What are the pros and cons of being a police officer? (2024)

The pros and cons of being a police officer include ones relating to helping people, dangerous working conditions, and salary. Here is a look at the pros and cons of being a police officer:

Pros:

• You get to help people. Being a police officer means you get to help people in your community by protecting them and upholding the law. Police officers also provide support during non-crime-related emergency scenarios. When you are a police officer, it is likely that you will have the opportunity to save people's lives or, at least, better them.

• Police officers don't get bored. In general, police officers' jobs can vary from day to day. This helps to keep the profession feeling fresh. They can have different tasks from one day to the next, as well as the need to respond to a myriad of different situations.

  Most police officers work mainly out in the field, meaning they don't spend too many hours behind a desk. This helps their days move faster and keeps them occupied with different assignments and beats.

• Police officers earn a decent salary. This depends on what state and the police department they work in, but most police officers earn a comfortable living that can provide a good life for themselves and their families.

• You get to overcome your fears. Another advantage of becoming a police officer is that it can help you overcome your fears. At the beginning of your career, you will likely be rather intimidated and insecure regarding how to handle difficult situations.

  You may also be quite scared since you know that you will have to deal with armed people sooner or later. However, this fear will go away over time once you get more experience and learn to deal with this kind of fear and ultimately overcome it.

• You can create positive change in your community. Many police officers grew up in poor conditions leading them to want to make significant positive changes in their communities.

  This is also helpful because if the population of your community knows you to some degree, they are more likely to work with you and help make the community a safer and overall better place.

• Being a policeman is dangerous. Police officers often must respond to dangerous situations where their own lives may be put in jeopardy. Physical fights and those involving firearms are some of the most dangerous situations a police officer can encounter.

  Police officers also have to risk their lives in other emergency scenarios, such as fires and traffic accidents.

• Police work is unpredictable. This is related to a pro, actually, with police officers never getting bored. However, it can also be a con because police officer can not really plan out their days.

  Criminal situations and emergencies happen in an instant, and police officers must always be ready to respond, no matter their current state of mind. This day-to-day fluctuation can be taxing mentally.

• Police officers are often confronted with morose issues. They often have to see sights that most people would rather not see, such as murder victims, mutilated bodies, and perhaps the worst, crimes involving children.

  These disturbing images and events can have a negative impact on a police officer's psyche. Oftentimes the most horrific things they have witnessed will stay with them for the rest of their careers and lives.

• Emotional toll. This con is off the back of the last one. Police officers witness horrible things and come into contact with people that have little to no moral codes.

  This can be stressful and draining and sometimes lead a police officer to experience psychological problems, such as depression or anxiety. In some of the worst cases, it can lead to the break-up of a marriage or even suicide.

• Police officers have to make difficult decisions. Many police officers are confronted with extremely hard decisions where people's lives may hang in the balance. Making the wrong decision can have disastrous effects and lead to feelings of guilt.

  While police officers need to know when to protect themselves, they must also know when not to use their weapons or excessive force. This can lead to innocent lives being lost and even legal repercussions for a police officer.