Police officers: Advice please? If you're not the fighting type, should you not become a cop?

I've been flip-flopping on whether or not I want to be a cop for so long now. I'm a 20 year old male who's 6 ft. tall, but I'm not the fighting type. I hate physical fights. Would you say that I shouldn't become a cop because of that? Thanks for any help...Police officers: Advice please? If you're not the fighting type, should you not become a cop?
You certainly don't have to like physical confrontations to be a police officer. However, as other posters have indicated, you must be willing and able to participate in them when necessary. Being willing and able to use force when necessary is extremely vital for police officers. If you believe that you might not be willing and able to use force when necessary, then you should not become a police officer. There are many thing to consider when thinking about becoming a police officer. Check out http://www.peaceofficerjobscom for excellent information and advice about becoming a police officer.Police officers: Advice please? If you're not the fighting type, should you not become a cop?
I think you should probably look into a different career, depending on how much you dislike confrontation. You certainly don't have to like fighting or confrontation to be a cop but you have to be ready for it every day. If you don't have the will to win in any physical confrontation you are putting your life in grave jeopardy. If you don't like fighting but you train to be prepared for any fight and are mentally ready for that then you may still want to think about law enforcement. If you have any question in your mind about whether or not you can shoot someone if you have to or If you could handle the stress of people trying to assault or kill you then look for something else.





I had a friend in the academy who was a smart and physically capable guy. He got through the academy fine but when we got on the street and he started seeing the real confrontations and dangers he decided it wasn't for him. I didn't think any less of him, in fact I was glad, because it just wasn't the right job for him and if you're not in it all the way you are asking for disaster.






Well, for me I don't like getting into fights, and your communication skills can get you out of some of those situations. However, if I feel threatened or see a need to fight then I really get into it and can fend for myself easily. As soon as I see a need for it, it just comes automatically. This is true for a lot of people, so I don't know if it would be true for you. If this is the case, I would suggest going for it though! You will kind of see, if you go through the same type of academy I did, if this is something you can do. I really saw what I could do during red man, and realized that in the right situations, I had no problem with the physical fighting.


Good luck!
you can still be a cop, however if you are totally unwilling to be involved in a fight you should not become a cop. i would recommend that you join a small town police force where it is less likely that there will be a fight, but you need to be ready for it. thats simply part of the job. if you really do not want to get into fights but want to be involved in law enforcement consider dispatching.





I am a police explorer in a small town (police department has 15 officers and about 8,000 people) and all of them have been involved in at least one or two fights. However, it does not happen every day, but you will have to expect that it will happen.
What you need to ask yourself is this ';If the situation calls for you to defend yourself or someone else physically, can you? and most importantly, will you?'; I am a deputy sheriff and like you I do not like to fight and will try to talk my way out of it if possible, but if I can't, I'm ready to do what is necessary to protect myself, those i work with, and the public. If you don't like to fight that's fine, as long as you can and will if it comes up.
I am not a police officer but I do believe that if police officers would treat most individuals with the same respect that they themselves ask for many acts of violence between a police officer and the ones they approach would turn out much differently. Violence only begats violence. I am willing to admit this does not hold true in all situations.





I would think if you were going into law enforcement for all the right reasons as a public servant or as a Peace Officer this would not be a hindrance. The only fight I ever got into with a Police Officer was one who took his power to the extreme.





My personal opinion. Two important qualities a person considering going into law enforcement would possess would be vigelance and the ability to discern a situation very quickly.





I will give you a personal scenario.





You see a woman crying. Obviously upset. Would this be a time to come to this woman in an act of aggression or would this be a time to come to this woman with an act of compassion?



No, you should not become a cop. If there is any hesitation in your mind that you will not or can not fight with someone then, please choose another career. Fighting for your life is a very real possibility. Everyday you can be tested. If you are unwilling to take a life to save your life or the life of another person, DO NOT TAKE THIS JOB!
I don't care if you hate it or not. If you become a cop, you had BETTER be able to do it well when it counts, or you or someone else is going to get killed.






There is more to being a cop than breaking up fights. If you really want to be a cop this shouldn't stop you.
I say yes, you shouldn't become a cop. It's obvious.