Police Roles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Police Roles - Essay Example In the story of how the inmate overpowered the corrections officer, the inmate pleaded that he had to use the restroom. Preying on the corrections officer's compassion and empathy, the inmate was allowed to break free. The efficiency of teamwork and manpower was phenomenal in this story. "The 24/7 operational demands of a police officer's job can have serious consequences. A significant body of scientific and operational literature clearly establishes that around the clock operations can degrade safety, performance, health, mood, and alertness" (Amendola, Hamilton, Wyckoff, 2006, p. 3) In Findlay, Ohio; the police force knows all too well that the hours can be long and the job can be stressful. But in the same sense, the officers know that community involvement is key in order to keep in touch with the public. The County has started a program named NEAT (Neighborhood Enhancement & Abatement Team). The program was established in 2004, and helps deal with nuisance problems and neighborhood cleanups. In Modesto, California two police officer while on duty working on a holiday (labor day), assisted a woman in giving birth to a baby boy in a parked car, not very far from the nearest medical center. The role of social servant rings true in this story, where the call of duty was performed in an over exceeded amount of time. When officers are placed in position, like in this story, they have to keep the "victim" calm and focused, using amateur psychology tactics. In crime shows on television, such as Law & Order, SVU, The Shield, or COPS; they show a sort of distorted view of how officers have to handle situations with quick reflex's and snap decisions. What normally would take hours to handle in real life, in television the situation is under wraps in a matter of minutes. In fact, the real scenario in life takes a major amount of time in order to achieve a positive outcome. The Fine, Fading Art of Directing Traffic Albeit, it takes a certain amount of talent, the art of flowing ease, and knowing your fellow humans in order to direct traffic. It's about multi-tasking and by not bringing the spotlight on yourself as an entertainer with your orange vest and white gloves, but keeping the driver focused on the road. The role of order maintainer in this story is depicted in such a way that it seems almost glamorized. The job in itself can be dangerous, but for the most part, directing traffic is a basic act of maintaining order where there is chaos. Simple as that. In the Findlay County Police Station, they too have had to direct traffic several times. Not one officer is in charge of this, instead one is assigned from the list of officers that are on duty. Several times even while on their "beat", officers have had to come to a site and direct traffic without getting prepared until medical crews or backup has arrived. They take this