The Role of Police. People depend on police officers and detectives to protect their lives and property. Law enforcement officers, some of whom are State or Federal special agents or inspectors, perform these duties in a variety of ways, depending on the size and type of their organization. In most jurisdictions, they are expected to exercise authority when necessary, whether on or off duty. Police officers have general law enforcement duties, including maintaining regular patrols and responding to calls for service. They may direct traffic at the scene of an accident, investigate a burglary, or give first aid to an accident victim. In large police departments, officers usually are assigned to a specific type of duty. Many urban
J-walking may seem like a relatively useless law to have but under certain circumstances an officer will still enforce it. What if someone runs across a busy high way or road with lots of traffic. This is a danger to everyone because not only could the person get hit. He could cause I car to swerve and hit another car and cause a wreck. (Schmalleger, 110) Apprehending offenders is another major responsibility that police have. Officers have the responsibility to arrest offenders of certain crimes during the crime if they see the law being broken and if not possible at that time, then after the crime is committed. (Schmalleger, 111) Lets say for example if a call is received reporting a suspicious person who is snooping around the side yard of a house. When the police officer arrives the man tries to walk out onto the side walk and start walking down the street like he was not doing anything. The officer flashes his/her lights and tells the man not to move. Upon frisking the suspect the officer finds a 9mm hand gun. It is his duty as a police officer to then apprehend the criminal for a concealed weapon. The above example could also be used for the next responsibility, that is preventing crime. By arresting the man with the hand gun the officer may have prevented another crime from