People are motivated and inspired to become police officers for a lot of reasons, including their desire to help others, to have an exciting and fulfilling career, and simply to have a more respected job with great benefits like a secure retirement plan and a decent salary. However, being a police officer is not always as thrilling and exciting as it seems on media. Being a cop means putting yourself in many dangerous situations for your fellowmen’s sake. Sometimes, you should also expect to work for long hours that might interfere and affect your personal life. Every day, you will have to deal with different violations of the law through doling out tickets, writing incident reports, as well as investigating noise complaints.
Why Should You Become a Police Officer?
No matter what your position is as a police officer, you should make sure that your background is clean and you have a good moral character. That is to avoid the abuse that might take place against the power or authority that is given to you. Take time to examine your personal reasons for wanting to have a position as a police officer before you start the process of applying as a police officer.
Before applying to become a police officer, you must see if your personality and skills are typical of people who are now in the police force. As a matter of fact, successful detectives and police officers are entirely skilled in critical thinking, assessment, and active listening. These skills are very important on the job because cops must use their senses together with their own perception in order to duly monitor tense scenes as well as to quickly decide on how and when to respond. The cops should also be excellent at negotiation and problem solving because as a peacemaker, they should be able to handle and persuade people to make the right choices and stay calm to avoid crimes.
How to Become a Cop
Becoming a police officer is not as easy as it will take lots of preparation and effort. You will encounter differences in the requirements to become a cop in accord with the kind of police force you want to apply to. However, there are also universal requirements that you will have to accomplish whether you want to apply to the office of the county sheriff or to the FBI. No matter what kind of police officer you want to become, you should expect that they require the following qualifications:
- Demonstrate that you are physically fitted for the job through endurance, strength, and agility tests.
- Earn at least a secondary or high school diploma, but remember that having a college degree will definitely give a competitive edge in the job market
- Make sure to pass your civil service exam as it tests your own abilities when it comes to problem-solving, as well as aptitude and general knowledge for the job.
- You should pass the criminal history check.
- Try to impress people through how you respond to the interview. Make sure to demonstrate the reason why you are a trustworthy and viable candidate for a job that involves protecting the public.