A Simple Guide To Types of Police Officers

Many people are familiar with the type of police officer known as a patrol officer.  This is because a patrol officer is the type of officer with which a typical civilian will probably have the most contact.  It is important to realize, however, that there are actually a number of different types of police officers that a police department may employ.  

These different types of law enforcement officers include arson officers, bomb squad officers, canine officers, communications officers, counterterrorism officers, detectives, emergency service officers, forensic officers, hostage negotiators, mounted officers, police pilots, SWAT officers, traffic officers, special-purpose officers, and a variety of other similar types of law enforcement officers. 

 It is important to note that each local law enforcement position has a distinct set of duties, responsibilities, and tasks associated with the position based on the type of officer that the department needs.  As a result, each officer must have the skills necessary to carry out the duties, responsibilities, and tasks associated with their specific position.  It is also important to note that the specific types of law enforcement officers that a particular police department will employ can vary greatly from department to department as each area has its own distinct resources and needs.
 
Arson officer  

An arson officer is a type of law enforcement officer that is trained to investigate fires.  Arson officers are typically required to analyze the scene of a fire, identify the cause of the fire, investigate the scene of a fire to determine whether the fire was intentionally started and to supervise or aid in the removal of substances that may have been used to start the fire.  Arson officers are called to scenes to investigate suspected arson and, as a result, are usually required to work very closely with firefighters.  Some communities, especially smaller communities, may have officers that function as both arson officers and bomb squad officers.
 
Bomb squad officer
A bomb squad officer is a type of law enforcement officer that is trained to handle explosives and other incendiary devices.  Bomb squad officers are typically required to analyze explosive devices to determine whether the device is a real threat or not, disarm explosive devices, locate explosive devices, and investigate crime scenes where explosive devices have been used or where explosive devices are suspected.  Bomb squad officers also help investigate suspicious fires and/or fires that are believed to have been caused by an incendiary device.  Some communities, especially smaller communities, may have officers that function as both arson officers and bomb squad officers.
 
Canine officer 
A canine officer is a type of law enforcement officer that works closely with trained dogs to track down criminals and criminal activity.  Canine officers use dogs to locate illegal substances, locate injured or missing individuals, and to locate suspects in a variety of different terrains and situations.  Canine officers also aid in the training of the department's police dogs, care for the department's police dogs, and transport the dogs to any location that needs to be searched.
 
Communications officer 
A communications officer, which is usually referred to as a dispatcher, is a type of law enforcement officer that is trained to take emergency calls and dispatch emergency personnel to the scene of a crime or an emergency.  Communications officers, or dispatchers, are typically required to answer emergency calls, inform police or other emergency personnel that they are needed at a specific scene, place information related to the emergency or the crime into the police database, maintain communications and surveillance equipment, and obtain information from the police database for officers in the field.
 
Counterterrorism officer 
A counterterrorism officer, which may also be referred to as an antiterrorism officer, is a type of law enforcement officer that is trained to prevent and respond to terrorist attacks.  Counterterrorist officers patrol areas that are considered to be at high risk for a terrorist attack (such as power plants or crowded public events), obtain information related to terrorists and their potential targets from a variety of sources, investigate reports of suspected terrorist activity, provide assistance to the public during a terrorist attack, inform other local departments of terrorist activities, inform state and federal agencies of terrorist activities, and respond to terrorist threats.  Some communities, especially smaller communities, may have officers that function as both counterterrorism officers and SWAT officers.
 
Detective 
A detective is a type of law enforcement officer that is trained to investigate any crime in which the department is having difficulty identifying the criminal responsible for committing the crime.  In other words, most investigations start with a patrol officer investigating the scene of the crime in order to determine if a crime was committed and, if a crime was committed, to determine who committed the crime.  If the patrol officer determines that a crime was committed, that a specific individual or group of individuals is responsible for committing the crime, and finds that there is sufficient evidence to indicate that the suspect or suspects are responsible for committing the crime, the officer will take the suspect into custody and/or obtain the appropriate arrest warrants to arrest the individual.  
 
However, in many cases, the patrol officer will determine that a crime has been committed, but will be unable to identify the individual that is responsible for committing the crime because there is no obvious suspect or there is insufficient evidence.  In these cases, the department will call in a detective that will go over police reports, investigate the scene, interview any witnesses to the crime, obtain official statements from witnesses or individuals that may be involved in the crime, review criminal records, and carry out a number of other investigative tasks in order to identify the criminal responsible.
 
With this information in mind, it is important to remember that there are actually a number of different types of detectives that a department may employ depending on the specific needs of the department and the community that the department serves. 

