Police officers have many duties, including protecting people and property, catching lawbreakers, writing reports, directing traffic, giving first aid, patrolling areas, and performing specialized tasks. Duties vary based on rank, position, jurisdiction, education, and specialty. Some officers also work off-duty security jobs.
People tend to simplify the duties of a police officer. Some may think that all they do is issue traffic tickets, while others may limit their duties to handling 911 calls. The truth is, most police officers have many duties, some of which are very dangerous while others may seem rather benign and boring. However, not all police officers share the same list of duties and they don’t necessarily perform them the same way.
Factors that can influence what a police officer does include their rank, position, jurisdiction, education, employment history, occupational specialty, and more. Whether a police officer is on or off duty, he or she is expected to protect people’s life and property and this could be considered the primary duty of all police officers. They also patrol areas to catch people breaking the law and then arrest them, warn them of their actions or give them a summons depending on the seriousness of their crime or misdemeanor. An important and time-consuming task of a police officer is paperwork: writing police reports and keeping records of their activities.
There are also many lesser duties of a police officer, all of which are also important within the larger scheme of keeping law and order intact. A common example is the direction of traffic, whether at the scene of an accident or at a busy intersection. At the scene of the accidents, the police officer sometimes also has to give first aid to the victims until the paramedics arrive. Another minor but important duty of a police officer is to patrol areas for the purpose of keeping them safe. He or she may school campuses, retail stores, malls, transit services, and more, all often patrolled by off-duty police officers who perform security jobs to earn extra income.
A police officer may also have special duties within a particular field. For example, some police officers train other officers and civilians in weapons and gun safety. They may work with police dogs, or in forensics, water patrolling, or emergency response. Some police officers are actively involved in the community, building relationships and offering their services to local community organizations.
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