What are different Police Force jobs?

Jobs in the Police Force & the Salaries

• Answer:

  The are more than 850,000 people working in law enforcement in the United States, including over 650,000 police officers. Police force jobs involve much more than simply arresting suspected criminals. The United States Department of Labor reports that the range of daily activities for any particular officer or law enforcement employee varies according to her specific job or specialty in the police force--and the same goes for the salaries. General Uniformed Officer The bulk of police are general law enforcement officers in uniform who are part of regular city car patrols for a specific area. They must have a variety of physical and mental skills, including handling guns, subduing suspects, directing traffic or giving first aid. Thus, they can assist citizensin situations that may cause violence or disrupt and endanger the community. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the median annual wage for general police officers and sheriff's patrol officers is about $51,000. Police Dispatcher Telecommunicators, also called dispatchers, are responsible for receiving and transmitting important messages to all police units, including emergency calls for service or backup. They also help monitor the current location and status of all police units. According to the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) operating standards, police dispatchers form an essential link between police and dispatchers at 911 Emergency Dispatch public safety answer points (PSAP). Salaries can vary. The Illinois city of Oak Forest advertised a job ad for an emergency telecommunicator with a starting annual salary of about $42,000 in 2010. Meanwhile, Ventura County in California state that its dispatchers earn about $5,700 per month on the average. Detectives Plainclothes investigators or detectives are officers purposely not in uniform, so they can more easily move around civilians to gather facts and evidence for criminal cases. Their work involves conducting interviews, studying records, surveillance and making raids or arrests. The U.S. Department of Labor states that the median annual wages of detectives and criminal investigators are nearly $61,000. Supervisors and Managers The U.S. Department of Labor states that supervisors and managers in the police force are those in ranked positions, such as corporal, sergeant, lieutenant, captain, deputy chief and police chief. They make major decisions on how to deal with major law and order issues and how the force is utilized. Minimum annual salaries for corporals, sergeants and lieutenants fall in within the $49,000 to $65,000 range, while captains and deputy chiefs get a minimum $72,000 per year. Police chiefs get paid the highest, with an annual salary range of $90,000 to nearly $114,000. Special Unit Officers There are specialized unit forces for particular situations or terrain, requiring highly-specialized personnel. Examples include the canine corps, bomb squads, special weapons and tactics (SWAT), harbor patrols, highway motorcycle patrols and horseback units. Salaries vary according to unit. For instance, DegreeDirectory.org cites that SWAT members can get anywhere from $47,000 to about $52,000 annually. The Washington Post also mentions that a bomb squad K-9 officer typically receives $45,000 a year.