Could you describe a typical work day
I am about being all over the place and being excited to find out what’s next that I could come up to on an everyday workday . #police
2 answers
Kimberly’s Answer
The best thing about being in law enforcement is that there is no typical day. If you don't adjust well to change or need consistency in your work life, law enforcement is probably not for you. Your day changes from minute to minute, hour to hour. You could be investigating a vehicle accident then get called to a physical altercation then notice an elderly person need help carrying their groceries inside. You do it all. You need to be flexible, open minded and patient. You see people on their best and worst day in law enforcement. Compassion is an essential tool to possess when you're in law enforcement. Good luck to you
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Jared’s Answer
You begin your shift in the briefing room inside the police station. Each squad has a designated shift, so you will work with the same people each day. The variation will come from overlapping shifts from other squads. Our squad was light, so there was no need to do a formal "roll call". The Sergeant generally knows the officers quite well, so he or she will know who is there and who is not. Briefings at the beginning of the shift typically last about half an hour and go over any important information, such as training, "Be on the lookout (BOLO)" alerts, and updates from the squad that is/has just completed their shift.
After the briefing, you head out to load your assigned patrol vehicle. Different departments do this in different ways. Some departments have take-home vehicles if you live close enough to work, so this step would be unnecessary. For my department, we weren't guaranteed to get the same vehicle each week. Once we load up, we sign into our computer terminals (inside the vehicles) and signal to dispatch that we are beginning our shift. If there are calls holding, we often get dispatched immediately to a location in our beat area.
Every day is different. This occupation is all about 99% boring/1% out of your mind intense. It can flip like a switch. On a typical day I will response to mutliple car wrecks ranging from fender benders to fatalities, a few domestic violence inidents, trespass people off property, and maybe pull someone over if there is time or a dire need. Phoenix is quite a busy city and the calls in my beat were too frequent to do much pro-active work. Most days I would arrest between 1 and 3 different people from different incidents. Somewhere in the middle of all of this we have to take time to write detailed, coherent reports about the calls. Otherwise, the ten hour shifts can turn into 12 and 14 hour shifts quite easily.
FYI, I am no longer a law enforcement officer, but I was with the Raleigh Police Department for two years and the Phoenix Police Department for three. I have since changed occupations after earning my MBA and I currently work as a Global Commodity Management Advisor for Dell Technologies.