What do you think it takes to be in law enforcement?

A good physical condition; patience; respect; will/concern to help people; a pretty stable psychological condition and not be too quick to anger and discrimination. A good critical thinking and ability to think quick and empathize.

That's really all I, a common citizen, can ask from cops, I think, and these were the qualities of all the good friendly and helpful cops who I met and who I'll probably never forget.

edit: I just clicked on thread from the links on the bottom, and I did not realize it was Ask A Cop. I'm obviously not a cop, but maybe it's still relevant.
 
Starting out I think you need to be in shape, but the longer some officers are on the force, it seems some departments will let them get quite overweight. The right mentality, and certain detachment from home and work would be necessary. If a person couldn't do that, I don't see how they could handle a life-long career in law enforcement.
 
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