Introduction
The US economy is slowing down and people are afraid that the country may be going into a recession. Indicators of this fear are the layoffs and the downsizing of employees across many areas in business. Companies are also carefully budgeting their expenditure and hence not giving rise to a lot of new jobs. In such circumstances, getting a job in the government would be an ideal solution for many of the jobless youths in the country.
If qualified and selected, their life may be secure without fear of layoffs and downsizing. But one area where this trend is not seen is the area of public safety mainly involving the police and fire departments of the country. This paper is an attempt to see why people are not willing to become police officers or firefighters despite both these posts being secure (job-wise) government jobs.
Reasons to join the forces
Before moving on to the reasons why people hesitate to join public safety departments it would be worthwhile to see what the reasons are for the few who willingly join such departments. In the case of police officers, one reason would be the need to react against injustice in society. Becoming a police officer would be the best way for a person with low or medium qualifications. The need to serve society is also a reason why people join public safety departments.
Another reason would be the job security (of being employed by the government) even if the pay may not be comparable with the private sector. A need for an adventurous life will also be a motivation. According to an article on the Associated Content website, people are motivated to join if the person’s family has a record of having many police officers. It is also a roundabout way of settling personal vendettas. (Nicole).
Why People refuse to join the police or fire departments
It would now be worthwhile to see what keeps people away from being safety personnel in both the above departments.
Safety
The risks involved in being a police officer and a firefighter are far greater compared to an office or a factory job. With firearm laws being quite liberal in the US, police officers often have to find themselves in front of the wrong side of a gun in pursuit of justice. Firefighting is also a very risky job, especially in high-rise buildings. The scale and size of buildings in many cities in the country compound the risk factor to a great extent.
Abnormal working hours
Unlike the office or factory worker who has a regular ten-hour shift, safety officers may sometimes have to work at odd hours. They may also have to work for many hours at a stretch if the need arises. They may be called from leave in case of emergencies and they will have to comply without complaint.
Salary: In comparison to the risks faced by both the police and fire personnel, their salary is low in similar circumstances in the private sector. The starting salary of a police officer in the New York Police Department is about 40,000 USD per year. (Press Release August 21, 2008: Starting Salary has increased). The pay scale is quite similar in the fire department also. In a sense, this salary plus other benefits like paid vacations, pension, etc could be good for people with the minimum required education skill for the job. But other factors (now being mentioned) far outweigh the benefits.
Thankless job
Many police personnel especially in less developed countries feel that it is a thankless job. They risk their lives in capturing criminals only to find them being let off on some legal technicalities. Being injured in the line of duty is considered to be a part of professional risk. But they should be very careful in seeing that the suspect be injury-free except in very rare circumstances. They should be especially careful when handling the minority or female population even if they are really dangerous. Moreover, they may have to put up with long and boring duties like surveillance, they have a lot of paperwork and will have to attend to legal proceedings. (S Haberspivak). This situation is also true to a certain extent in the case of firefighters.
Police behavior: Very often police officers are seen to behave in a cruel manner, behave rudely, act racially, etc. Moreover, they have to interact with a wide variety of persons including juveniles, drug addicts, persons with unsound minds, alcoholics, criminals, etc. (Police: Police Officer Behaviour: Explaining Police Behaviour). Firefighters do not have so much contact with the public and hence this point may not be relevant to them.
Other factors
Police officers in many parts of the world are becoming increasingly distanced from the public. They are often seen as a nuisance (unjustly) who pull up motorists for speeding and other violations. Many people perceive at least a part of the police force to be racist, corrupt, and bigoted. In such a case no one would be willing to be associated with such a company. (John, et al). Again the fire department with so little daily contact with the public is not seen in the same way.
Conclusion
It can be seen that certain facts and perceptions of the public deters (both are given above) people from joining public safety departments despite some obvious benefits. This is especially true for the police department. A concerted effort from these departments should take place in reducing the risks and removing the perceptions about them. Benefits should be increased and more personnel be recruited to help ease the current workload.
Interactions with the public should increase. Finally, all personnel from both departments should see their job as a service and be proud that they belong to a very valuable department. The public on their part should be more understanding of the risks and look at the positive side of things rather than focus on the negative ones.
Works Cited
Nicole, A. Reasons Why People Become Police Officers. AC: Associated Content. 2007. Web.
Starting Salary has increased: Press Release. NYPD – New York’s Finest. 2008. Web.
S Haberspivak, J. Careers in Law and Law Enforcement: Part 2: Law Enforcement. NCJRS – National Criminal Justice Reference Service. 1975. Web.
Police: Police Officer Behavior: Explaining Police Behavior. 2008. Vol. 3. Web.
John, B., et. al. Why Aren’t People Joining the Police? BBC News. 2000. Web.