Careers in law enforcement include the posts of a police officer, highway patrol officer, detective, fire investigator, sheriff, bailiff, special agent of the U.S. Marshal Service or ‘federal marshal,’ corrections officer, and parole agent. The list is extended with the special agent of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), special agent or inspector of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), and special agent of the Drug Enforcement Administration. Among the law enforcement careers listed above, the role of the detective seems to be the most appealing. It is because too much depends on how thoroughly and attentively the detective does his job. Besides, this career involves a lot of intellectual thinking and communication.
The responsibilities of the detective include investigating crimes and examining crime scenes to gather evidence. It may be a challenging job requiring a scientific mindset, as well as the career of fire investigative officer. Police detectives admit that they have to spend much time communicating with witnesses, victims, and suspects, who most often try to hide the truth, revealing a half-truth or only small portions of the facts. One of the main tasks of a detective is to get to the truth, and then to present their findings to the district attorney. Besides, this work requires attention to detail during interviews and interrogations, since the slightest discrepancies can be crucial. Unfortunately, the police admit that they have to do much routine work at the computer, collecting data that may be useful in the investigation. But overall, this is a gratifying career that allows seeing how justice is done.
Thus, the most appealing law enforcement career was chosen, and its responsibilities were described. The career of the detective seems to be the most appealing choice since it requires creative thinking, the ability to work with witnesses and suspects, and collect evidence.