The Four Characteristics Of A Law Enforcement Officer
The first and foremost characteristic is integrity. A law enforcement officer “LEO” must have integrity. The public must be able to trust the officer; they must be honesty to the public, their co-workers, and themselves. A LEO is held to a high standard and must do the right thing when no one else is looking; they are looked up to as pillars of the community.
The second characteristic of an LEO applicant is confidence. They must be confident in their communication skills, their abilities to handle stressful situations, as well confidence in them selves. There will many times when the LEO is the only one on the scene and they must rely on their communication in order to handle or de-escalate the situation until back up arrives. The new
applicant must demonstrate their ability to handle pressure that is put on them by the hiring board; this is just a very small taste of the stress that they endure during their career. They must also have overall confidence within themselves as a person, not an arrogance but confidence.
The third is the commitment to helping others. Being a LEO is being a servant to others and willing to be committed to help others no matter the circumstance. This is having the drive or motivation to help others when it would be easier to just drive by, to stop and help the person change a tire or to help a child cross a street. The LEO must also be committed to the agency that they are employed and the people that the agency serves.
One side note that I think should also be noted is the overall appearance. Is the applicant dressed appropriately for an interview, and are they physically fit to serve. There are many over weight police officers that you see everyday. The concern for this is, are they able to protect themselves, can they back up fellow officers in a emergency, can the apprehend a running suspect, or protect themselves in an altercation. You must also look at it their fitness level will affect their overall health, if you look at an applicant who is overweight they will more then likely have more health issues and result in sick time taken which in turn effects overtime of other officers having to cover the empty shift.
The second characteristic of an LEO applicant is confidence. They must be confident in their communication skills, their abilities to handle stressful situations, as well confidence in them selves. There will many times when the LEO is the only one on the scene and they must rely on their communication in order to handle or de-escalate the situation until back up arrives. The new
applicant must demonstrate their ability to handle pressure that is put on them by the hiring board; this is just a very small taste of the stress that they endure during their career. They must also have overall confidence within themselves as a person, not an arrogance but confidence.
The third is the commitment to helping others. Being a LEO is being a servant to others and willing to be committed to help others no matter the circumstance. This is having the drive or motivation to help others when it would be easier to just drive by, to stop and help the person change a tire or to help a child cross a street. The LEO must also be committed to the agency that they are employed and the people that the agency serves.
One side note that I think should also be noted is the overall appearance. Is the applicant dressed appropriately for an interview, and are they physically fit to serve. There are many over weight police officers that you see everyday. The concern for this is, are they able to protect themselves, can they back up fellow officers in a emergency, can the apprehend a running suspect, or protect themselves in an altercation. You must also look at it their fitness level will affect their overall health, if you look at an applicant who is overweight they will more then likely have more health issues and result in sick time taken which in turn effects overtime of other officers having to cover the empty shift.