What do police officers do?
By Emma Woolley
The primary responsibility of police officers is to protect the
public, or if commissioned, the person, group or organization
to which they are assigned. Through detecting and preventing
crime, police officers strive to maintain law and order in their
respective jurisdictions.
Most new police officers work in general duty in patrol
divisions, which provides a broad range of experiences
and assignments. General duty policing involves patrolling
assigned areas to enforce laws, protect public safety, and
arrest criminal suspects – either by car, foot, bicycle, or in
some cases, horse.
Police officers can also do some or all of the following:
Investigate accidents and crime scenes; secure evidence and
interview witnesses; testify in court; collect notes and reports;
provide emergency assistance to victims of natural disasters,
crime, and accidents; engage in crime prevention, safety, and
public information programs; participate in media relations;
and supervise and manage the work of other police officers.
Working as a police officer can be one of the most
diverse career experiences, as specializations ranging in the
hundreds are available. With a few years of service (usually
four or more), he or she can move into areas such as criminal
identification, drug investigations, sexual assault, fraud, major
case and/or crime management, surveillance, aircraft security,
explosives disposal, police dog services, and many more.
Police officers must be available for shift work at any time
of day and any day of the week, including holidays. Shifts
tend to be longer than the standard eight-hour office day.
Even though many regular police duties are routine in nature,
the job can also be dangerous, as well as physically and
emotionally stressful.