Desk Officer

If you watch lots of television, you probably have the impression that police work is all about flipping squad cars, firing guns, and chasing evildoers. And for some Police Officers, it is. For most, however, police work is less about giving knuckle sandwiches to bad guys and more about giving great customer service to the public.

That’s especially true if you’re a Desk Officer — also known as a Desk Captain, Desk Lieutenant, or Desk Sergeant, depending on your rank — in which case it’s your job as Desk Officer to supervise and coordinate police personnel as an administrative Police Officer within a police station.

The primary point of contact between the police force and the public, you’re the person who “holds down the fort,” so to speak, while other Police Officers are out patrolling the streets. As such, your duties are at once penal, organizational, and managerial in nature. Common responsibilities, for instance, include: taking incident reports from people who report crimes in person or over the phone; addressing citizens’ requests, concerns, and complaints; answering and routing phone calls, as well as police communications; reviewing police reports for correctness, completeness, and accuracy; operating and supervising prisoners’ detention cells; and safekeeping prisoners’ belongings, along with lost and stolen items that have been recovered by citizens and Police Officers.

While you don’t collect evidence, interrogate suspects, or apprehend criminals, Desk Officers do important work. It’s kind of like a feature film: Although Actors get most of the glory, the crew deserves a lot of the credit. You’re the crew, and you make magic behind the scenes at police stations!