Benefits of a Career in the Police Force

Police officers devote themselves to protecting and defending the people and maintaining law and order. In the course of their jobs, officers make many sacrifices and expose themselves to several risks, so it's not surprising that the role also comes with many benefits and forms of compensation. The role affords them respect and a certain prestige. The knowledge of their role in making their communities safer is a rewarding feeling. There are overt examples like being first responders on emergency scenes, rescuing car crash victims, and defending people and property at crime scenes.

Then the seemingly minor things like comforting abuse survivors who make reports or simply ensuring motorists keep to the speed limit to prevent accidents. Officers come across vulnerable people like addicts, thieves, and abusers and have the opportunity to influence them positively. They enjoy the gratification that comes from knowing the impact of their contribution to society.

The police force constantly has to rise to the occasion with the new challenges they face almost daily. While it's a demanding career, it's rarely a monotonous one. You are constantly brainstorming how to solve or prevent problems, and the job allows you to meet several different individuals; the various kinds of professionals you work with and civilians you come across.

As a member of the police force, you develop a drive to strive to improve yourself due to the competitive nature of the environment. To move up the ranks, you need to meet up with the standards of performance and physical fitness.

Police officers earn competitive salaries and benefit from insurance coverage and health and retirement packages you are unlikely to find in private establishments. In 2019, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that police officers receive a median wage of $65,170 every year. Officers receive pay raises often as their years of service increase.

Besides the regular salary, there can be additional payments like overtime, equipment allowances, yearly uniform allowances, and pay for working nights and weekends. In some cases, extra degrees, special skills, or training can entitle you to bonuses. Jobs in the police force are available all around the country, and with the right skills and expertise, officers have ample room for career advancement.

The option of early retirement is another benefit many police officers enjoy. You can decide to retire with your pension after 20 to 25 years of service and step back to enjoy time with your family or even go into an entirely different career at just 45 or 50.

The United States runs an initiative called the public Safety Officers' Benefits (PSOB) Program. The state's Department of Justice assists officers or their surviving loved ones in cases where they are killed or disabled while on official assignments. The program offers higher education and disability or death benefits to the survivors.

The PSOB program aims to support these officers, who devote themselves to serving their communities despite all kinds of risks, and take care of their families.

Police officers work side by side in life or death situations, hence the solid and unique bond that develops. The support system officers find among their colleagues transcends just the workplace or the line of duty.

Law Enforcement Connect Youth

After school is prime time for juvenile crime, according to a 2020 article in Police Chief Magazine. When juveniles engage in criminal activity, it is most often between 2 in the afternoon and 6 in the evening when they are least likely to be supervised. Of the offenses, assaults, thefts, and drug-related activities are the most common.

Traditionally, after-school programs have deterred juvenile delinquency. The Police Chief Magazine article says that over 11 million children leave school to go to an environment with no parental or adult supervision. In 2003, 50 percent of teens left unsupervised reported being bored and engaging in risky behaviors, including using illegal substances. In 2016, 62 percent of the crimes committed by unsupervised children were after school on school days.

To intervene, many communities have launched after-school programs. Well-run after-school programs reduce youth-related crimes and prevent children from engaging in risky behaviors.

However, these programs do not always include law enforcement, a first responder to youth-related crimes, and an important part of the social services provided to the community. Police relations in communities, especially in the past few years, have been strained, with high-profile use-of-force cases placing some agencies in a negative light, culminating in civil unrest and overall distrust of the police. This gap has made connecting with communities difficult for those in law enforcement.

Participation with young people in after-school programs is an opportunity for law enforcement to bridge this gap and further reduce the number of crimes. For 70 years, police athletic/activity leagues (PALs) have known that police participation, not presence, in after-school programs can be the launching pad for civic, educational, athletic, and enrichment opportunities and mentorship.

More importantly, integrating law enforcement into after-school programs gives the community the advantage of police protection with trust rather than suspicion. Detroit, Michigan's PAL program is involved with more than 14,000 students through its after-school and summer programs. Through this particular platform, PAL reports that students see gains in achievement and school attendance.

Burlington, Iowa's Partners in Education, Community Educating Students (PIECES) after-school program offers students in kindergarten through eighth grade a safe place to enjoy activities ranging from STEM topics to art. This particular program gives students police detective mentors and connects them with female officers.

In Knoxville, Tennessee, the Boys & Girls Club of Tennessee Valley is another program serving 1,400 youths every day and 9,800 youths and teens annually. One of the steps that this organization has done to create relationships with local police is to have police cadets (dressed in plain clothes) volunteer.

When the cadets are sworn in as officers, they return to the Boys & Girls Club. The hope is that by introducing the children to the volunteers before they are officers that the children will see them as humans.

Finally, the PAL league in San Mateo, California, offers area youth the chance to participate in programs that encourage bonding between local police and children. Whether the activities are cooking classes, martial arts, interactive science, leadership programs, and sports, PAL uses these activities as a platform for diverting juvenile delinquency, encouraging healthy living, and developing positive life skills.