Although many police officers have recently been in the news for reasons other than being great at their jobs, there is still a need for law enforcement officers to serve their communities. The trick is getting the right people into these positions. So if you’ve been considering becoming a police officer, here are three great skills to have if you want to be a cop. 

The Ability To Help Resolve Conflicts

Oftentimes, cops are called to a scene when a problem arises that the people there can’t handle on their own. Because of this, it’s vital that police officers know how to resolve various types of conflicts without escalating things. 

According to Sion Phillpott, a contributor to CareerAddict.com, the best outcome for conflict resolution as a police officer is to diffuse whatever situation you come upon. Ideally, this should be done without having to use your handgun or other force. For this reason, people who are good at communicating with others and helping to keep them calm often turn out to be great police officers. This will allow you to connect with people and leave most of your calls without any major incident. 

Listening To Understand

Another part of the ideal communication skills that a police officer should have is the ability to really listen to those they are interacting with in an attempt to truly understand them. 

To do this, Timothy Roufa, a contributor to The Balance Careers, suggests that police officers and those wanting to be police officers practice active listening. With active listening, you should try to understand the needs of someone based on what they’re trying to say to you. Even if it’s not spoken as clearly or eloquently as you may like, really trying to get on the same level as someone and understand where they’re coming from can help you to better understand and interact with that person. 

Authenticity To Build Trust

For police officers to be able to do their jobs most effectively, they need to have the trust of the people they’re serving.

To help you get this, it’s vital that police officers seek to be authentic in their representation of themselves and in their interactions with community members. By building this trust with your community, Chron Work shares that police officers can have the cooperation and assistance of those they are working to protect and serve rather than always feeling like they’re working against the people. This change in approach can make a huge difference in how effective law enforcement can be at their jobs and how safe a community can become. 

If you’re thinking about starting a career as a police officer, consider how developing the skills mentioned above could help you find success and fulfillment in this line of work.