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Unit 2: Criminal Law and Juvenile Justice
Officer, Officer!
Introduction
Have you ever wondered what it takes to be a police officer?
What qualifications and training are required? What should
be required? Everyone has a different idea of what they think
should be required of the police officers in their areas.
In this lesson, you will decide what your priorities are for
police officers and then find out what your state requires
of its state police.
STEP 1:
First, consider what you think police officers do in their
jobs. What skills, education, and characteristics are necessary
to do those jobs? Using the checklists below, rank which qualifications
are most important to you in a police officer. (You will be
tempted to say that all are important, but you must rank them
in order of importance.) Add any other qualifications at the
end that you think should be included.
|
Education and Training |
Skills |
Personal Characteristics |
|
-
Can drive any vehicle well
-
Can swim well
-
First aid training
-
Advanced medical training (CPR
or emergency medicine)
-
Good marksmanship (can shoot
well)
-
Other:
|
|
|
Education and Training |
Skills |
Personal Characteristics |
| |
Ranking |
| Ranking |
| Ranking |
| High school graduate |
|
Can drive any vehicle
well |
|
In good physical shape
|
|
| College graduate |
|
Can swim well |
|
Honest |
|
Took classes in
psychology or peer
mediation |
|
First aid training |
|
No criminal record |
|
Took classes in
criminology |
|
Advanced medical
training (CPR or
emergency medicine) |
|
Articulate (expresses
him/herself well) |
|
| Other: |
|
Good marksmanship (can
shoot well) |
|
Unbiased/no prejudices |
|
| |
|
Other: |
|
Other: |
|
STEP 2:
Now that you know what you think is important in a police
officer, click on the link to your state below and navigate
through the state police Web site to discover what your state
requires of its police officers.
**Note: These are the Web sites for the
state police. You may also follow links or do a separate search
for your local police.
As you navigate the Web site, answer the
following questions:
1. |
Do applicants
have to be U.S. citizens?
|
2. |
What are
the educational requirements?
|
3. |
What training
is required?
|
4. |
What is the
age requirement?
|
5. |
What are
the physical requirements?
|
6. |
What other
education, skills, or characteristics are required to
be a state trooper in your state? Are there special steps
involved in applying for the job (such as interviews,
fitness tests, written tests, polygraphs, etc.)?
|
7. |
Are there
ongoing requirements after the officer is hired, such
as continuing education or training? |
State Troopers Directory
STEP 3:
After you have determined the qualifications to be a police
officer in your state, your teacher may ask you to compare
them to the qualifications in other states. When you have
done that, reflect on how your priorities compared to those
in each state that you researched.
STEP 4:
Write a letter to your governor, expressing your opinion about
what the qualifications SHOULD be for state police officers.
If you think the requirements are inadequate, you must tell
the governor what should be added, and why. If you think the
requirements are appropriate the way they are, you must explain
why you think they are sufficient. (If your teacher assigns
you to mail the letter, it should be typed, in appropriate
formal letter format.)
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