The "People Power" Job Superbook Book 14. Crime Guide, Crime Job Guide (Getting Arrested, Protecting Yourself, Identity Theft; Police-Prison Guard-Federal-Forensics-Locksmith-Investigator Jobs)

Within law enforcement, there are many different jobs ranging from the street cop in a high crime, low income area to crime scene analysts and fingerprint experts to computer operators and increasingly, computer security experts.

The base to any career in security is to major in either Law Enforcement or Criminal Justice at either a community college, vocational school or a regular college.

Some courses are two years long, others are the standard four year B.A. or BSc. As a youngster, don't get in trouble and don't get too many traffic tickets because they may check up on you and if you look like a nonconformist in
any way, they will drop you. Attitude is everything. They want a levelheaded conservative.

Take care of your health and if you're accepted into a police or corrections guard academy, train physically before you go so you will be ready.

Study hard during the course to pass all their many tests then you will go out into the field for probation while you're expected to learn the codes, how cops talk to each other and fill out reports.

This is tough because there's a lot to learn. Imagine learning all the laws by name and code number for which a person can be arrested and charged with.

Offshoot jobs are canine unit, working with a dog and the many high tech methods and gadgets coming onto the forefront.

Most big cities have a Swat Team, Special Weapons and Tactics. They generally don't take anyone with less than three years experience as a regular cop. There are other specialties such as a few scuba divers on every force, negotiators, motorcycle cops, community outreach, domestic violence, etc.

If you want to be a police officer, there are probably several levels in your state; local municipality, county, state and federal (Capitol police, U.S. Marshals, Secret Service, Wildlife Dep't) and there could be a separate force relegated to highway police, patrolling mainly the interstates.

Check them all out and apply to all of them.