The first week of being a police officer is one of the hardest. Here are some tips that should help you get through your first week with little to no trouble.
The first week of any new job can be difficult, but the challenge increases drastically when that job is being an officer of the law. While you might have received some training before your first official day, nothing can prepare you for the first time you put your life on the line to protect your community. That’s why we’ve put together a short guide on how to prepare yourself for your first week as a police officer. That way, you can be ready for almost anything that comes your way.
Have Your Uniform Ready To Go
They always say that first impressions are important, and that’s mostly true. For the first week or so, you’ll continually meet new people who work at your precinct. You’ll want to make an excellent first impression with every one of them, and that starts with your uniform.
If you wear a wrinkled uniform and you’re missing key elements of it, other officers will take notice and judge you accordingly. While this won’t get you fired, it will make your eventual climb through the ranks a bit harder. Once you’ve been there for a while and established yourself, you can relax when it comes to having a pristine uniform all the time.
Take Note of the Gear You’ll Need
After the uniform, the next most important thing you should have is a complete set of equipment. There’s a long list of gear all police officers need while on patrol that you should be very familiar with. While most precincts won’t expect you to have all of these items on your first day, you will need to get them as soon as possible.
Luckily, many departments provide several of these items for their officers. However, you will likely need to get some of the essential pieces of gear on your own, so be ready to order some once requested.
Study Up With Your Old Notes
Even though you’re fresh out of training, it might surprise you how much of what you learned goes in one ear and right out the other. Taking the time to review your old notes will significantly affect how well you do in your first week. While no one will expect you to have all the answers, you’ll impress your fellow officers if you know the majority of them already.
Just be ready to adapt when necessary. Part of being a police officer is knowing how to make the right call in a split-second decision-making scenario. All the books in the world won’t be able to prepare you for that kind of scenario.
Try To Relax a Bit
One mistake many new recruits make is being too tense during their first week. If you’re in the office, the worst thing that could happen is that a few experienced officers might make fun of you a little bit.
However, this is an entirely different story if you’re in the field. New police officers who don’t know how to loosen up a bit might freeze up at the worst time possible. Making sure you relax and don’t stress about the job too much during your off-time is the best way to prepare yourself for your first week as a police officer.
