Police / Sheriff's Patrol Officer

Maintain order and protect life and property by enforcing local, tribal, state, or federal laws and ordinances. Perform a combination of the following duties: patrol a specific area; direct traffic; issue traffic summonses; investigate accidents; apprehend and arrest suspects, or serve legal processes of courts. Includes police officers working at educational institutions.

O*NET reports this occupation under titles such as: Deputy Sheriff; K-9 Handler (Canine Handler); Law Enforcement Officer; Patrol Officer; Peace Officer; Police Officer; Police Patrol Officer; Public Safety Officer (PSO); SRO (School Resource Officer); State Trooper

Tasks

• Provide for public safety by maintaining order, responding to emergencies, protecting people and property, enforcing motor vehicle and criminal laws, and promoting good community relations.
• Identify, pursue, and arrest suspects and perpetrators of criminal acts.
• Verify that the proper legal charges have been made against law offenders.
• Render aid to accident survivors and other persons requiring first aid for physical injuries.
• Record facts to prepare reports that document incidents and activities.
• Review facts of incidents to determine if criminal act or statute violations were involved.
• Investigate illegal or suspicious activities.
• Drive vehicles or patrol specific areas to detect law violators, issue citations, and make arrests.
• Monitor, note, report, and investigate suspicious persons and situations, safety hazards, and unusual or illegal activity in patrol area.
• Investigate traffic accidents and other accidents to determine causes and to determine if a crime has been committed.
• Execute arrest warrants, locating and taking persons into custody.
• Relay complaint and emergency-request information to appropriate agency dispatchers.
• Patrol specific area on foot, horseback, or motorized conveyance, responding promptly to calls for assistance.
• Monitor traffic to ensure motorists observe traffic regulations and exhibit safe driving procedures.
• Testify in court to present evidence or act as witness in traffic and criminal cases.

Knowledge

• Public Safety and Security
• Law and Government
• Customer and Personal Service
• Psychology
• English Language
• Education and Training
• Administration and Management
• Computers and Electronics
• Geography
• Therapy and Counseling
• Telecommunications
• Communications and Media
• Transportation
• Administrative
• Personnel and Human Resources
• Sociology and Anthropology

Skills

• Active Listening
• Speaking
• Critical Thinking
• Active Learning
• Reading Comprehension
• Monitoring
• Writing

Abilities

• Oral Comprehension
• Problem Sensitivity
• Oral Expression
• Deductive Reasoning
• Inductive Reasoning
• Written Comprehension
• Near Vision
• Far Vision
• Written Expression
• Information Ordering
• Speech Recognition
• Speech Clarity
• Flexibility of Closure
• Response Orientation
• Reaction Time
• Static Strength
• Category Flexibility
• Memorization
• Selective Attention
• Time Sharing
• Multilimb Coordination
• Explosive Strength
• Dynamic Strength
• Trunk Strength
• Fluency of Ideas
• Originality
• Speed of Closure
• Perceptual Speed
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
• Auditory Attention