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What’s so great about law enforcement? If it wasn’t for these men and women risking
their lives to keep these this country safe, where would we be? Police officers dedicate 40 hours
a week to protect our streets, others work 48 hours a week (real). The exact job requirements for
a police officer are quite diverse, depending on the region in which he or she works and the exact
position.Most people think all police officers do is hand out tickets and citations for legal
infractions. But being a police officer is more complex. They respond to complaints ranging
from noise to calls for help, then investigate crimes, collect evidence. Many testify in court
(what). Even though being a police officer is hard, it’s worth it. To become a police officer,
you have to require a lot of things. I sat down with Officer Mitchell and he said “In order to
become a police officer there’s a school you go to for 3 months, now its 4 months, but they’re
going to make it a mandatory 6 months.” “You also have to take a state exam and you have to
have a high school diploma plus a 4 year degree.” Police officers in many cities are required to
poses a bachelor’s degree (what). ` `
Law enforcement isn’t always guns, tazers, giving out tickets and arresting people. It is
law enforcements job to protect people and make this world a better place. There are several
types of crimes and felonies, such as murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and
arson. The types of felonies include kickbacks, tax invasion, insider trading, bribery,
embezzlement, identity theft, antitrust and at least a dozen forms of fraud (types). There are also
numerous types of school violence, including physical mental or sexual abuse, theft and
vandalism. Certain people think that school violence is just getting caught smoking ore skipping.
It’s much more than that. Most common is bullying, fighting, assaulting inside or outside the
school premises, bringing drugs and other components to school, sexual harassment, vandalism,
robbing, or stealing, bringing handheld weapons and fire arms inside school (different).

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Lots things can go wrong when being a police officer. During 1992-97, over 1,100 law
enforcement personnel and firefighters were killed in the line of duty. A proportion of these
crashes were alcohol related. Most of the 887 police fatalities were cause during pursuit of
criminals, some shot and others fatally injured in highway crashes. In 1997, over one million
violent crimes were reported in the US and about 700, 000 arrests were made by police officers.
Or the period 1992-97 homicides and highway crashes were 2 major events contributing the 75%
of the law enforcement deaths (Clark). I asked Officer Mitchell in our interview was there
anything he worried about when working? “My safety, if I get to come home or not.” I also
asked him how his family felt about him being a police officer. “They honor me in what I do. My
wife was worried, but I was in the air force for 10 years, I love the thrill and excitement I get
from it.”
There’s a question that we all have on our minds, just how dangerous is police work?
Generally, police are about 3 times as likely to be killed out the job as the average American.
About ½ of the police are killed in traffic accidents and most of those are NOT while in pursuit
of a criminal or rushing to the scene. If you take out traffic accidents and other nonviolent deaths
and your left with 69 police officers killed in the line of duty in the year 2006. That’s 69 out of
850,000 officers nationwide. That’s about 8 deaths per 100,000 police officers. The job of a
police officer can be dangerous, depending on the pay that is low to mid-range ($33,000-$44,000
average starting pay). The lowest 10% earned by police and sheriffs patrol officers in 2004 was
less than $26,910 and the highest 10% more than $68,880. (Just). Police on Wall Street are the
most forceful due to the protesters. They use tear gas and it hits an 84 year old Seattle woman in
the face. Police arrested 21 demonstrators in Las Vegas, and 20 were led away in plastic

