Police Officers: Salary & Duties

Police officers. Chances are you see them plenty during your daily life, but how much do you know about what they do? If a police career is something you're interested in, now's your chance to read up on not only what they do, but where they work and what they get paid.

What does a police officer do?
A regular day on the job for a police officer can be as subdued as patrolling an area, writing tickets, and giving tourists directions, while a more demanding day may require multiple arrests, pursuing criminals, and interviewing victims. Police officers also spend a considerable amount of time writing reports of their arrests and testifying in court. They may also be called in for overtime work depending on how many police units are needed to cover a situation, if a threat is made against a person or place, or if an emergency situation occurs. Police officers also have to revisit their firearm skills every year or so at the police shooting range, and must submit to random drug tests.

Not many people realize the extent to which police officers have to interact with citizens and other members of the law. That's why people skills are a must in this profession. A typical day in the life of a police officer means speaking with everyone from tourists looking for directions to potential witnesses to a crime. Police officers also need to be able to think quickly, communicate clearly, handle tense situations, and must have a good eye for details. 

How much do police officers get paid and what kinds of police officer jobs can I get?
No matter how small your town is or how expansive your city is, police officers are needed in full force in order to protect the peace and maintain order. As a result, police officers will always be in demand and the BLS predicts that employment for this profession will increase as fast as the average for all occupations through 2016. While some towns will only have on police station, other cities will require many different stations and precincts that respond to calls only within their immediate vicinity -- though they can be called into other areas if need be.

Depending on where they work and their number of years on the force, police officers may be paid as little as $27,310 or as much as $72,450 a year. Police officers also receive sick leave, paid vacation, insurance, and paid overtime. Police may also experience job mobility by rising in rank, in which case an education from outside courses and training programs may give hopeful cadets and/or current police officers a leg up. In fact, some departments now require that a police officer hold a college degree before they can be promoted to the rank of sergeant.

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