6 answers
Matthew
Student
Holland, IA
3
Questions
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How would you describe a "typical" workday?
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#police #law-enforcement #police-officer
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6 answers
Jack Smith
Retired Federal Agent
1
Answer
Boston, Massachusetts
Updated
Jack’s Answer
Matthew, you can go into your office anticipating doing administrative paperwork and in a matter of hours be responding to dangerous critical incidents to following suspects across state lines. In my agency we always had a bag which had enough supplies for several days on the road. You can go from mundane work to making numerous critical decisions. You have to be flexible in LE.
Divita Washington
11
Answers
Baltimore, Maryland
Updated
Divita’s Answer
Each day is different. Depending on what type of police department you are trying to work for.
Kim Igleheart
Career Counselor | Police Officer
1750
Answers
San Antonio, Texas
Updated
Kim’s Answer
Matthew,
There are many different types of law enforcement agencies, all with their own "typical" day.
Let's assume you are working for a city or county agency and are on vehicle patrol.
Your shift starts with a briefing/ or rollcall. Prior to that you come in, grab whatever you need from your locker, and spend some time visiting and joking around with your fellow officers. At rollcall, you receive whatever pertinent information your mgt team has to pass on to you. Perhaps (as happened to me) your Chief was almost hit at a 4-way stop sign. There will be a memo instructing officers to step-up traffic enforcement at that intersection. After briefing, you put your things in the car, and inspect the car. Then, you head out on patrol.
Law Enforcement has been described as 99% boredom interrupted by 1% sheer terror. It's a fairly accurate statement. But, you must never let down your guard. You must be constantly alert.
If your shift started at 6 a.m. in a big city, you might start getting calls right away - people who woke up to go to work only to find their cars weren't on the driveway. Or the cars were there but had been jacked up and all the tires taken. You go to the call, get the information for the report, and reassure the victim that night shift is aware of the problem and is addressing it. You may also go work traffic patrol in the school zones. After all that, you might meet up with a few of your fellow officers for coffee.
You go back on patrol. Citizens like seeing the police patrolling, even though the odds of catching a crime in progress are pretty slim. You stop in at the corner store to use the restroom. You've been there a few times before. The clerk starts talking to you about personal problems -perhaps problems she's having with her teenage son, or her boyfriend. As a police officer, the world expects you to have all the solutions to all the problems, even though you are only 22 years old! You do the best you can to give her some guidance or maybe tell her about community resources. Then you get a call from the Sgt telling you to go pick up radios at the radio shop that had been out for repairs.
Perhaps you get a call to a business where an employee who has been fired is refusing to leave. Or, you make a few traffic stops, do computer checks on the drivers, write the tickets and send them on their way. Or, if they have warrants, you arrest them. This includes calling for the tow truck, and inventorying their car. You take them to the processing center where they will go before the judge. Ours was at the municipal jail, but everyone is different. You fill out the paperwork, which, for warrants is fairly easy. If you had arrested them for a criminal offense, you would need to write the report and fill out other forms justifying your probable cause and making sure you covered all the "elements of the offense."
You get a call for a minor vehicle accident. Nobody is hurt. You take necessary steps to ensure the safety of the accident scene. This might mean having the drivers move their cars to the parking lot, or perhaps setting out flares. You talk to each driver separately and get their statements. You document the damage to the vehicles. If necessary, you call for the tow truck.
Now your shift is winding down, you go refuel and wash your car. . . and write any unfinished reports. Also complete your vehicle trip sheet, and if required, your daily activity report listing your calls, traffic stops, arrests, etc.
Afternoon or evening shifts will be different, with more calls for family disturbances, drunks, etc. and a greater likelihood of getting DWI arrests.
Hope this helps! This is "typical." I didn't cover the 1% sheer terror part. . .
There are many different types of law enforcement agencies, all with their own "typical" day.
Let's assume you are working for a city or county agency and are on vehicle patrol.
Your shift starts with a briefing/ or rollcall. Prior to that you come in, grab whatever you need from your locker, and spend some time visiting and joking around with your fellow officers. At rollcall, you receive whatever pertinent information your mgt team has to pass on to you. Perhaps (as happened to me) your Chief was almost hit at a 4-way stop sign. There will be a memo instructing officers to step-up traffic enforcement at that intersection. After briefing, you put your things in the car, and inspect the car. Then, you head out on patrol.
Law Enforcement has been described as 99% boredom interrupted by 1% sheer terror. It's a fairly accurate statement. But, you must never let down your guard. You must be constantly alert.
If your shift started at 6 a.m. in a big city, you might start getting calls right away - people who woke up to go to work only to find their cars weren't on the driveway. Or the cars were there but had been jacked up and all the tires taken. You go to the call, get the information for the report, and reassure the victim that night shift is aware of the problem and is addressing it. You may also go work traffic patrol in the school zones. After all that, you might meet up with a few of your fellow officers for coffee.
You go back on patrol. Citizens like seeing the police patrolling, even though the odds of catching a crime in progress are pretty slim. You stop in at the corner store to use the restroom. You've been there a few times before. The clerk starts talking to you about personal problems -perhaps problems she's having with her teenage son, or her boyfriend. As a police officer, the world expects you to have all the solutions to all the problems, even though you are only 22 years old! You do the best you can to give her some guidance or maybe tell her about community resources. Then you get a call from the Sgt telling you to go pick up radios at the radio shop that had been out for repairs.
Perhaps you get a call to a business where an employee who has been fired is refusing to leave. Or, you make a few traffic stops, do computer checks on the drivers, write the tickets and send them on their way. Or, if they have warrants, you arrest them. This includes calling for the tow truck, and inventorying their car. You take them to the processing center where they will go before the judge. Ours was at the municipal jail, but everyone is different. You fill out the paperwork, which, for warrants is fairly easy. If you had arrested them for a criminal offense, you would need to write the report and fill out other forms justifying your probable cause and making sure you covered all the "elements of the offense."
You get a call for a minor vehicle accident. Nobody is hurt. You take necessary steps to ensure the safety of the accident scene. This might mean having the drivers move their cars to the parking lot, or perhaps setting out flares. You talk to each driver separately and get their statements. You document the damage to the vehicles. If necessary, you call for the tow truck.
Now your shift is winding down, you go refuel and wash your car. . . and write any unfinished reports. Also complete your vehicle trip sheet, and if required, your daily activity report listing your calls, traffic stops, arrests, etc.
Afternoon or evening shifts will be different, with more calls for family disturbances, drunks, etc. and a greater likelihood of getting DWI arrests.
Hope this helps! This is "typical." I didn't cover the 1% sheer terror part. . .
Harold Evans
Dedicated Operations Manager
43
Answers
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Updated
Harold’s Answer
There is no typical day working as a police officer.
Divita Washington
11
Answers
Baltimore, Maryland
Updated
Divita’s Answer
There is no typical day. Each day and each interaction with citizens is different. If you can predict your day that's the day you should no longer be in law enforcement.
James Hanzel
Corrections and Security
236
Answers
Cape Coral, Florida
Updated
James’s Answer
Hello there! I have worked in Military Police/Corrections. In my field, part of the appeal is that there is no typical workday. Fellow law enforcement officers that I associate with agree that part of the motive for choosing such a career field is because it varies so much day to day. It forces you to adapt. It is incredibly challenging. An example I will use is people you have to talk to. When I was working in a prison, we could get prisoners with different backgrounds, different ways of speaking, and different temperaments. This meant that I had to adapt to find a way to get through to each and every on them in order to ensure their cooperation.