTO can assist the new officer in dealing with the inevitable stress and cynicism of the career.
The whole process of becoming a police officer is just as rigorous as the job itself. In addition to the selection process, the probation period and the police academy, there are required education hours for each police officer. Each jurisdiction and state has various required continued education and certifications required to maintain the qualified officers. The additional education allows the police departments across the country to stay up to date on changes in all types of topics such as: technology, education, serving the public,