A law enforcement officer can occupy three basic types of jobs: uniformed officer, investigator/detective, and support staff. The daily activities and duties of police officers and detectives differ according to their specialty however they all have one thing in common in addition to keeping us safe: writing reports and maintaining well-kept records of the incidents they deal with. This is of particular importance when they have to testify in court, for example. Here are a few details about each type of job, that you might be interested in.

Uniformed officers

Uniformed police officers have an enforcement role. Their general law enforcement duties and responsibilities include regular patrols as well as responding to calls for service. Other duties include directing traffic at the place of an accident, giving first aid to victims, or investigating burglaries. Doing paperwork and responding to calls also takes up a great part of their working day.

In smaller towns the uniformed police officer may patrol alone but in some areas, especially larger urban areas, this can be done with a partner. The larger police agencies are organized into districts/precincts and each patrolling officer has a specific region to cover. The officers become familiar with their patrol area and while on patrol they remain alert for anything that looks unusual or suspicious. While on their shift, the uniformed officer may identify, pursue and arrest suspected criminals, resolve community problems, respond to domestic violence incidents, etc. Many urban police agencies practice the so called “community policing” – an officer builds relationships with the citizens of a neighborhood and mobilizes them to assist in fighting crime by learning what to watch for be providing information to the police.

Uniformed police officers may also have some investigative functions , however, a police agency usually has a separate investigative division. A police officer is usually promoted to these investigative positions as a result of their good work and qualifications.

Examples of uniformed officer jobs include:

Local Police Officer – operates locally in a city or town under a chief of police.

Deputy Sheriff – similar to a police officer but operates at a county level under the sheriff, who is usually an elected official.

State Trooper – also called state police officer or highway patrol officer. They arrest criminals and patrol highways and are in charge of enforcing motor vehicle laws and regulations.

Border Patrol Agent – patrols borders and deals with illegal immigration

Special jurisdiction Police Officer – they have special geographic jurisdiction and serve transportation systems or facilities. These are public college and university police forces, public school district police and the like.

Fish and Game Warden – they enforce fishing, hunting and boating laws. Their duties include patrol of hunting and fishing areas, response to complaints and calls, conduct of rescue and search operations.

Investigators and detectives (plainclothes officers)

The second large branch of law enforcement career opportunities includes the investigators, detectives, and special agents, or the so called plainclothes officers. Detectives gather facts and collect evidence for criminal cases. They conduct interviews with suspects and witnesses, participate in suspect observations, and in raids and making arrests. Some detectives are part of inter-agency task forces that deal with specific crimes such as fraud, human trafficking, drugs, etc. Detective are assigned to a specific cases and work the case until it is resolved, which may include an arrest and trial. In police agencies uniformed police officers can become investigators through promotion or advancement. In other specialized criminal investigation agencies, such as FBI or the Secret Service, you may be hired directly to work as a Special Agent in an investigative division.

Some job examples for plainclothes officers include:

Criminal investigator

Detective

Immigration inspector

FBI Agent

US Secret Service Special Agent

Air Marshal

Support Positions

The support positions in law enforcement are as important as the uniformed and plainclothes officers. Usually these are professionals who support the investigation and deal with things like categorizing evidence, ballistic tests and examinations, lab tests and experiments. For example, the person in charge of inventorying the evidence is called an evidence technician. Often the support positions are with larger agencies or crime labs. The job openings are filled by personnel hired specifically to do that job or by officers and agents who have advanced in their career.

If you want to occupy one of the law enforcement support positions, you may choose between: