Do You Have What It Takes to Work in Law Enforcement?

As towns across the country continue to face police shortages, it's a great time for anyone interested in becoming a law enforcement officer to start pursuing this admirable goal. However, not everyone has what it takes to join the force and get paid to protect and serve. As you might expect, you'll need to meet certain requirements to be considered eligible for the job. With that said, here are some of the traits you'll need to possess before applying for a position in law enforcement.

1. Discipline and Attentiveness

As a law enforcement officer, you'll be expected to exercise the highest level of discipline both on and off duty. This means you'll have to commit to being a commendable member of the community, a standard of behavior that is expected of most public service workers. Law enforcement officers must be able to pass drug and sobriety tests at any given time. You'll also need a decent level of discipline just to make it through training, as you'll be taking in a lot of information about how to use your equipment and perform your job duties properly. Even the small steps, like learning how to use holsters from Front Line Holsters, will be critiqued by your superiors, so discipline and attentiveness are attributes that every prospective police officer should have.

2. A Clean Background

Law enforcement workers are subjected to extremely thorough background checks. During this step, the agency you're applying for will look into every part of your past, including your work history, criminal record, and any psychological evaluations you have had. While smaller charges like traffic tickets may be overlooked, particularly if they happened a long time ago, you'll be disqualified if you have any serious charges such as those related to drugs or domestic violence. You'll also have to submit to a polygraph exam (lie detector test) and answer a series of questions regarding your background and character.

3. Good Fitness

Many police departments won't strictly enforce fitness standards after you've been hired, but every department will require that you meet certain standards before hiring you. This means you'll have to pass either a physical fitness assessment or physical ability test. In both cases, you'll need to prove that you have enough physical strength and endurance to perform the job without causing injury to yourself. Thus, you may want to start a workout regimen several months before starting the application process to get a head start if necessary. You can apply for a clerical position in the meantime.

A Job Worth Working Towards

As you can see, as long as you're disciplined, have a clean background, and can pass a physical fitness test, you're practically guaranteed a job in law enforcement somewhere. That's good news, considering the fact that an experienced officer earns an average salary of roughly $65,000 per year or roughly $5,400 per month. Plus, by working in law enforcement, you'll be helping to solve the problem of our nation's police shortage, thereby contributing towards a safer society overall.