Guevara 1

Lenin Guevara
Mr. Baker
STEM LA
18 March 2016
Exploring The F.B.I
After graduating from high school, many opportunities open up, but in many cases, a
students dream of becoming someone successful requires a college degree. Within the Federal
Bureau of Investigation, there are many job positions to pursue, but it often requires assiduous
and diligent work through college. Though police officers may only require a high school
diploma, there is still a process to be followed. On the other hand, a detective position must be
earned through decisive promotions. The F.B.I is the domestic intelligence and security service
of the United States. It serves as the country's primary federal law enforcement organization in
order to protect and defend the United States against terrorist and foreign intelligence threats
and to enforce the criminal laws of the United States (FBI). There are several positions in the
FBI. Two of them are police officer and detective, and both exist to serve this statement.
According to the F.B.Is website, there are currently over 600,000 employees who are
police officers. All of these officers have had to meet many requirements to be considered for the
job. The main requirement is to be a citizen of the United States. Also, all officers must have a
high school diploma or a G.E.D. Following these requirements, officers must have a clean
criminal record at any level. This means local, state, and federal records must be clear. Next,
after meeting these requirement, attending a police academy is also essential. Most police
officers attend some form of police academy for training. Large police departments send recruits
to their own police academies. Smaller precincts may send new hires to attend larger academies

Guevara 2
as well. Academy programs typically last 3-4 months and combine classroom and hands-on,
physical training (Requirements to Become a Police Officer). Lastly, there are several
applicable examinations that need to be passed. Candidates must pass a written exam, which may
sometimes be administered through a police academy. Most divisions also administer physical
tests of strength, vision, hearing and agility. Psychiatric or background interviews to assess a
recruits personal characteristic and overall suitability for a career in law enforcement are also
enforced. Most recruits must also pass a drug and lie detector test.
Skills and abilities also play a big role in whether a candidate should be considered for
the job. Many agencies today hire in the spirit of service, not in the spirit of adventure. In other
words, agencies are looking for individuals who are drawn to and exhibit characteristics in line
with the service element of policing over the prospect of excitement and adventure (Discover
Policing). The skills that allow someone to become a better cop are usually intuitive. To become
a police officer youll need to be confident and have a responsible attitude (National Careers
Service). Also, an applicant should have the ability to use good judgement and to problem solve.
Being able to collaborate with one another and engage in teamwork are very important skills.
Having great abilities and skill that fit into a policing career will give the person a lot of
confidence during the hiring process.
After meeting these requirements, aspiring police officers have the option to increase
their eligibility by completing an undergraduate degree. An undergraduate degree is a degree
which is equivalent to a bachelors or associates degree. The degree that is recommended is a
criminal justice degree. A criminal justice degrees opens up more opportunities. Criminal justice
degrees are very versatile and can open new career opportunities in a variety of related fields
(Criminal Justice Degree). The program includes a comprehensive study of the national

Guevara 3
criminal justice system, correctional organizations, and law enforcement agencies. Most
aspiring police officers pursue degrees in criminal justice. In criminal justice degree programs,
students learn about every aspect of the law and justice system. Criminal justice is an
interdisciplinary field that incorporates the study of law, psychology, sociology, public
administration, and more. Other relevant majors that students thinking of joining the police force
may pursue include police science and political science. Most police departments prefer
applicants with a degree, regardless of their major (How to Become a Police Officer). Though
the major is not as important, majoring in criminal justice will help a student understand more
about law enforcement.
One of the best universities that offers a criminal justice degree in Colorado is The
University of Colorado Denver. The criminal justice degree offered at The University of
Colorado Denver can be completed online. The program, which takes 36 semester hours to
complete, is designed to fit the needs of those looking for career advancement or continuing
education following undergraduate study. Required core courses include CJ Systems, Policies &
Practices; Criminological Theory; and Research Methods (Best Criminal Justice Schools in
Colorado.). Students also have a choice to complete the program requirements by doing a thesis
or a field-based capstone project. Even though the University of Colorado Denver is one of the
best criminal justice schools to major in, their tuition cost is pricy. On average the tuition would
be around ten to fifteen thousand per year. Luckily, there are many scholarships for students who
are going to major in criminal justice.
A police officer has many responsibilities and duties. Police officers work in partnership
with the communities they serve to maintain law and order, protect members of the public and
their property, prevent crime, reduce the fear of crime and improve the quality of life for all

