What You'll Do

  • Identify, pursue, and arrest suspects and perpetrators of criminal acts.
  • Provide for public safety by maintaining order, responding to emergencies, protecting people and property, enforcing motor vehicle and criminal laws, and promoting good community relations.
  • Record facts to prepare reports that document incidents and activities.
  • Render aid to accident survivors and other persons requiring first aid for physical injuries.
  • Investigate illegal or suspicious activities.
  • Review facts of incidents to determine if criminal act or statute violations were involved.
  • Monitor, note, report, and investigate suspicious persons and situations, safety hazards, and unusual or illegal activity in patrol area.
  • Testify in court to present evidence or act as witness in traffic and criminal cases.
  • Drive vehicles or patrol specific areas to detect law violators, issue citations, and make arrests.
  • Monitor traffic to ensure motorists observe traffic regulations and exhibit safe driving procedures.

Essential Skills

Active Listening 3.88/5
Speaking 3.88/5
Social Perceptiveness 3.88/5
Critical Thinking 3.75/5
Active Learning 3.75/5
Reading Comprehension 3.62/5
Coordination 3.62/5
Persuasion 3.62/5
Judgment and Decision Making 3.62/5
Monitoring 3.5/5
Service Orientation 3.5/5
Negotiation 3.38/5

Career Fit Overview

Use this summary to understand the kind of profile this role rewards. It helps you judge whether this career looks like a stronger match than your current role, a nearby move worth exploring, or a broader path to compare more seriously.

Top passions

  • Maker: Building and fixing energizes you. You like tangible results and practical tools.
  • Organizer: Bringing order to data and processes satisfies you.
  • Leader: Taking charge and moving ideas forward motivates you.

Common styles

Stress Tolerance, Dependability, Integrity, Self-Control, Cautiousness

Want a personal read on fit? Take the free assessment and compare this career to your current role, nearby alternatives, and broader stronger-fit options.

Key Abilities

This career demands strong capabilities in the following areas:

Oral Comprehension 4.5/5
Problem Sensitivity 4.5/5
Deductive Reasoning 4.25/5
Inductive Reasoning 4.25/5
Oral Expression 4.12/5
Written Comprehension 3.88/5
Speech Clarity 3.88/5
Information Ordering 3.75/5

Technologies & Tools

Computer aided composite drawing software Computer aided dispatch software Corel WordPerfect Office Suite Crime mapping software Database software DesignWare 3D EyeWitness Email software ESRI ArcView IBM Lotus 1-2-3 Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System IAFIS Law enforcement information databases Microsoft Access Microsoft Excel Microsoft Internet Explorer Microsoft Office software Microsoft Outlook Microsoft PowerPoint Microsoft Visio Microsoft Windows Microsoft Word

Work Environment & Strengths

Common Strengths for This Career

  • Stress Tolerance (High importance: 5.0/5)
  • Dependability (High importance: 4.95/5)
  • Integrity (High importance: 4.95/5)
  • Self-Control (High importance: 4.75/5)
  • Cautiousness (High importance: 4.55/5)

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How to Become One

This career typically requires vocational school, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. Some specialized training or certification may also be required.

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Also Known As

This career is known by many different job titles across industries. Here are all the variations:

Accident Prevention Squad Police Officer Alcohol Law Enforcement Agent (ALE Agent) Animal Cop Border Guard Border Patrol Agent Border Patrol Officer Campus Police Officer Canine Deputy (K-9 Deputy) Canine Handler (K-9 Handler) Canine Police Officer (K-9 Police Officer) Certified Police Officer City Constable City Marshal Civil Division Deputy Sheriff Civil Process Server Community Service Officer (CSO) Community Service Patrol Officer Complaint Evaluation Officer Constable Cop County Sheriff Court Security Deputy Sheriff Crime Prevention Police Officer Custody Deputy Sheriff Customs Patrol Officer Deputy Deputy Certified Sheriff Deputy Sheriff Deputy Sheriff Generalist Deputy Sheriff Lieutenant Desk Officer Drug Abuse Resistance Education Officer (DARE Officer) Drug Enforcement Agent Enforcement Officer Grand Jury Deputy Sheriff Highway Patrol Officer Highway Patrol Pilot Immigration Guard Lateral Police Officer Law Enforcement Officer Law Enforcement Specialist Marshal Military Police Officer Motorcycle Police Mounted Police Officer Park Police Patrol Deputy Patrol Deputy Sheriff Patrol Driver Patrol Officer Patrol Park Officer Patrolman Peace Officer Physical Security Specialist Police Booking Officer Police Corporal Police Inspector Police Officer Police Park Officer Police Patrol Officer Police Recruit Police Worker Policeman Policewoman Protective Officer Protective Service Specialist Public Safety Officer Road Deputy Safety Instruction Police Officer Safety Patrol Officer School Resource Officer (SRO) Security Patrol Officer Security Police Officer Security Specialist Sheriff Department Corporal Sheriff's Deputy Sheriff's Detective Sheriff's Officer Sheriff's Sergeant Special Deputy Special Deputy Sheriff Special Police Officer State Highway Police Officer State Patrol Officer State Trooper SWAT Team Member (Special Weapons and Tactics Team Member) Trooper Under Sheriff Uniform Patrol Police Officer University Police Officer Working Dog Handler

Career Fit FAQs

Is this career a good fit for me

This page shows the role itself. To see personal fit, use the assessment to compare your interests, motivations, and strengths against this career and against the role you are in now.

Can this help if I want to stay in my field

Yes. Many people use career pages like this to compare nearby roles in the same field and see whether they need a full switch or a better-fit version of the work they already know.

What should I compare first

Start with the daily tasks, the preparation level, and the work-style signals on this page. Then use the assessment to see whether this role looks like a stronger fit than your current role or just a different title.