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Police Officers Describe The Skills Required Of Essay

Police Officers Describe the skills required of a law enforcement officer

Law officer officers play a vital role in society. They provide services that ultimately provided for the security of the community and the confidence to conduct routine activities without fear. As such, police officers, as they interact constantly with the community they are required to protect, must possess certain skills. These skills are essential to performing their tasks in a meaningful and profound manner.

According to recent reports, police officers have one of the most stressful jobs in the United States (Spielberge, 2000). The threat of retaliation from criminals, the lack of confidence in their skills, and a general public distaste for law enforcement all contribute to this stress. Therefore, police officers must be calm and calculated in their actions. These skills are essential as situations may require quick decisions based on strategy rather than emotion. If for example, a police officer is having a particularly bad day, it is within his power to transfer that anger to the community he is required to protect. This can come in the form of aggressive behaviors towards citizens, aggressive ticket writing for minor offenses, or even outright disregards for individual rights. This has occurred in numerous occasions within the African-American communities as officers have either wrongfully...

This has results in massive public perception issues as police officers, with their aggressive behavior, are conducting acts that are unwarranted. Shooting African-American teenagers with their hands in the arm and presenting no immediate threat to the officer is one of many more popular issues plaguing law enforcement. To mitigate these occurrences police officers must stay calm irrespective of their environment. They also must strategic and calculated in their over resolutions of conflict.
Police officers must also possess the skill of empathy as it relates to the communities in which they serve. Police officers are humans and have many of the same tendencies as the citizens they are charged to protect. Empathy helps the law enforcement profession establish rapport with local constituents. This is particularly important for the police officer as it relates to crime and negotiations. In many instances, the community at large provides significant help in apprehending criminals. This can come in the form of anonymous tips, conversations, recorded statements, letters, photographs, and other mechanisms. By showing empathy and building rapport, citizens are more likely to cooperate and work collaboratively with law enforcement. This ultimately will help not only the police officer in regards to handling the overall investigation, but…

Sources used in this document:
References:

1) Spielberger, C.D.; Westberry, L.G.; Grier, K.S.; Greenfield, G. "Police Stress Survey -- Sources of Stress in Law Enforcement." University of South Florida Human Resources Institute. (2000)

2) Raphael B, Wilson JP, eds. Psychological Debriefing: Theory, Practice and Evidence. Cambridge University Press;2000:357

3) Robert C. Ankony, "The Impact of Perceived Alienation on Police Officers' Sense of Mastery and Subsequent Motivation for Proactive Enforcement," Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies and Management, vol. 22, no. 2 (1999): 120-32.
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