by Bernie King

Created on: January 31, 2009

Have you been thinking about getting into a career in law enforcement? It is a very noble profession. It is not gender biased as it once was. If you are a "take charge" but compassionate type of person, you should join this elite group of people. The work can be a lot of fun and it is very exciting and exhilarating from making traffic stops, investigating serious crimes or just catching the "bad guy" and yes, even surveillance.

Some of the work is not so much fun, however, such as directing traffic or guarding a person, property or a crime scene for extended periods of time in all types of weather and you may find yourself very cold and wet that causes you to shiver or very hot and sweaty with the sweat soaking through your uniform. It can be very demanding on you and your family because of rotating shifts and other stresses that may be brought on through personal interaction with all types of people and their situations that you will encounter. The salary is not that great in a lot of places either.

Law enforcement can be very rewarding however. When a victim or a complainant shakes your hand, hugs you or writes a commendation to your supervisor or chief for your actions. That is an astonishing and outstanding feeling. You will know that you helped someone and handled your job in a very meaningful and professional way. As time goes on in your career, you will gain more confidence that you can get the job done and in the right way.

Some people get into law enforcement only to wear a colorful uniform, a gun and belt with all the other equipment attached such as handcuffs, pepper spray and possibly other non-lethal weapons such as a taser and drive a nice car or truck marked with a police logo on it that is equipped with flashing lights, radios and all the other necessities needed for the job. They will find out, however, there is a lot more to law enforcement than that.

There are other jobs in law enforcement other than being in a uniform in a car or truck. Such jobs include being promoted to detective, working in forensics, being an evidence collection technician, a corrections officer, a dispatcher, just to name a few.

Through this career, should you choose it, there will be times when you will think that you are not making a difference or think "what's the use". Just step back and think about the positive tasks you have accomplished from making it through the application process for the job that includes a criminal background check, polygraph (lie detector) test, possibly a physical agility test, going though the police academy which can be very grueling and long, possibly going through more departmental in service training, and then finally getting on the road by yourself or in whatever position you wanted to get into in this field.

If you are new to the profession you will be timid at first but gain more confidence with time.

There is a great need for law enforcement in this country both in the small town or rural areas to the bigger cities. They are looking for good men and women to fill the ranks.

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