How to Get a Job in the Law Enforcement Field

Are you looking for a job in law enforcement? This can be an extremely rewarding and fulfilling career, you get to bring criminals to justice and protect the public and can go home each day knowing that you genuinely made a difference. But how do you go about this? Read on to find out about what the career path to working with the police involves

Get educated

Requirements to entering the police can vary depending on the location and department. You can expect to need a high school diploma or equivalent to enter the police, but some departments will require some college education too, such as an associate’s or bachelor’s degree. Degree courses such as criminology and psychology will be beneficial, although in some cases any degree might be all that’s needed to open the door. In other departments such as forensics and detective jobs, you will need further education with qualifications in specific subjects. If you have an end goal to the job that you want, it’s worth researching the requirements so you can choose your education courses wisely. In other cases, you might choose to get into a job at entry level and work your way up from there. 

Gain experience

Gaining experience in the job that you want to do will always be beneficial, and it’s no different with law enforcement careers. Find out if there are any volunteering positions within the police, courts, prison service or any other area of law enforcement as this will look fantastic on your resume. Any other experience that isn’t directly linked, such as military will also go in your favour as you’ll be used to a strict regime and wearing heavy equipment like weaponry and a ballistic vest. While it’s possible to get an entry level job without any experience, you will put yourself in the best position and give you a boost to succeed over other similar candidates. You could look into training days and other options that are either directly linked to what you want to do, or that would give you some transferrable skills. 

Get your mind and body ready

Some jobs within the justice system require a lot of physical fitness, so being able to pass the fitness and medical tests is something to work on if you know this will likely come up within your career route. Regardless of what your role is within law enforcements, you will need to be mentally strong. It involves dealing with people who have committed the worst kinds of crimes against others, dealing with victims who are hurt and traumatised and generally working in very psychologically uncomfortable environments. It’s not for everyone, but having the right support can help as well as training to help you to respond in a way thats professional but without getting to emotionally involved.

Are you pursuing a career in law enforcement? 

How to Get a Job in the Law Enforcement Field