The different types of detectives that a department may employ include, but are not limited to, the following:

- Arson/bomb squad detectives: investigate crimes related to intentional fires, bombings, or any other situation where property has been damaged and/or people have been injured or killed by explosive devices or incendiary devices.  
- Fraud detectives: investigate crimes in which an individual tricks someone into surrendering his or her property.  Fraud detectives usually handle cases related to counterfeiting, embezzlement, extortion, fraud, and forgery.  
- Homicide detectives: investigate crimes in which an individual has been killed or severely injured by another individual.  
- Juvenile crimes detectives: required to handle cases in which an individual under 18 years of age may have committed the crime, or any crimes that are typically committed by minors.
- Narcotics detectives: investigate crimes related to the sale or possession of narcotics or other illegal substances.  
- Robbery unit detectives (also referred to as burglary unit detectives): investigate crimes related to the theft, or the attempted theft, of a piece of property that was carried out or attempted through the use of force, the threat of force, trespassing, or breaking and entering.  
- Sex crimes detectives (special victims detectives): investigate crimes related to child abuse, rape, or sexual assault.  
- Vice detectives: responsible for investigating the illegal sale of alcohol, illegal gambling, and prostitution.

 
Emergency services officer  

An emergency services officer is a type of law enforcement officer that is trained to rescue an individual or a group of individuals that are in danger due to an unusual or extremely dangerous situation.  Emergency services officers are called on to help evacuate individuals that are located in an area that is in immediate danger, prevent individuals from doing harm to themselves, rescue individuals that have become trapped as the result of a car accident or another type of accident, rescue individuals that are in immediate danger from a very dangerous animal or a group of dangerous animals, rescue individuals from natural or industrial disasters, and support other officers and firefighters in their rescue efforts.  Emergency services officers are also usually required to use a variety of different techniques and equipment that a standard patrol officer is not trained to use in order to rescue the individuals in these situations.
 
Forensics officer 
A forensics officer, which may also be known as a crime scene investigator or a criminal identification specialist, is a type of law enforcement officer that is trained to gather and analyze evidence from a crime scene.  Forensics officers are typically required to administer polygraph tests, collect blood and fluid samples, collect ballistics evidence, collect clothing and other samples from the crime scene, examine evidence, interview witnesses, lift fingerprints from objects at the crime scene, match fingerprints from objects at the scene to a suspect that may be responsible for the crime, and a variety of other similar tasks related to collecting evidence and putting that evidence to effective use.
 
Hostage negotiator
A hostage negotiator is a type of law enforcement officer that is trained to rescue an individual or a group of individuals that are being held against their will.  Hostage negotiators are trained to control the situation as much as possible by establishing a reasonably controlled environment in which the hostage-taker is unable to escape or receive outside aid, discuss the possibility of a peaceful resolution with the hostage-taker in which the hostage-taker releases the hostages and surrenders him or herself, discuss the possibility of releasing hostages, and/or organize a rescue attempt if negotiations have failed.
 
Mounted officer 
A mounted officer is a type of law enforcement officer that uses an all-terrain vehicle, a bicycle, a horse, a motorcycle, or another similar type of vehicle to patrol areas that may be difficult to patrol.  Mounted officers are called on to apprehend suspects that are escaping on foot, aid injured individuals in areas that are difficult to reach by car, control traffic, patrol crowded areas, and to take steps to control crowds. 
 
Police pilot 
A police pilot is a type of law enforcement officer that is trained to fly helicopters or other small aircraft.  Police pilots are typically required to monitor suspects or vehicles from the sky, patrol large areas, provide 'eye-in-the-sky' support during searches, rescue injured or trapped individuals in difficult to reach areas, and transport officers or medical personnel from one area to another when time is an issue.
 
SWAT officer 
A Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Officer, also known as a Special-Incident Officer or a Special Response Officer, is a type of law enforcement officer that is trained to respond to situations that are too dangerous for normal officers to handle.  SWAT Officers assist in raids, provide protection for public officials, provide protection for witnesses, provide security for large events, rescue hostages if hostage negotiations fail, rescue individuals that are in danger of being injured or killed by gunfire, and retrieve suspects that have barricaded themselves in a building or other location.  Some communities, especially smaller communities, may have officers that function as both SWAT Officers and counterterrorism officers.
 

Traffic officer 
A traffic officer is a type of law enforcement officer that is trained to ensure that the members of the community in which the officer serves can continue to travel from place to place with as little difficulty as possible.  Traffic officers direct traffic, investigate accidents, issue citations, patrol areas in which there are a large number of car thefts reported, pull over speeding motorists or motorists that are driving erratically, and arrest individuals that are driving under the influence or that have committed other serious driving violations.  Traffic officers may also be required to arrest individuals that are wanted for non-traffic related crimes because a traffic officer will often become aware of a wanted suspect due to a routine traffic stop.
 
Special-purpose officer 
A special-purpose police officer is a type of law enforcement officer that is trained to help provide security for public buildings and other similar parts of a community. Special-purpose officers may be assigned to protect airports, courthouses, parks, ports, public housing projects, public transit lines, and other similar community resources in order to ensure that each of these resources can be used by the community with as little difficulty as possible.  Special-purpose officers are typically required to enforce any special regulations that pertain specifically to the area that they are assigned to protect, investigate criminal activity in the area that they are assigned to protect, maintain order by dispersing crowds, patrol the area that they are assigned to protect, and provide assistance to individuals in the area during an emergency.  However, it is important to note that the specific duties and powers assigned to a special-purpose officer can vary greatly from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and will depend mainly on the city the officer is serving in and the specific assignment that the officer has received.