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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.
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Education and Training |
Skills |
Personal Characteristics |
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Education and Training |
Skills |
Personal Characteristics |
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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) |
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| 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:
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1. |
Do applicants have to be U.S. citizens? |
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2. |
What are the educational requirements? |
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3. |
What training is required? |
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4. |
What is the age requirement? |
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5. |
What are the physical requirements? |
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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.)? |
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7. |
Are there ongoing requirements after the officer is hired, such as continuing education or training? |
State Troopers Directory
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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.)