Careers in Focus: Public Safety, Second Edition

Description

Ferguson's Careers in Focus books are a valuable career exploration tool for libraries and career centers. Written in an easy-to-understand yet informative style, this series surveys a wide array of commonly held jobs and is arranged into volumes organized by specific industries and interests. Each of these informative books is loaded with up-to-date career information presented in a featured industry article and a selection of detailed professions articles. The information here has been researched, vetted, and analyzed by Ferguson's editors, drawing from government and industry sources, professional groups, news reports, career and job-search resources, and a variety of other sources. For readers making career choices, these books offer a wealth of helpful information and resources.

Each profession article includes:

• Quick Facts: a snapshot of important job facts


• Overview: briefly introduces duties and responsibilities


• History: describes the origins and history of the job


• The Job: describes primary and secondary goals and duties


• Earnings: discusses salary ranges and typical fringe benefits


• Work Environment: looks at typical work conditions and surroundings associated with the job


• Exploring: offers suggestions on how to gain experience and knowledge about—or even test drive—a career before making a commitment


• Education and Training Requirements: discusses required high school and post-secondary education and training


• Certification, Licensing, and Special Requirements: explains recommended and required certifications or prerequisites for the job


• Experience, Skills, and Personality Traits: summarizes the personal traits and skills and professional experience needed to get started and succeed


• Employer Prospects: gives an overview of typical places of employment and the best ways to land a job


• Advancement Prospects: presents an expected career path and how to travel it


• Outlook: summarizes the job's potential growth or decline in terms of the general economy and industry projections


• Unions and Associations: lists essential and helpful professional groups


• Tips for Entry: additional tips for preparing for a career and getting a foot in the door


• For More Information: lists organizations that provide career information, networking, and professional development


• Sidebars: short features showcasing stats, trivia, and insight about a profession or industry

Careers in Focus: Public Safety, Second Edition covers the following 29 jobs:

• Airport Security Personnel


• Bail Bondsmen


• Bodyguards


• Border Patrol Agents


• Bounty Hunters


• Corrections Officers


• Crime Analysts


• Customs Officials


• Deputy U.S. Marshals


• Detectives


• Directors of Security


• Emergency Medical Technicians


• Emergency Services Dispatchers


• FBI Agents


• Fire Inspectors


• Fire Investigators


• Fire Protection Engineers


• Fire Safety Directors


• Fire Safety Technicians


• Firefighters


• Forensic Experts


• Fraud Examiners, Investigators, and Analysts


• Intelligence Officers


• Park Rangers


• Parole Officers


• Police Officers


• Polygraph Examiners


• Secret Service Special Agents


• Security Consultants and Guards

Sujets

• Careers
• Employabilité, métiers et formations
• Los ambiciosos
• Professional
• Career
• Education
• Economics
• Business
• Carrière
• Carrière & Mobilité

Informations

• Publié par: Infobase Publishing
• Date de parution: 01 avril 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781438190761
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

Careers in Focus: Public Safety, Second Edition
Copyright © 2020 by Infobase
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. For more information, contact:
Ferguson An imprint of Infobase 132 West 31st Street New York NY 10001
ISBN 978-1-4381-9076-1
You can find Ferguson on the World Wide Web at http://www.infobase.com
Contents Public Safety Entries Airport Security Personnel Bail Bondsmen Bodyguards Border Patrol Agents Bounty Hunters Corrections Officers Crime Analysts Customs Officials Deputy U.S. Marshals Detectives Directors of Security Emergency Medical Technicians Emergency Services Dispatchers FBI Agents Fire Inspectors Fire Investigators Fire Protection Engineers Fire Safety Directors Fire Safety Technicians Firefighters Forensic Experts Fraud Examiners, Investigators, and Analysts Intelligence Officers Park Rangers Parole Officers Police Officers Polygraph Examiners Secret Service Special Agents Security Consultants and Guards Index
Public Safety
Overview