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handcuffs in Portland Oregon (Police). I asked Officer Mitchell what his opinion was on this
subject, he said “A lot didn’t want to do it, because these people there arresting are like family.”
Since the 19th century, woman in America have worked in law enforcement. Women
were mostly relegated to clerical roles (women). Officer Mitchell had a very unique opinion
about this subject. I asked him about his opinion on working with female officers he said,
“Depending on how they act. If they act to feminine, they need a strong will. I would rather have
Female officers as back up than male, depending on if they do there part.
In conclusion, a police officer protects us from harms way. The challenges as a police
officer are getting home safely keeping an eye on there surroundings so they don’t get hurt or
injured because someone care out of nowhere and they get killed. Don’t judge something on the
way it looks, because it’s harder than you think. Even though officers might not be in your job
category, it’s still good to have them around because they protect us from the murders, rapist,
drug dealers and gang members that live around us. Keep us from making the worn decisions,
sometimes we’ll be in a predicament and they’ll sit and talk to us about ways we could turn ou0r
life around. That’s the most important part of a police officer. They’ll be there for you when you
need them and they’ll keep you from making bad decisions, like dropping out of school, doing
drugs, skipping, running away, and doing something illegal. There also good role models.
When asked, what challenges do you face when being a cop? Officer Mitchell said, “I
make sure everyone gets treated fairly and that my views don’t get in the way.” I also asked
Officer Mitchell how he felt about cameras on his suite, he said, “We have cameras in our cars
because it’s a good tool, helps back up what happened and what was said.” When I first talked to
Officer Mitchell I asked him why he decided to be a cop and how long he was a cop. “I wanted
to help people like my dad did when he was a cop. I liked watching him help out people in

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need.” Since then he’s been a cop for 23 years. He started when he was around 28 years old.
When I asked him if there we any regrets he had on wanting to be a police officer he said, “No,
I’ve enjoyed working with everyone. I see this as a social therapy.”
Sometimes being a police officer isn’t always what you think it is. Take for what
happened in Blacksburg VA for instance. A gunman walked into a parking lot and killed a
Virginia tech police officer who was conducting a traffic stop on campus Thursday afternoon in
August. Police wouldn’t say during a Thursday afternoon news conference whether the second
dead person was a gunman who killed the officer. Investigators interviewed the person that was
pulled over Thursday. As police hunted for the killer, the school applied the lessons learned
nearly 5 years ago, warning students and faculty members via email and text message to stay
indoors. It was the first gunfire on campus since 33 people were killed in the deadliest mas
shooting in the U.S. History.
Some cops fear for their lives. Sometimes they don’t make it out alive. Deputy Rick
Rhyne, 58 was an officer at Foxfire Village in Moore County who was responding to a
trespassing report at 735 Morrison Road around noon. As Dept. Rhyne tried to arrest oneof the
two men at the house, Martin Abel Poynter (who had outstanding warrants for child support)
shot Dept. Rhyne and then killed himself. Deputy Rhyne spent 26 years at Foxfire Village and
that all changed. He leaves behind a wife, a son and two grandchildren. As you see, not all
officers make it out alive.
Sometimes even the police officers can get charged. In Robbins, N.C. a Pinehurst man
who worked for two police departments in Moore County faces rape charges. Travis Baker, 32,
was indicated of second-degree rape, second-degree sexual offense, two counts of sexual battery,
and crimes against nature and obstruction of justice. Baker was fired from his position as an

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officer on Monday. In a separate case, he faces five counts of identity theft, unauthorized access
of a government computer and obstruction of justice. State Bureau arrested Baker on Thursday.
He was then released after posting a $25,000 bond. That shows you that even the good guys can
be criminals.
On Wednesday at approximately 5:27 p.m. an accident involving 3 people including 2
Delaware state police troopers had to be rushed to the hospital Wednesday, Dec 7, on US route
113. Tansheika Smith, 29, of Seaford was operating a 2006 Dodge Stratus and traveling
southbound left hand lane on route 113 was approaching the crash scene and failed to see the
patrol car and struck the rear end of it. The trooper who was directing traffic was hit as well.
That’s why you should always keep your eyes open. Officers aren’t always what there cut out to
be, sometimes they have problems a home and they do stuff they regret later. Sumter police chief
Russel Roark suspended officer Gabriel Blackwell Wednesday morning, after the officers wife
came to pick up a check and Blackwell punched her with a closed fist on the left side of her face,
resulting in the left side of her face being swollen and a swollen lip. She was rushed to the
emergency room, so they suspended Blackwell without pay. According to Dept. Chief Alvin
Holston, there wasn’t much more they could say on this subject. They called in investigators to
see what else they could find. So that tells you that officers sometimes do things without thinking
and they end up losing the best job ever. If you look past the deaths, injuries, and crimes that
police officers get themselves into you can’t help but think that doing this job is good. The pays
good and who doesn’t want to help people. I barely knew anything about law enforcement but
now I’m sure that this the job that I want to do. Police women are very strong and willing to
protect the world. Think about this job.