Guevara 4
citizens. They use a wide range of technology to protect individuals, identify the perpetrators of
crime and ensure successful prosecutions against those who break the law (Police Officer Job
Profile | Prospects.ac.uk). Officers must also know how to patrol a designated area of the city on
foot, on a motorcycle, or on radio, to prevent and discover the commission of a crime, and to
enforce traffic and parking regulations. When assigned, officers are responsible for reloading
ammunition, assisting in interrogation and investigations involving prisoners and juveniles, and
conducting prisoners and juveniles to and from jail to courtroom, hospitals, or elsewhere.
During an officers career in the F.B.I, many promotions can be acquired. Promotion
from Police Officer may be either to Police Detective or to Police Sergeant. A promotion may
also be accomplished between Detective and Sergeant. Promotion from Sergeant or Detective is
to Police Lieutenant; from there on, there is only one promotional ladder, (The LAPD Career
Ladder). Once getting promoted to become a detective, an officer must be prepared to take on
new responsibilities and duties. A detective must perform regular investigations for all crimes
and establish appropriate witnesses and suspects to maintain knowledge on the scene. While
gathering any suspects, a detective must maintain photographs of them. A very important
responsibility, is having to coordinate with various police departments. This means a detective
must catch up any police departments with any new evidence that has been found.
There may be differences between a police officer and a detective, but they both serve the
purpose to protect the U.S. Not only that, but they also face a lot of challenges throughout the
job. What makes the job of a police officer challenging is the different people that must be dealt
with on a given basis. Most of the time, an officer has to deal with people who are on drugs, have
mental problems, and might also be carrying dangerous weapons. In many cases, mentally ill
patients think the police are not there to help, so they become very combative. Even though

Guevara 5
police officers face life threatening challenges, detectives face emotional challenges. Criminal
detectives, who work with police departments, often work in a crime scene environment, which
can be emotionally distressing due to gruesome physical evidence present, as well as physically
threatening conditions (Working Conditions for Detectives). Both, detectives and police
officers, have very frightful, challenging jobs.
Becoming a detective, however, positively affects an officer financially. According to
payscale, an officers median salary is about 48,815$, while a detective's median salary consists
of 58,381$. Through hard work and integrity, within the F.B.I, it will definitely pay off. When
patrol officers think about whats next in their careers, many consider how to become a detective
and for good reason. With new challenges, higher pay and more prestige, becoming a detective is
a natural step up the law enforcement career ladder (Schmidt). Having a lot of leadership skills
will help an officer climb up the ladder.
If the applicant does not want to go through the process of a becoming a police officer
first, they can chose to become a private investigator. Instead of working with law enforcement
agencies, private investigators are detectives who work for their own clients. This means private
investigators can work for private detective firms, police departments, and private businesses and
organizations. The work of a private investigator does not involve solving major crimes, such as
homicides. Private investigators can help find missing people, gather evidence of spousal
infidelity in divorce cases and expose insurance fraud (Thompson). They also use computer
forensics to solve cases related to financial fraud or exploitation. On average, a private
investigator makes around $45,000 a year.
Becoming a police officer is a very serious job. Putting up with challenging duties and
responsibilities can have a positive outcome of getting promoted to a detective. Joining the F.B.I

Guevara 6
may require a lot of steps, but being able to protect the U.S. from any terrorists and foreign
threats can be heroic.

Works Cited
"Best Criminal Justice Schools in Colorado." Criminal Justice Degree Schools. N.p., 2016. Web.
18 Mar. 2016.
"Criminal Justice Careers 2016." Criminal Justice Degree Schools. N.p., 2016. Web. 18 Mar.
2016.
"CriminalJusticeDegree.com." CriminalJusticeDegreecom. N.p., 2014. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.
"Discover Policing." Police Officer Skills and Abilities -. N.p., 2016. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.
FBI. FBI, 08 May 2013. Web. 16 May 2016.

Guevara 7
"How to Become a Police Officer - Career Information, Education & Degree Requirements Peterson's CollegeQuest.com." CollegeQuest, 15 Jan. 2014. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.
"Police Officer Job Profile | Prospects.ac.uk." Police Officer Job Profile | Prospects.ac.uk. N.p.,
2016. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.
"Requirements to Become a Police Officer." Study.com. N.p., 2003. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.
Schmidt, Teresa. "Police Careers: Going from Patrol to Detective." PoliceOne, 2011. Web.
16 May 2016.
"The LAPD Career Ladder." JoinLAPD:. N.p., 2011. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.
Thompson, Scott. "How Can I Become a Detective Without Being a Police Officer?" How Can I
Become a Detective Without Being a Police Officer? Hearst Newspaper, 2016. Web. 18
Mar. 2016.
"Working Conditions for Detectives." Working Conditions for Detectives. Hearst Newspaper,
2016. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.