The No-Nonsense Guide to What Makes a Good Police Officer

What Makes a Good Police Officer


If you reflect on TV or movie portrayals of police officers, you might have a picture in your head of what a “bad cop” looks like. But since most people only interact with police officers when something has gone wrong, it can be hard to see qualities that make a truly great police officer shine.

Like any career, there will always be some professionals who are much better at their jobs. But unlike most careers, in law enforcement being good at your job can mean life and death for you or for someone else. “Police officers have an important role in the community—to keep the community safe,” says criminal defense lawyer, Tony Sun. “But being a police officer is the most stressful job in any city.”

Police training and education will help you develop the tools you need to thrive in the job. But truly great cops have more than just solid training in their corner. What makes a good police officer? We asked former law enforcement officials and the professionals who work with them for some of the qualities the best officers they know have in common.

What skills do police officers need?

A police officer’s area of jurisdiction and specialization can have a huge impact on the technical skills and knowledge they’ll need. That being said, there are several technical skills and abilities that are commonly sought after. We used job posting analysis software from Burning-Glass.com to identify some of the most frequently requested technical abilities of law enforcement officers.1

Commonly required technical skills for police officers

  • Public health and safety training
  • Prevention of criminal activity
  • CPR
  • Warrants
  • Surveillance
  • Traffic laws
  • Investigations
  • Crowd control
  • Prevention programs

These areas of skill do not represent everything police officers need to know. Most law enforcement programs and police academies will offer courses and training in line with state and federal requirements for officers. To learn more about what police officers learn, check out “Police Training: A Deeper Look at Tactics, Weapons and Human Relations.”

Important soft skills for police officers

But technical skills are only part of the mix in making a good police officer. The best police officers also bring an array of traits and soft skills to the table. And employers know these baseline skills are extremely important.

Communication

For law enforcement officers, communication, people skills and emotional intelligence play a hugely important role in being effective at the job. 

“Emotional intelligence is essential for defusing a potentially volatile situation and keeping things from escalating,” says attorney Matt Pinsker. “This also goes to maintaining a professional and respectable demeanor with the public that fosters good relations.”

Pinsker explains that every interaction from a simple traffic stop or responding to a crime victim to confronting a criminal requires reading people and knowing how to respond in a way that maximizes the chance of a peaceful exchange.

Relationship building

Beyond the skill of communicating and relating to people, the best police officers also know how to build effective relationships. Sun says that simply being friendly to people and showing your good intentions can go a long way toward helping your community trust you.

“Whenever the police get called to a scene, people are intimidated,” Sun says. “They know they could get in trouble.” But if officers act with courtesy and work at keeping people calm, they are likelier to get cooperative and honest results. Over time, even small relationships in the community can change situations that might otherwise be stressful or adversarial.

Critical thinking

“No other single person in society can decide who to arrest and who to take to jail.” But police officers make these choices every day, Sun points out. “That’s why good police officers need to have a strong desire to seek the truth. Other people’s lives are in your hands.”

In the jumble of a criminal investigation, not everyone tells the truth. Sun says people who aren’t even suspects can get nervous around officers and lie about what happened. Police officers need to have a real desire to get to the bottom of things, and the critical thinking skills to sift out the truth.

Rushing to conclusions is definitely not OK for police officers, Sun says. “There are two sides to every story, and every police officer needs to decide what the truth is. It doesn't need to be perfect every time, but the process of investigating needs to be done every time.”

Physical fitness

While there might be exceptions based on location and the specifics of the role, many police officers have to meet certain physical requirements. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that police officers monitor regular patrols and respond to emergency and nonemergency calls. Some officers have specialized units like horseback, motorcycle, canine corps, and special weapons and tactics (SWAT).2

Officers are often expected to be able to pursue a suspect on foot, perform CPR and assist people in accidents or disaster situations if needed. But going beyond that, police officers who take their physical fitness seriously will have a better chance of thriving in the line of duty.

Some of the traits commonly associated with physical fitness—such as discipline and self-control—are also very helpful. And as Pinsker points out, sometimes just having a strong command presence can get more done. “The best officers will, upon arrival at a scene, put out an aura that they are in control,” Pinsker says. “It also helps get people to cooperate.”

Self-control

“The best police officers excel at keeping calm,” Sun explains. “Situations get out of hand, suspects are desperate to not get caught, and people get emotional.” When officers need to de-escalate a situation, the habit of keeping their own emotions and reactions in check makes a big difference. There might be a million concerns running through an officer’s mind, but they’re best served to be like a duck in water—visibly calm and collected while working hard out of sight to keep afloat.

“Keeping calm will calm suspects down, buy you time until backup arrives, and will help keep you and everyone else safe,” Sun says.

Would you make a good police officer?

On paper, these traits and skills can all add up to a good police officer. But success for a police officer can also come from the unique combination of experiences and attributes that you bring to the table. If you could see yourself serving and protecting your community, this career choice might be right for you.

If a career in law enforcement sounds appealing, you’re probably wondering what it takes to become a police officer. Check out our article, “How to Become a Police Officer: Your Step-by-Step Guide,” to see what it takes to reach your first patrol.

1Burning-Glass.com (analysis of 14,357 police officer job postings, Nov. 1, 2017 - Oct. 31, 2018)
2 Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, [information accessed January 25, 2019] https://www.bls.gov/ooh/

About the author

Brianna Flavin

Brianna is a senior content manager who writes student-focused articles for Rasmussen University. She holds an MFA in poetry and worked as an English Professor before diving into the world of online content. 

