Denying reality gets you killed. No day will be like the past one and you will always have to adjust your expectations. An aggravating factor is an aspect of crime that increases an act's severity and culpability. Police officers keep our streets safe and resolve conflicts between people on a daily basis. In fact, there is plenty of hate around on the streets and you will no longer experience the level of respect previous police officer generations got from the general public. 1. Louise Gaille - 16 Advantages and Disadvantages of Being A Police Of Similarly, community-oriented policing emphasizes building relationships with citizens to identify and respond to community crime problems. Private Law Enforcement: Types, Functions & Roles. If you make mistakes, you may also get fired. Among students who participated in a criminal justice service-learning course working with young people in the community, 80% reported a change from stereotypical assumptions that all of them would be criminals to a better understanding of them as individuals with goals and potential - some not so different from the students own dreams. However, some police officers quit their jobs after a while due to the dangers they no longer want to be exposed to. As a police officer, you can also work in many different fields. The disadvantages of police officer discretion are that it can escalate a situation or violate someone's rights if applied improperly. The definition of especially heinous, however, is left up to the prosecutor's discretion. Disadvantages of Becoming a Probation Officer. Advantages and disadvantages of police.Police officers often work long hours Also if you think that police officers have a relaxed life, you should think twice. Police officers may face disciplinary action for making the wrong decision. ], Copyright 20102023, The Conversation Media Group Ltd, Presidents Task Force on 21st Century Policing, almost 30% less likely to fire their weapons in the line of duty, lower rate of officers assaulted by civilians, more satisfied with how police serve their community, increases commitment to community policing, moral reasoning and openness to diversity, identifying quality information and scientific evidence, Committee Member - MNF Research Advisory Committee, PhD Scholarship - Uncle Isaac Brown Indigenous Scholarship, Associate Lecturer, Creative Writing and Literature. Add to that the ability to help people on a daily basis and this line of work can be very fulfilling. Create your account. It becomes a part of us we share in small circles. So daily we are exposed to human misery and conflict which gives us a very narrow version of society. WebAdvantages of Being a Police Officer You have a high reputation in society Police officers can keep their neighborhoods safe You can help out your family and friends Law enforcement is ever-evolving, and so is the person occupying the uniform. In fact, teamwork is key during your operations and if you have colleagues that dont have your back, you may even lose your life due to that. As a police officer, you will also have to deal with many difficult family problems and you will generally see the worst of humanity. The major pro of being a police detective would be that the work would be interesting and intellectually stimulating. Based on the Word Net lexical database for the English Language. In fact, most police officers dont earn more than 70,000 dollars a year and especially in big metropolitan areas, this will imply a rather simple lifestyle since rents will eat up a significant fraction of the income. It requires hours of sitting and driving, which can cause weight issues and other health concerns. Being a police officer in America is a tough job.. Discretion affords police officers autonomy and authority. Hence, as a police officer, you will have the power to improve the lives of many people who will be thankful for what you do for them forever. Thus, if you have those ambitions, make sure that you connect to the right people and do your job extraordinarily well. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. Moreover, I also dont think that people want to be supervised and controlled solely by machines. It is a curse and a blessing. For instance, since many people really appreciate your work, you will often get meals for free in your favorite restaurants. Bringing about meaningful police reform requires transformational leadership. All rights reserved. Intro to Criminal Justice: Help and Review, The Role of the Police Department: Help and Review, Psychological Research & Experimental Design, All Teacher Certification Test Prep Courses, Introduction to Crime & Criminology: Help and Review, The Criminal Justice Field: Help and Review, Criminal Justice Agencies in the U.S.: Help and Review, Law Enforcement in the U.S.: Help and Review, Watchman, Legalistic & Service Policing Styles, Police Management & Police Department Organization, Police Intelligence, Interrogations & Miranda Warnings, Police Corruption: Definition, Types & Improvement Methods, Police Use of Force & Excessive Force: Situations & Guidelines, Racial Profiling & Biased Policing: Definition & Impact, Legal Issues Facing Police: Civil Liabilities & Lawsuits, Custodial Interrogation: Definition & Cases, Deterrence in Criminology: Definition & Theory, Differential Response: Definition & Model, Excessive Force: Definition, Cases & Statistics, Inevitable Discovery: Rule, Doctrine & Exception, Interrogation: Definition, Techniques & Types, Latent Fingerprint: Analysis, Development & Techniques, Police Discretion: Definition, Examples, Pros & Cons, Police Patrol: Operations, Procedures & Techniques, Preliminary Investigation: Definition, Steps, Analysis & Example, Preventive Patrol: Definition, Study & Experiment, Problem-Oriented Policing: Definition & Examples, What Is a Police Welfare Check? There are many instances throughout a police officer's day-to-day work where they can decide how to respond to a situation using their own best judgement and wisdom rather than a strict law. A high fitness level is crucial to maintain a high quality of life and therefore, becoming a police officer can also improve your life in general. Research has found that when police departments use community-policing strategies, people are more satisfied with how police serve their community and view them as more legitimate. Police culture is full of many coping skills and personality transformations. Please note that all the information I provide on this website is to my best knowledge. However, the For instance, one disadvantage of being a police officer is that you will not get rich. Variety of duties*. Since police officers enjoy a high reputation among the general public, they often get additional perks. Territories Financial Support Center (TFSC), Tribal Financial Management Center (TFMC). There will always be the risk to get injured or dying during your shift as a police officer. My name is Andreas and my mission is to educate people of all ages about our environmental problems and how everyone can make a contribution to mitigate these issues. Furthermore, the use of discretion helps to foster police and judicial economy. There are advantages to police discretion, such as allowing officers the flexibility to perform their job, allowing officers to make quick determinations when 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? 