Police Officers and State Troopers

Police officers, also known as policemen or cops, work for police departments all over the country. They can work as town, city, or borough police. These police officers deal with a smaller jurisdiction of control, and smaller police departments. Some of the most famous city police departments are the NYPD and LAPD, operating out of New York City and Los Angeles, California. They are responsible for the service of the people that live in a small area, although the NYPD and LAPD deal with a significantly larger population. On the other hand, state police, or state troopers, have jurisdiction in various parts of the state. Their operations are ran out of the state police barracks, which are located in different areas. Mostly, the state cop will be in charge of a larger area than the town cop, such as a few townships or a county for example.

Police officers remain on patrol for traffic violations on roads and highways across the country. They are called upon when there is an issue at a home or business, such as an assault or theft. They are responsible for interviewing anyone who witnessed the crime, and get all the information they can about the offender. They also make arrests of people who have committed a crime.

There is advancement available in this field. A police officer can move his or her way up the ranks by outstanding performance to a lieutenant, sergeant, or other position of power. An elected position a police officer can hold is a sheriff. The sheriff or deputy sheriff is the law enforcement of a county. The job outlook is very good for highly qualified people wanting to become law enforcement officers. The average pay of policemen is about $47,000 per year. The highest paid member of a police team is the police chief, making up to $99,000 per year in some areas.

Security Guards

Security guards are employed at a variety of places to serve as protection of an individual building, property, or confined area. Some common places we see security guards today are shopping malls, sporting venues, schools, universities, office buildings, hotels, casinos, and airports. Airports have created thousands of security jobs over the past few years.

The security officer’s job varies depending on the place he works. Some security guards have a specific regime of duties to complete or be responsible for, while others are more of a precaution. Security officers make an average pay of about $21,000 per year