Law enforcement plays an essential role in maintaining peace and order in society. They require education such as a high school diploma or college degree and undergo training at a police academy. There are many types of law enforcement including local, state, federal officers as well as crime scene investigators. While the role involves risks such as danger, it also provides benefits like early retirement and opportunities for promotion. Overall, law enforcement is an important career that protects citizens and enforces laws.

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Wouldn’t you like to be safe in your own house or be able to walk down the street
without being worried? Law Enforcement is an essential to our society, and the way to keep civil
peace. If we didn’t have any Law Enforcement, people would do what they want and there would
be no peace. Also people would have to fear for their lives because they have no protection. I
will be discussing the education, salary, types of Law Enforcement and their requirements and
the advantages and disadvantages. Law Enforcement is a big part of our society, if we didn’t
have them, then who knows?
“Education requirements range from a high school diploma to a college degree or higher”
(Occupational). Usually you must have a high schooldiploma and other departments you will
need at least 1 or 2 years of college courses. Some Federal agencies you need you will need a
college degree.”Civil service requirements govern the appointments of police and detectives in
most States, large municipalities, and special Police agencies, as well in many smaller
jurisdictions” (Occupational). Once you get your degree the pay can range from about 49k –
100k. Many positions can have different pay like Police Corporal gets paid $49,421 a year,
Police Sergeant $58,739, Police Lieutenant $69,588, Police Captain $72,769, Deputy Chief
$74834, and a Police Chief $90,570. There are many Universities you can attend to, but the
University of Alfred located in Alfred, New York has a criminal justice studies major offered to
the undergraduate students. At Alfred University you will be able to put your classroom
knowledge to practical experience or actual situations. When you do decide to look at schools for
Law Enforcement make sure you do some research so you can find the best one that you can
attend to. “Once hired the recruit attends a police training academy ranging from about 400 hours
to almost a year depending on jurisdiction to study a wide range of topics” (Educating). “Most of

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which the State Police Officers Standards and training (POST) Board of equivalent body has
mandated” (Educating).
There are many different types of Law Enforcement out there from Local, State, Federal,
and Crime Scene Investigator.”Local Law Enforcement is in charge of with upholding the law on
the streets and in the neighborhoods of the City or Town they work in” (What). Even though
people may not like Local Law Enforcement they are the ones that patrol around the street
keeping us safe.”The career of a Local police Officer can be dangerous, especially during his
time in the field” (What).”However, much of an officer’stime is spent responding to calls for
assistance and doing paper work” (What). Local Police Officers wear uniforms during work
hours and some of the duties are identifying, pursuing, and arresting suspects. They also usually
have to stay within their jurisdiction which is their Town or City. Sometimes they will often
cooperate with State and Federal authorities in cases beyond their jurisdiction. “State Police, also
known as Highway Patrol officers or State Troopers, that provide service on a State wide
level”(The). “State Police are responsible for conducting interviews and performing
interrogations, some of the people interviewed included the alleged perpetrators, potential
witnesses, fellow Law Enforcement and alleged victims” (The). If they pull over a car and they
suspect or believe that the person is under the influence of a substance one way to test their
response is walking in a straight line, if they keep failing then they can provide a sobriety test.
“State Police are qualified to present testimony about a Criminal and Civil Court cases” (The).
Motor vehicle theft is one type of the cases that involves a testimony. “During the investigation
the district attorney and defendant’s attorney can consider testimony based on how the officers
answer question and the officer’s signed deposition” (The). The Federal Law Enforcement which
is the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) hire agents that carry fire arms and often called into

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perform officials busts or capture high profile criminals. They also have other agencies like the
Border Patrol, Secret Service, Department of Homeland Security, and the DEA. “The Border
Patrol, established 1924 as an arm of the Bureau of Immigration, is how the Law Enforcement
unit of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection of Federal agency housed in the Department of
Homeland Security” (Responsibilities). “Responsible for securing the Canadian and Mexican
borders, in addition to the coastal waters surrounding Florida and Puerto Rico”
(Responsibilities). The Secret Service which is responsible for the protection of the President,
also works to ensure the soundness of the U.S. They are also responsible for the security of the
nation’s currency from counterfeiting and credit card fraud. “During national election cycles,
Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates receive protection beginning six months before the
election” (Responsibilities). Department of Homeland Security was established after the attack in
New York City and Washington on September 11, 2001. “The department has five formals
duties, which secretary is in charge of overseeing” (Responsibilities). They also have many other
Law Enforcement officers within different agencies like the Customs and Border Protection,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the U.S. Secret Service. Then there’s the Crime
Scene Investigators which are responsible for the collection, reservation, packaging,
transportation, and documentation of evidence. “Evidence used to resolve crime can be split into
2 areas Testimonial evidence and Physical evidence” (Duty). Testimonial evidence would be like
a witness that saw the crime, and Physical evidence would be any material items that may have
been left behind at a crime scene. One duty of a Crime Scene Investigator is to pictures of the
crime. When they arrive on scene they have take pictures of everything, and have to mark where
everything is placed at. When they get done recording everything they have to then take it to the
lab for forensic testing if necessary. Forensic testing can solve many different crimes from

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someone leaving a fingerprint at a robbery, to finding someone’s DNA that they left behind from
spitting on the ground.
Just like any other profession Law Enforcement has their advantages and their
disadvantages. “First of all, Law Enforcement Officers retire earlier than employees than in
many other professions, owing to the physical demand of the job” (Pension). When they do
decide to retire they are most likely to retire between the ages of 45 and 60. Promotion is usually
eligible after a period of 6 months to 3 years.”Promotions to Corporal, Sergeant, Lieutenant, and
Captain usually are made according to candidate’s position on a promotion list, as determined by
scored on-the-Job performance” (Occupational). Officers also can have a 30 day paid vacation if
they choose to do so. To be successful in this career the most likely applicants to succeed would
have skills of bilingual, college training in police science or with military police experience.
There are some disadvantages to being a Law Enforcement for one it can be dangerous and
stressful, and it is a 24 hour job that most officers work more than 40 hours a week. Also Law
Enforcement has the highest rate of on-the-job injury and illness. For example say a Police
officer has to respond to call on a bank robbery in progress, when he gets out there and gets to
the suspect he has a risk of getting killed. Sometimes criminals will do whatever they can do to
get away. When working on a case they might even have to travel out of town, this can be a
challenge to an officer, especially if he has a wife and kids at home.
An interview with Harold Mitchell spoke that if you do well in English, Math, and Civics
while in high school it will help you out in this career. Law Enforcement isn’t just a job to get
paid because some people do it just for the justice that they give to someone who has been a
victim of a crime and that makes them feel good about themselves. So the responsibilities and
description of Law Enforcement is very important in this career field, because it takes a lot from

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them to do what they do by protecting and keeping us safe. Law Enforcement is an essential to
our society and the way to keep civil peace.