Police & Detectives Career
Working as a police officer can be a highly stressful and even dangerous job. However, if you seek justice and like adventure in your life becoming a police officer can be a rewarding career for you.
A formal education in law enforcement, criminal justice, psychology, or military training can offer the greatest opportunities. There are many different careers within the law enforcement profession and this career zone only covers a career as a police officer or detective.
Police & Detective Career Assessment
Take our Police Officer and Detective career assessment. This 30 question quiz let’s you know if you’re cut out for a career as a police officer or detective by analyzing your abilities, skills, and interests.
Police & Detective Snapshot
Police officers and detectives spend their days in an office, writing reports and maintaining records, and out patroling in their jurisdiction. There is a high level of stress associated with police work and in addition to the mental stress, there is often a high level of physical activity involved.
The information below provides further details on a police & detective career (statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Onet Online):
is the average earnings for police and detectives per year.
increase in employment between 2014 and 2024.
have a high school diploma or the equivalent.
Police & Detective Education
The minimal educational requirement to become a police officer or a detective is a High School education. Some positions require 1-2 years worth of college level classes or even a college degree. Recruits usually train through the police academy or a State academy. These training sessions often last 12 – 14 weeks.
Police & Detective Job Duties
Police officers protect the lives and property of citizens. They pursue criminals and issue citations or give warnings to those found breaking the law. Most police officers have a jurisdication they spend a portion of their day patroling. They also write reports and record the events that take place.
Police & Detective Salaries
Police and detectives earned between $34,170 and $100,560 per year as reported by the Occupational Employment Statistics survey program.
Police & Detective Job Outlook
According to the BLS.gov, police and detective careers are expected to increase by 4% between 2014 and 2024 which is slower than the average occupation. Local and state budgets are the primary reason for the low growth of this career field.
Police & Detective Snapshot
Discover the ideal abilities and skill set for individuals in the police and detective career field from the table below.
Police & Detective Skill Set: | Required Abilities: | Tools Used by Police & Detectives: | Typical Work Activities: |
• Speaking • Active Listening • Critical Thinking • Social Perceptiveness | • Deductive Reasoning • Oral Expression • Problem Sensitivity • Inductive Reasoning | • Footprint lifters • Handcuffs • Laptops • Audio Recorders | • Documenting Information • Getting Information • Making Decisions • Working with the Public |
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