Career Questions and Answers
What are the dangers of becoming a police officer?
Asked by Love Him
my boyfriend is thinking of becoming one but i'm scared for his safety?
is anyone out there a police officer and can you explain to me your job and whats rewarding and whats terrifying about it.
thnx
A:
Best Answer:
a lot you could get killed
A:
Getting shot. I wouldnt mind being one when im older
Answered by HannahAndLewisx
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poverty for one.
Answered by jjayferg
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I'm not a cop but isn't it obvious?
Answered by hot_tamale
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You could be killed by a nutter. On the other hand, you get to meet lots of ordinary, decent people, not just crims.
Answered by snetterton
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nothing scary .. just unpleasant .. because everyone will make fun of him and think he's stupid .. except his colleagues .. so your social life will come down to them, their desperate wives, while the rest of the world avoids you
sorry ... I'm just being honest
Answered by tricky
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i dont think there much danger as u r teached how to defend ur self and u have lots of back up my brother inlaw is a patrol police officer and my nephew is joining and some friends i have are all in there so dont worry
Answered by william l
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the loss of friends, as people tend to be scared of police officers ... and also, people would hate you, and may send death threats, although its very risky.
Answered by Ewan C
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There are just two problems. One is you could get shot and killed. The other is a slower death, your arteries clog up from all of the donuts you eat everyday. Pick your poison!
Answered by postal p
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letting power go to your head.
Answered by wish list
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i was with one for almost a year- there's not always that fear of danger- it kind of depends where they are located/what kind of shifts they are doing. because doing a 8-5 daily shift in a smaller suburban town is a lot safer then a 10pm-6am shift on a weekend in a large city/ghetto. so if you are worried bout safety maybe apply is a suburb for a day shift to start with atleast-- he'll quickly realize that most of the job is sitting around filling out paperwork anyways =)
Answered by Sami
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danger....it's part in parcel with the job love, you could get shot,stabbed,chibbed, bottles thrown at you, assaulted physically and verbally... that's the risk you take but I'm sure he knows that and he would have plenty of support from other officers, these thing don't happen on a regular occurrence tho
Answered by JohnPaulMctimaloid
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Its risky business. The question is do you have the stomach for it? For the most part they train you to be a robot. Are you willing to witness some of the horrors that criminal commit?
Answered by Orbach
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I have not idea, but I'm sure its not like its portrayed in television and movies. Those are just cops that you seen in action. You don't see the police officers that drive in the same pattern all day where all the different locales have lost meaning to them. Filling out the same paperwork over and over again. Repeating the same thing over and over again to somebody that violated the law and getting used to the usual responses. I'm very sure its as boring as any other job, but at least each day could be a different day at least.
Answered by Andy
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Statistically, a police officer's job is not one of the ten most dangerous jobs in the U.S. See http://money.cnn.com/2005/08/26/pf/jobs_jeopardy/.
I have represented some law enforcement agencies in my employment law practice. Most police officers truly want to help the public and most do a good job. There are some corrupt and/or power hungry police officers, but they typically do not last long in a good police department. This may be the key to your boyfriend's job - working for a good department.
The real drawbacks to a law enforcement job are non-physical. There is often a lot of "politics" in a law enforcement job. There is a lot of paperwork, and in most departments its often 10% of the cops who do 80% of the work.
You deal with a balance of people who truly need help and those who are the scum of society. A cop has to be careful that he/she doesn't start believing that everyone is an immoral scumbag. You may even lose some friends (though they probably weren't the friends you thought they were) over having a boyfriend who is a cop.
The pay for police officers is not great. However, they often work high-paying security jobs when off duty. Also, they usually have good benefits.
Answered by ChinHoYang
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There is danger in any job, the only comfort you can have is that he will be well trained to cope with any given situation. As for the rewards, I can only imagine the feeling he will get when he saves someones life. Wish him all the best and hope he does well.
Answered by JENNY O
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First of all you have every reason to be afraid for his safety, a police can be threatened with a knife, or worse he or she can be murdered.
a police officer are often shot
as I will mention in my source
Answered by Lori Seaborn
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i am not a police officer but i am a nurse
the dangers, besides the obvious ones, are of a legal nature
if something happens where someone gets hurt or feels their rights have been violated, then the policeman and the department is vulnerable to legal ramifications
Physically, officers are always at risk. All precautions can be taken but it is a very dangerous job. No question.
However, there are many other dangerous jobs that a person can do. NO job is without risk.
As a nurse we are at risk everyday over this or that. You just have to prepare yourself, keep your skills sharp, and be motivated to do a good job so that you decrease your vulnerability.
To be honest, the biggest 'danger' in the job of being a police officer...is job stress.
There is really no way around it, it just comes with the job. Police officers and health care workers are the worst offenders of drug and alcohol abuse among professional working people. Why? Because of high stress and the availability of drugs at our fingertips all the time.
With high stress comes other health problems and social issues. Open communication between you and he will have to be GREAT when the big stressors come in to play.
If he is determined to be a police officer, you should support him in this endeavor and allow enough time for you BOTH to make an informed decision about YOUR future.
Here are some helpful websites:
(Please read the second one as it applies directly to your question.)
http://www.officer.com/publication/article.jsp?pubId=1&id=26232
http://filebox.vt.edu/k/kgwilson/communication_and_organizational.htm
http://www.bls.gov/oco/print/ocos160.htm
Answered by Sharon W
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