1. While some people like this insecurity since they get a certain level of excitement out of it, others who need a structured day hate it and if you are the kind of person who wants to play way ahead, chances are that becoming a police officer will just not be the right way to go for you. Uniform Stories features a variety of contributors. 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, not all police officers have good intentions and you should be quite careful in case your boss tries to push you in such a direction. In fact, this can get really nasty, especially if your mistakes have led to serious adverse outcomes. 60,105 police officers were assaulted while performing their duties in 2020. The Disadvantages of Being a Police OfficerDanger Is Everywhere. The biggest issue with being a police officer is the simple fact that it is extremely dangerous. Pay Is Disappointing. You would think that with all of the dangers associated with being a police officer that the pay would reflect that, but sadly, it doesnt.Crazy Hours. Training Is Crazy. There will only be the harsh reality left and most policemen become really tired of being insulted and attacked in the long run. Now I can do what I really love to do and I want to enable as many other people as well to go this exciting path towards happiness instead of money. If someone was not competitive as a rookie, they probably will become so in time. Officers who have an understanding of scientific methods, as taught in college, are better positioned to adjust their departments policies. A police officer can also impact the area they serve as a whole. Many police officers just have a hard time dealing with this fact and try to suppress it. Crime Measurement Programs: History & Nature, The History of Women & Minority Members in the Police Profession, Recruitment of Women & Minorities in Policing. Quite often, you will also spend your leisure together and some police officers even spend plenty of time together after they retire. You will also have to make difficult decisions within minutes or even seconds and your life will not be as easy as you might think now. It is unique devotion to people which comes along with the territory. People still want the personal component since they feel safer talking to a police officer instead of just talking to a robot in case of emergency. You will not only put your own life on the line, also the quality of life of your family will suffer quite a lot since your kids and your spouse will always worry about you. Thus, make sure that you also have backup plans in case you will not be suitable for a police career. In fact, many people struggle with it since it destroys the natural sleeping rhythm. Being a police officer also means that you will face a high level of insecurity regarding how your day will really look like. Try refreshing the page, or contact customer support. succeed. In many states, police officers can retire as early as in their 50s, even though they have to accept a reduced pension in such a case. It is also not that easy to become a police officer. This is not only quite sad, it also makes the job of police officers much more difficult since people often just no longer comply with the commands of policemen. Discretion in criminal justice is present at all levels of the system and in its bureaucracies. Police officers usually also get more money if they work on weekends, in the nighttime or on holidays. When the police perform their official duties, there is a certain level of discretion they must use. Especially if this case is revealed in public, chances are that there will be huge shitstorms on social media and the pressure to fire you will be enormous. Police discretion is used while officers are performing their official day-to-day duties. Being a police officer also implies making difficult decisions. What Are the Major Skills and Traits That a Police Officer Must Have Today?Communication Skills. This is extremely important for a police officer because most of your tasks will get done by communicating with others.Writing Skills. Police officers often need to write incidents reports. Active Listen er. Ability to Obtain Knowledge. Adaptability. Attention to Details. Critical Thinking. Friendly. Empathy and Compassion. More items Less likely to use violence. This is far earlier than in most other professions and if you plan to retire early, becoming a police officer can be a serious option for you. We would be lost without our firearm and badged clipped to our waistbands. If anything does go bad, they are here, a Grade 9. Why is being professional important? So are The Conversations authors and editors. Policemen can also retire earlier than people in most other jobs. After finishing university, I traveled around the world. Chances are that there would be many more robberies and other unpleasant things. WebPros of a Career as a Probation Officer. You Research shows that, overall, college-educated officers generate fewer citizen complaints. Discretion is applied from the moment someone is arrested, when an officer uses their discretion to make the initial decision to arrest. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_officer, https://golawenforcement.com/articles/10-tips-for-a-successful-law-enforcement-career/, https://www.criminaljusticedegreeschools.com/resources/best-police-career-advice/. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. We cant sit still nor do we seem to have the mindset at times to settle down at home. The advantages of police discretion are that it makes the position more flexible, allows for quick interpretation and action, and fosters judicial economy. However, once they get older, they will notice that every goodbye can be the last one. In fact, you will make many mistakes throughout your career and some of these mistakes can even cost lives. The police discretion definition refers to the freedom of police officers to make decisions as they perform their official duties. The salaries are relatively handsome. If the judge decides on life imprisonment, they can decide whether or not the convicted party will ever get the chance for parole, and after how many years they will be eligible for parole. All rights reserved. In fact, night shifts are rather common and if you dont want to work at night, you should just go for another occupation instead. Among others, articles have been cited by NPOs, Wikipedia, Medium.com as well as on several college websites and lifestyle blogs. It resonates at home with spouses and children. 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advantages and disadvantages of being a police officer