citizen vs police officer

Citizen vs. the Police Office

I interviewed Lieutenant Harris of the Hattiesburg Police Department. He has been the Lieutenant for two years, and beforehand was Sargent at the Hattiesburg Police Department. Lieutenant Harris is from Gulfport, Mississippi and has been with Hattiesburg Police Department for seven years. Since being a Lieutenant, he is over the net and strike team. The net and strike teams are the drug prevention section of the police department. They also deal with gang violence and disorderly conduct. Lieutenant Harris has exceptional leadership and managerial skills. They are both needed when working in this type of environment, while in law enforcement. The challenges of this police department has been the image of the police department. Citizens often complain about rudeness, unnecessary force and the typical complaints of a police department. The Hattiesburg Police Department has a horrible relationship with the community. This in particular Lieutenant Harris stated that it is a huge issue in the city of Hattiesburg. The issue I am going to compare is an officer’s perspective while being a citizen, compared to a being a police officer. I asked Lieutenant Harris the mental and physical challenges that arise while being a police officer.

Lieutenant Harris is an African American male, who is a police officer. In the black community, it is sometimes a bad stigma to become a police officer, especially if you are black. Lieutenant Harris talks about the change from being an ordinary citizen and becoming a police officer. The first issue that he brought to my attention was that some friends you had before, while becoming an officer were no longer there because you were a police officer. He stated that the police d...

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... special individuals and have some of the same qualities of the military personnel. Officers are often asked to do a stressful job for average or below average pay. Communication is also important for officers to have, to be able to relate to the modern citizens and fellow officers. Judgment is also important for officers to have, and it is something that comes as your career prolongs as an officer. Stress is also an issue that citizens deal with on an everyday basis. But police officers have an added pressure on their families and themselves. Police work can be a tiring job, and the ability to make it through the strain of their work is necessary for not only their health, but to be able to pass physical tests required at their agency. Therefore, your personality and how you handle stress and lead, will help you make the transition from civilian to police officer.