{"id":24144,"date":"2019-04-09T15:01:41","date_gmt":"2019-04-09T20:01:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/blog\/prep\/?p=24144"},"modified":"2020-09-11T20:41:42","modified_gmt":"2020-09-11T20:41:42","slug":"duties-of-a-police-officer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/police-entrance-exam\/duties-of-a-police-officer\/","title":{"rendered":"Duties of a Police Officer"},"content":{"rendered":"

A career in law enforcement has become more complex in recent years as new and varied threats to the safety of our communities arise. However, the core of police work remains the same. Police agencies are always looking for men and women who can effectively serve their fellow citizens. Service to one\u2019s community is an honorable calling\u2014the term \u201cpublic servant\u201d is interchangeable with police officer. In the past, \u201ccustomer service\u201d was not always stressed as much as it is today. Now, agencies are increasingly looking for those who can communicate effectively and provide their clients with exceptional service.
\nRead on to find out more about the exciting and ever-changing career that awaits you!
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Hierarchy of Duties of a Police Officer<\/h3>
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\nNo matter what state or county you reside in, the following will apply to you and your team.
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First: Help anyone in danger<\/h4>
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\nWhen it comes to policing, the first priority is to protect the lives of citizens. As a police officer, always keep at the forefront of your mind that your primary duty is to protect life\u2014no matter who you are helping and what situation you encounter. All officers have an obligation and must swear to protect the lives of victims, bystanders, suspects, and offenders\u2014and of course their own lives as well as the lives of fellow officers.
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Second: Secure public order<\/h4>
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\nPolice officers are also responsible for preserving the peace and maintaining public order on a daily basis. Officers must also maintain the peace during special events such as parades, sports, political events, and other community functions. When a law enforcement team secures public order and preserves the peace, demonstrations and rallies then remain orderly and lawful and a sense of safety and security is maintained. If a riot threatens, officers need to do everything they can to defuse the situation. Any acts of aggression or destruction must be stopped, without inciting further action.
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Third: Uphold the law<\/h4>
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\nTo uphold the law and prevent crime is of course a main function for police officers. Understanding the law and how to apply it to difficult situations may not always be easy. At any given time, an officer must be trained in how to assess the situation, determining what laws may apply. Protecting crime scenes is also a crucial part of upholding the law: officers must know how to preserve evidence in order to assist in the investigation that will lead to an arrest, prosecution, and conviction of a guilty party. However, the crime scene should only be protected once it is deemed safe and clear by the officers at the scene.
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Fourth: Customer service\u2014help those needing assistance<\/h4>
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\nA healthy percentage of a police officer\u2019s calls may be service related. These types of calls are usually not crime related, and the public is looking for the officer to help them in whatever situation arises. These calls could range from medical assistance, traffic accidents with or without injuries, a lost child, mediation between neighbors, and even directions to tourists. You will also be required to respond appropriately to people who can\u2019t adequately care for themselves and require your help. These can include the elderly, children, the mentally or physically disabled, the homeless, and others in similar situations.
\nSocial service calls play a huge role in law enforcement, and the responding police officer must be prepared to serve as the \u201cface\u201d of the department.
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Fifth: Tend to your beat or patrol area<\/h4>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
\nAs any police officer will tell you, the job isn\u2019t as well plotted as a TV series. In real life, you don\u2019t get a weekly jolt of heart-stopping drama. Most of your job consists of keeping an eye on your little piece of the world. This is especially true now, as community policing becomes more and more widespread. The beat or patrol officer should act as a liaison between the community and the department. Enforcing quality of life (QOL) issues not only helps build trust between the officer and the community, but can also help reduce or prevent criminal behavior.
\nGetting to know the people within an officer\u2019s community is crucial. This will help the flow and exchange of information that is needed for the officer to properly do his or her job. The officer can quickly learn what \u201cnormal\u201d looks like, and can spot anything that\u2019s out of place. Is there\u00a0anyone around who looks like he or she doesn\u2019t belong? A light on in a store at a time when the owner\u2019s not usually there? If you want to know about what\u2019s going on in the neighborhood, who do you go to?
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Sixth: Maintain a sense of ethics<\/h4>
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\nAs a police officer, your day-to-day interactions with peoples of all races, nationalities, or diverse beliefs reflect not only on you, but your agency and all other police officers as well. Ethical issues aren\u2019t easy to prioritize, but keep some of the basics in mind as you make decisions.
\nRemember your oath to serve<\/strong><\/em>
\nYou have made a commitment to perform certain duties; you are expected to respond, as an officer of the law, in any situation that requires law enforcement assistance. Police officers work under the motto \u201cTo Serve and Protect,\u201d and this concept of helping and serving the public should not be taken lightly and should never be lost in your moral compass as a police officer.
\nAvoid even the appearance of corruption<\/strong><\/em>
\nThis is one of the hot-button areas of law enforcement. Police corruption, or the suspicion of it, has set off more investigations and ruined more careers than any other single issue. Don\u2019t put yourself in the neighborhood of this accusation. Follow your conscience and remember your oath of service; this should help you navigate through those tough decisions.
\nDon’t play favorites<\/strong><\/em>
\nAs you work a beat, you will inevitably develop opinions and attitudes about the people you see regularly. It\u2019s just human nature. You are going to like some of these folks, and others are going to drive you up a wall. You can\u2019t help that, but you can\u2019t let your personal feelings influence your responses. All people are entitled to equal treatment under the law\u2014even really irritating people.
\nRemember, police officers must learn how to use a lot of discretion and use it wisely. Your ability to do so will result in strengthening your own personal judgment and adherence to the laws and rules that you must follow. As an officer, you must encounter the public for all different reasons. Ultimately, try to remember that you are representing your department at all times, and that the purpose of every encounter is to protect the public.
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\nReady to start studying for the Police Exam? Try out Kaplan’s resources.<\/p>\n<\/div>

Police Exam Prep <\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div>
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A career in law enforcement has become more complex in recent years as new and varied threats to the safety of our communities arise. However, the core of police work remains the same. Police agencies are always looking for men and women who can effectively serve their fellow citizens. Service to one\u2019s community is an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29084,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[395],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24144"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24144"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24144\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35200,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24144\/revisions\/35200"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29084"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24144"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24144"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24144"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}