Description
Maintain public order and protect life and property by enforcing local and state laws and ordinances. Patrol assigned areas; respond to emergencies; direct traffic; issue citations; investigate crimes and collisions; apprehend and arrest suspects; and engage in community policing in neighborhoods and schools.
Skills
Content
- • Reading Comprehension
- • Active Listening
- • Writing
- • Speaking
Process
- • Critical Thinking
- • Active Learning
- • Monitoring
Social Skills
- • Social Perceptiveness
- • Coordination
- • Persuasion
- • Negotiation
- • Instructing
- • Service Orientation
Complex Problem Solving Skills
- • Complex Problem Solving
Systems Skills
- • Judgment and Decision Making
Resource Management Skills
- • Time Management
Abilities
Verbal Abilities
- • Oral Comprehension
- • Written Comprehension
- • Oral Expression
- • Written Expression
Idea Generation and Reasoning Abilities
- • Fluency of Ideas
- • Originality
- • Problem Sensitivity
- • Deductive Reasoning
- • Inductive Reasoning
- • Information Ordering
- • Category Flexibility
Memory
- • Memorization
Perceptual Abilities
- • Speed of Closure
- • Flexibility of Closure
- • Perceptual Speed
Attentiveness
- • Selective Attention
- • Time Sharing
Fine Manipulative Abilities
- • Arm-Hand Steadiness
Control Movement Abilities
- • Multilimb Coordination
- • Response Orientation
Reaction Time and Speed Abilities
- • Reaction Time
Physical Strength Abilities
- • Static Strength
- • Explosive Strength
- • Dynamic Strength
- • Trunk Strength
Visual Abilities
- • Near Vision
- • Far Vision
Auditory and Speech Abilities
- • Speech Recognition
- • Speech Clarity
Knowledge
Business and Management
- • Administration and Management
- • Administrative
- • Customer and Personal Service
Engineering and Technology
- • Computers and Electronics
Mathematics and Science
- • Psychology
- • Sociology and Anthropology
- • Geography
Arts and Humanities
- • English Language
Law and Public Safety
- • Public Safety and Security
- • Law and Government
Communications
- • Telecommunications
- • Communications and Media
Related specializations
Interview options
Interview options
Interviewee gender
Interviewee accent
Interview time
Related Pathways
Public Service & Safety
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Source
Tasks & skills:
O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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Sources & Standards:
This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
