When you become a police officer, people trust you with their property and with their lives. Law enforcement is more than just a job--it's a calling. Is police school calling you?

The job of a police officer
Police officers are responsible for maintaining law and order, collecting evidence and information, and conducting investigations and surveillance. In addition to dealing with issues of politics and ethics and increasingly complex laws, law enforcement officers must be knowledgeable in the current technological advances that play a major role in police science.

Your job in law enforcement          
When you complete your police school training, you may qualify for a position within a police department, sheriff's department, public college or university police force, public school district police force, or other law enforcement agency.

Police school for life
The training doesn't end when you become a police officer. Continuing education is mandatory, since law enforcement professionals must stay updated on current legal procedure and cultural sensitivity. Police school instructors provide annual training in communications skills, crowd-control techniques, firearms, self-defense tactics, use-of-force policies, and advances in law enforcement equipment.

Justice is served
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of police officers is expected to increase 9 to 17 percent through 2014. Police officers had median annual earnings of $45,210 in May 2004; the highest 10 percent earned more than $68,880.