The 5 Duties of a Police Officer

If you’re training to become a police officer, you must know what the job entails before taking the test. The duties of a police officer are as follows:

1 — Know the Job Description

As an officer, the least you can do is be aware of what’s expected of you: the standards, the challenges, the job itself. An overlooked part of the job is conflict of interest; since most officers work in the neighborhood they grew up in, they’re bound to run into family, friends, and acquaintances. Officers must know how to handle conflict-of-interest situations, or their applications may be tossed in the trash.

2 — Protecting People and Property

Though it sounds self-explanatory, the protection of people and property is more challenging and dangerous than most would expect. As an officer, you won’t know what’s waiting for you around the corner, nor will you always know what to expect from a suspect. Being an officer is risky, especially when dealing with emergency situations. However, there are benign duties too: educational outreach with local schools, for example, will let you educate students and encourage them to obey the law.

3 — Proportionate Use of Force

One thing police officers cannot do is disproportionately use force. Any force they do use must align with the situation they are in — deadly force shouldn’t be used during a traffic violation, for example. Officers must evaluate the situation and dangers at hand and only apply reasonable and necessary force. If not correctly applied, an officer will be breaching their duties.

4 — Ethical Obligations

Police officers must meet ethical and moral obligations while serving with the police force. This means they cannot discriminate against anyone based on personal prejudice, apply the law even-handedly to all citizens, avoid conflict-of-interest and other corruption, and much more. An officer should mistreat no citizen; compassion is a serious part of the role.

5 — Handle Pressure and Hazards

Passing the officer’s test is only the first of many steps in becoming a police officer. Once the test is done, all officers face real-life consequences for their career decision. Being part of law enforcement is a high-pressure occupation that comes with significant daily risks and health hazards. By choosing this career path, officers must be prepared for these risks. Working on skills like teamwork, having strong judgment and communication skills, being able to multitask, being physically fit for the job, and being able to lead in dangerous situations are all musts in this line of work. All officers must face hazards head-on with a strong mental constitution to protect the public and arrest suspects.