Becoming A Police Officer Personal Statement

My career with the New York Police Department has spanned thirty years and has been met with both personal and professional achievements. Coming from a long line of civil servants, joining the NYPD was a natural progression. However, I strove to do something no other family member had done before, achieve a supervisory role. After scoring in the top one percentile on my Sergeant’s examination and with three years in rank, I was promoted to the rank of Sergeant at the age of 23. Overcoming the stereotype cast upon me as a “Rookie Sergeant” quickly made me realize the true meaning of leadership. This promotion taught me leadership is all about team work and accepting personal responsibility for my actions. However, knowledge apart from
the four corners of any Department manual, would play an integral part in furthering my career.
As a police supervisor subordinates rightfully deserve trusted, calculated and scholarly leadership, as miscalculations and omissions can have dire consequences.
In doing so, subordinates are given well thought out, proper and lawful directions, encompassing all areas of policing; most notably public relations. Having the ambition and foresight to not only excel in my new supervisory role, but to seek further career advancement, I decided to enroll in college and finish my undergraduate studies. Finishing my undergraduate degree provided me with the knowledge, confidence and leadership skills necessary to succeed in my new supervisory role and beyond. As my graduation approached, my college professor and mentor asked me my plans beyond graduation. Take by surprise as to the inquiry, I was in my mid-twenties and had already achieved more than any other family member, a college degree and supervisory role. My professor told me “never stop learning,” as he predicted further advancement in which education would play a key role. This was the impetus for me applying to and being accepted into law school. This schooling proved insurmountable in preparing me to excel in my supervisory role and public
encounters.
While in my second year of law school the announcement of the upcoming Lieutenant’s examination served as a challenging but outstanding opportunity to advance my career. Not wanting to forego a promotional opportunity, during winter recess of my second year of school I studied for this examination with added determination and conviction. My schooling prepared me with the necessary discipline, determination and vigor to study for and ultimately pass this promotional examination. Now, as an executive with the New York Police Department my education has played a vital role in my managerial development and leadership.
In today’s age of modern policing education has become an increasingly important attribute as society’s expectations of a professional police department have evolved.
This requires the Department’s executive staff to not only rely on their professional experiences, but to continuously stay connected with the changes in society. In a diverse and dynamic city as New York, one of the better ways this can be achieved is by continuing one’s education. The public in turn benefits exponentially as a more intellectual and qualitative approach to policing results. The end result of this approach to policing progresses the public’s confidence and trust in their police. It is in this same vain that I seek to continue my education at the graduate
level.
In my current assignment as the Executive Officer of the Candidate Assessment Section the necessity for an advanced degree is further intensified. As the evaluation of the qualities and attributes of candidates seeking the appointment of police officer continuously evolves and new mandates are constantly placed on the Department’s hiring process; these changes require the Department to adapt and so too must its executive staff. A graduate degree in the field of public administration or labor relations would better posture me in making educated and informed decisions relevant to my assignment. The academic opportunity would play a pivotal role in the further development of effective policy decisions deemed crucial in the hiring process. This in turn would benefit the Department significantly considering the thousands of candidates hired on an annual basis. As the employment landscape continues to transform and so does the ever changing issues challenging this Department, the need for a graduate degree becomes all the more relevant. Graduate school would be critical in helping me achieve optimum in performance, productivity and efficiency by examining the various employment methods and strategies developed by other governmental agencies, municipalities and the private sector. Furthermore, the public rightfully expects an executive in this Department to have a high level aptitude to understand and execute policies and procedures to achieve optimal performance. These are some of the principal reasons why a graduate degree would benefit me at this point in my career. My ambition to continuously strive to excel in both facets of my education, management and leadership abilities can be summed up by a quote from President John F. Kennedy, “Leadership and learning are indispensable of each other.”