Officers of the Denver Police Department patrol the streets in preparation of a protest.
Source: Alison Klein. WEBN News 2008. Flickr: http://goo.gl/MOUkJE . License: http://goo.gl/cOVloC .
The public safety industry's goal is to provide services and products that ensure the safety of people and property. More than 3.4 million people work in protective service occupations in the United States. The industry can be divided into two primary segments: government agencies and commercial agencies. Government public safety agencies, at the federal, state, regional, and local levels, continued to outnumber commercial agencies throughout the 2010s. Most public safety workers work for government agencies such as the police force, sheriff's department, or fire department. The Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Patrol, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Central Intelligence Agency, and similar organizations are examples of public safety organizations at the federal level.
Commercial public safety companies primarily specialize in security. Individuals or businesses hire them to guard people or property, whether the property is a home or commercial facility. These security companies may also act as consultants and advise clients on how to keep their facilities more secure, and they may also work on site to develop security systems for sensitive areas.
Since the beginning of the 21st century, the public safety industry has grown. Terrorist attacks and shootings in public places such as schools and universities have led to an increase in demand for protection. Whether it's installing a security system or hiring workers to guard their properties, there has been more business for nongovernment agencies, and more work for government public protection organizations.
The most prevalent jobs in public safety are related to the police force: police officer, investigator or detective, and prison guards. Firefighters, EMT workers, and highway patrol officers are another large group of workers. In the private sector, most workers are security guards, private investigators, or security consultants. Computer forensic investigator is an occupation on the rise, as Internet crime continues to increase worldwide.
Background
Virtually every aspect of life involves policies, regulations, and laws that help to promote public safety. Public safety, and the rules that go with it, has been a concern for a long time. In the earliest societies it was clear that people would run wild unless certain rules of conduct were created. Some laws evolved from the common agreement of the group's members, while others were handed down by the group's leaders.
Soon after the establishment of rules and laws, methods of enforcement developed. For a long time, enforcement simply meant punishment. Those who broke the laws were often ostracized or exiled from the group, subjected to corporal punishment, tortured, maimed, or even killed. Enforcement of the law was usually left up to the society's leaders or rulers, often through the soldiers who served in their armies. Often these armies also collected taxes, which were used to maintain the army and sometimes to line the ruler's pockets.
Eventually, more organized methods of public safety were developed. In England, for example, early law enforcement officials were considered servants of feudal lords, kings, and other rulers, and their duties revolved around protecting their masters' interests rather than ensuring the public safety. Colonial America followed in England's footsteps and adopted its system of law enforcement.
Cities grew larger during the 18th and 19th centuries, and the need arose for even more organized efforts, since larger cities often meant more crime, riots, and other disorders. The first modern police force was formed in 1829 in London. Cities in the United States organized police forces as well, beginning with New York in 1844. Interstate crimes were placed under federal authority, and various agencies, including the U.S. Marshals Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Secret Service, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and Customs and Border Protection, were formed to enforce laws across various jurisdictions.
The punishment of criminals changed as well. Beginning in the 18th century, efforts were made to create punishments that were equal to the crime. To deter people from committing crimes, societies began to develop specific punishments for specific crimes. These newer penalties generally called for a period of incarceration. Jails and prisons historically had been used as temporary holding pens before more permanent punishments, such as exile or death, but now became an important feature of these new ideas of punishment. The new prisons hired guards to watch over the prisoners, bring them food, and prevent them from escaping. The first American jails appeared in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. In the 21st century, private prison companies have built prisons or taken over the management of existing prisons for state and local governments. These for-profit companies have raised the concern that they generate an incentive for increasing incarcerations because the more beds that are filled in these systems the more profits that are made. But government agencies are taxed with an overflowing prison system and shrinking budgets, creating the need for these private prisons.
Another feature of protecting the public safety was the detection, prevention, and solving of crimes. Police officers who specialized in these efforts became known as detectives. Much like today, their job was to examine evidence related to a crime in an effort to catch the person or persons responsible. They also were vigilant in trying to prevent crimes and to catch criminals in the act. During the 19th century, the first private detectives and detective agencies appeared. These agencies not only worked to solve crimes against their clients but also offered guard services for people and their property.
Solving crimes also became more and more scientific. As early as 1780, a crime was solved when a suspected criminal's shoes were found to match footprints left at the scene of the crime. Toward the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries, modern forensic science techniques were developed. Methods were developed to link fingerprints, bullets, weapons, hair, soil, and other physical evidence found at a crime scene to the crime and the criminal. Laboratories were constructed that were devoted to this work. The Federal Bureau of Investigation's laboratory, established in the 1920s, became the largest and most famed crime laboratory in the world. 
Since the 1980s, DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) testing, also known as DNA profiling, has evolved to become a critical part of criminal investigative work. The U.S. Department of Justice stated that "DNA can be used to identify criminals with incredible accuracy when biological evidence exists. By the same token, DNA can be used to clear suspects and exonerate persons mistakenly accused or convicted of crimes." DNA profiling is a forensic method of matching DNA evidence to criminal suspects' DNA profiles (obtained as blood and saliva samples) to see if there is a match. In August 2017, the Rapid DNA Act was signed into law. Rapid DNA enables the analysis of DNA samples in about 90 minutes instead of the days and even weeks DNA analysis has taken in the past. This recent law gives law enforcement broader ability to use rapid DNA analysis technology and upload the resulting data into a federal database.
Intelligence operations, that is, the collection and evaluation of information about one's rivals or enemies, have also been a part of our history for a long time. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) became responsible for preserving U.S. international interests. The FBI was charged with maintaining the country's internal security. Each branch of the military services also operates intelligence forces.
After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the Department of Homeland Security was formed under the Homeland Security Act of 2002. This department of the federal government has three main goals: to prevent terrorist attacks within the United States, to reduce America's vulnerability to terrorism, and to minimize the damage from potential attacks and natural disasters.
The rise of the World Wide Web in the 21st century has also led to another forensic science: computer forensics. These experts examine suspects' computers to find evidence of criminal acts. These workers also investigate cybercrimes, or those committed via the Internet. Computer forensics also help to ensure the overall integrity and survivability of network inf