Useful Skills for Police Officers
There is much more to being a cop than running around chasing bad guys with a pistol. In order to be an
effective police officer, one must develop certain skills which are used on a daily basis. Officers are heavily
involved in listening (to victims and superiors), writing (reports, tickets, etc.), making snap-judgments
(whether or not to use deadly force), among other things, and will need to polish these skills if they wish
to perform at an optimal level. Such skills may not be needed for admission to the police academy, but
they will come in handy sooner or later in this field of employment.
What You Can Do:
- Learn basic fighting/disarmament techniques, such as jiu-jitsu
- Develop good communication skills (speech, listening, & writing)
- Take a college course in public speaking and/or communication
- Learn a foreign language, particularly one used in your location
- Learn how to be a good driver and keep your record clean
- Learn basic first-aid & CPR
- Develop a good memory and be able to recall locations, people, names, details, etc.
- Learn to make good decisions in a swift manner
- Learn basic computer skills (MS word, email, typing, etc.) for generating reports
- Strive to have a typing speed of 60+ WAM