1 answer
Vivian
Student
Alabama Port, AL
4
Questions
Asked
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can you help me to be a cop?
I love to do cop things and watch cop movies like the rookie 911 blue bloods NICS and lots more. what can I do do be a cop?
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1 answer
Kevin Czora
Law enforcement
35
Answers
Amherst, New York
Updated
Kevin’s Answer
Vivian,
First, its good to see your interest in law enforcement. There seems to never be enough good people looking into the field. To prepare for a career in law enforcement, there's a number of steps you can take.
First, its an good education. You need a high schoold diploma, at minimum. Many police departments require at least 60 college credit hours, with some agencies requiring a 4 year degree. Regardless, your grades matter. I always looked at high school and college performance when deciding if a candidate would be a wise hire. Good grades show an ability to focus, a high level of discipline, and overall intelligence. A majority of police work is report writing and understanding various laws. So a strong ability to research and articulate is very important.
Integrity is another area you must shine in. Your day-to-day decision making is extremely important, and will be thoroughly scrutinized. If you get suspended in school, traffic tickets, various police contacts, drug/alcohol use, etc, this will all go against you. We want only those with high moral character to be police officers. This helps the entire police community be trusted by citizens. Keep your nose clean!
Some other areas you can work on are as follows. Playing team sports. This shows you can work as a team player. It also shows you are physically fit. Both are very important in law enforcement. Touching on the physical fitness, getting into an excercise routine is important as well. You'll need to pass agility tests to get hired, and again to graduate from the academy. Another option you can choose is joining an auxiliary police department. If this is offered in your area, and you fit the requirements, it could be a good lead-in to the field. Understanding what its like to be in police work, and making connections may help.
Lastly, and I'm not sure if this applies to the area you live in, but taking practice police entrance exams can be extremely helpful. If your area requires passing an entrance exam, taking these practice tests will help you prepare for, and understand, the types of questions you may face. Most entrance exams do not cover actual laws. Instead, they look at sentence structure, critical thinking, grammar, etc. You can find practice books on-line for your area.
Good luck, and hope this helps!
Kevin Czora
First, its good to see your interest in law enforcement. There seems to never be enough good people looking into the field. To prepare for a career in law enforcement, there's a number of steps you can take.
First, its an good education. You need a high schoold diploma, at minimum. Many police departments require at least 60 college credit hours, with some agencies requiring a 4 year degree. Regardless, your grades matter. I always looked at high school and college performance when deciding if a candidate would be a wise hire. Good grades show an ability to focus, a high level of discipline, and overall intelligence. A majority of police work is report writing and understanding various laws. So a strong ability to research and articulate is very important.
Integrity is another area you must shine in. Your day-to-day decision making is extremely important, and will be thoroughly scrutinized. If you get suspended in school, traffic tickets, various police contacts, drug/alcohol use, etc, this will all go against you. We want only those with high moral character to be police officers. This helps the entire police community be trusted by citizens. Keep your nose clean!
Some other areas you can work on are as follows. Playing team sports. This shows you can work as a team player. It also shows you are physically fit. Both are very important in law enforcement. Touching on the physical fitness, getting into an excercise routine is important as well. You'll need to pass agility tests to get hired, and again to graduate from the academy. Another option you can choose is joining an auxiliary police department. If this is offered in your area, and you fit the requirements, it could be a good lead-in to the field. Understanding what its like to be in police work, and making connections may help.
Lastly, and I'm not sure if this applies to the area you live in, but taking practice police entrance exams can be extremely helpful. If your area requires passing an entrance exam, taking these practice tests will help you prepare for, and understand, the types of questions you may face. Most entrance exams do not cover actual laws. Instead, they look at sentence structure, critical thinking, grammar, etc. You can find practice books on-line for your area.
Good luck, and hope this helps!
Kevin Czora