Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers

People in this career often have these skills:

• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
• Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.

People in this career often know a lot about:

• Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
• Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Telecommunications - Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

People in this career often have talent in:

• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Far Vision - The ability to see details at a distance.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
• Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Flexibility of Closure - The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
• Response Orientation - The ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part.

People in this career often do these activities:

• Maintain public order or security.
• Respond to emergencies to provide assistance.
• Apprehend criminal suspects.
• Investigate legal issues.
• Administer first aid.

• Prepare investigation or incident reports.
• Investigate accidents to determine causes.
• Investigate illegal or suspicious activities.
• Patrol properties to maintain safety.
• Direct law enforcement activities.
• Maintain surveillance of individuals or establishments.
• Communicate situation details to appropriate personnel.
• Relay information about incidents or emergencies to personnel using phones or two-way radios.
• Monitor access or flow of people to prevent problems.
• Testify at legal or legislative proceedings.
• Determine operational procedures.
• Detain suspects or witnesses.
• Guard facilities.
• Escort prisoners to courtrooms, prisons, or other facilities.
• Interview people to gather information about criminal activities.
• Record crime or accident scene evidence with video or still cameras.
• Record information about suspects or criminals.
• Maintain operational records.
• Direct vehicle traffic.
• Interview people to obtain information about actions or status of individuals.
• Locate suspicious objects or vehicles.
• Confiscate prohibited or dangerous items.
• Inform the public about policies, services or procedures.
• Recommend improvements to increase safety or reduce risks.
• Communicate health and wellness information to the public.
• Present social services program information to the public.
• Assist motorists or pedestrians.
• Serve court ordered documents.

• Detectives and Criminal Investigators

• First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives

• Correctional Officers and Jailers

• First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers

• Transit and Railroad Police

• Animal Control Workers

• Police Identification and Records Officers

• Fire Inspectors and Investigators

• Customs and Border Protection Officers

• Airfield Operations Specialists