Related Content

Related Content

This piece of ad content was created by Rasmussen University to support its educational programs. Rasmussen University may not prepare students for all positions featured within this content. Please visit www.rasmussen.edu/degrees for a list of programs offered. External links provided on rasmussen.edu are for reference only. Rasmussen University does not guarantee, approve, control, or specifically endorse the information or products available on websites linked to, and is not endorsed by website owners, authors and/or organizations referenced. Rasmussen University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

logo-accreditation-acen logo-accreditation-ccne chart-credential-laddering-associates-bachelors-masters 0 Credits 90 Credits 180 Credits 48 Credits Start Here HIGH SCHOOL GRADS Start Here TRANSFER STUDENTS Start Here SECOND DEGREE PURSUERS End Here ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE Start Here MASTER'S DEGREE PURSUERS End Here BACHELOR'S DEGREE End Here MASTER'S DEGREE chart-credential-laddering-associates-bachelors 0 Credits Start Here HIGH SCHOOL GRADS Start Here TRANSFER STUDENTS 90 Credits Start Here SECOND DEGREE PURSUERS End Here ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE 180 Credits End Here BACHELOR'S DEGREE chart-credential-laddering-msn chart-credential-laddering-nursing-programs chart-credential-laddering-post-grad-np chart-credential-laddering-nursing DNP MSN RN to BSN LPN to RN Bridge Accelerated BSN Professional Nursing ADN Practical Nursing Diploma Pre-Licensure Post-Licensure icon-colored-outline-bank icon-colored-outline-certificate icon-colored-outline-circle-dollar-sign icon-colored-outline-folder-search icon-colored-outline-hand-heart icon-colored-outline-head-blocks icon-colored-outline-head-cog icon-colored-outline-head-heart icon-colored-outline-health-plus-leaves icon-colored-outline-hospital icon-colored-outline-lifelong-learning icon-colored-outline-light-bulb-analytics icon-colored-outline-location-pin icon-colored-outline-magnifying-glass icon-colored-outline-monitor-healthcare icon-colored-outline-monitor-paper-search icon-colored-outline-nurse-rays icon-colored-outline-padlock-shield icon-colored-outline-person-presenter-screen icon-colored-outline-scales ras-logo-flame ras-logo-horizontal ras-logo-stacked icon-colored-advance icon-colored-arrows-cross-curve icon-colored-briefcase-star icon-colored-build icon-colored-bulb-analytics icon-colored-certificate icon-colored-continual-development icon-colored-duo-chatbox icon-colored-folder-mortarboard icon-colored-forward-ribbon icon-colored-gears-clock icon-colored-globe-pen icon-colored-growth icon-colored-hand-bubble icon-colored-hand-stars icon-colored-hands-gear icon-colored-head-blocks icon-colored-head-cog icon-colored-health-plus-leaves icon-colored-hospital-building icon-colored-laptop-cbe-skyscraper icon-colored-laptop-checkmark icon-colored-laptop-webpage icon-colored-location-map icon-colored-location-pin icon-colored-monitor-paper-scan icon-colored-mortarboard-dollar icon-colored-national icon-colored-people-chat-bubbles icon-colored-person-cheer-star icon-colored-person-laptop-checkboxes icon-colored-person-screen-instructor icon-colored-person-whiteboard icon-colored-phone-chatbox icon-colored-police-light icon-colored-prep icon-colored-presenter icon-colored-regional icon-colored-save-time icon-colored-shirt-hat icon-colored-skyscraper icon-colored-state icon-colored-student-centered icon-colored-support icon-colored-world-experience icon-triangle-arrow-up-plant icon-triangle-calendar-pencil icon-triangle-clock-rotating-arrows icon-triangle-display-gears icon-triangle-hand-right-speech-bubble icon-triangle-laptop-coding-brackets icon-triangle-mortarboard icon-triangle-paper-ribbon icon-triangle-person-cheer-star icon-triangle-person-juggle icon-triangle-triple-people-chat-bubble icon-modality-campus icon-modality-field icon-modality-online icon-modality-residential icon-arrow icon-bank icon-camera icon-filter icon-general-chart icon-general-connect icon-general-degree icon-general-discuss icon-general-email icon-general-find icon-general-hat icon-general-heart icon-general-laptop-building icon-general-laptop icon-general-leader icon-general-map icon-general-money icon-general-paperwork icon-general-people icon-general-phone icon-general-speak-out icon-head-heart icon-info-circle icon-mail-forward icon-mglass icon-play-solid icon-quote-mark-left icon-quote-mark-right icon-scales icon-share-square-o icon-simple-chat icon-simple-desktop icon-simple-find icon-simple-hamburger icon-simple-phone icon-spinner icon-tag icon-testimonial-quotes icon-util-checkbox-white icon-util-checkbox icon-util-checked-white icon-util-checked icon-util-chevron-down icon-util-chevron-left icon-util-chevron-right icon-util-chevron-up icon-util-circle-arrow-down icon-util-circle-dot icon-util-language-switch icon-util-loading icon-util-open-window-link icon-util-pdf-link icon-util-refresh icon-util-x rebrand-arrows icon-social-facebook-colored icon-social-facebook-square-colored icon-social-facebook-square icon-social-facebook icon-social-google-plus-square icon-social-google-plus icon-social-instagram-colored icon-social-instagram icon-social-linkedin-square-colored icon-social-linkedin-square icon-social-linkedin icon-social-pinterest-p-colored icon-social-pinterest-p icon-social-twitter-colored icon-social-twitter-square icon-social-twitter icon-social-youtube-play-colored icon-social-youtube-play graduate-cap-star-coin hand-coin hand-heart nurse-stethoscope-rays card-send-smile person-yoga-pose suitcase-star