Police Officer Resume Example & Writing Guide
Use this Police Officer resume example and guide to improve your career and write a powerful resume that will separate you from the competition.
Police officers are the guardians of our communities and our safety. They protect and serve by patrolling their jurisdictions, responding to calls for help, investigating crimes and accidents, and arresting suspects. They keep the peace by maintaining a presence in the places where people gather—from schools to stadiums to parks. And they look out for public safety by enforcing traffic laws, responding to accidents, and patrolling neighborhoods on foot or in an officer car.
If you’re ready to become a part of this vital team, you’ll need a resume that showcases your skills, experience, and passion for protecting others. Here are some tips along with an example resume to help you write yours.
How to Write a Police Officer Resume
Here’s how to write a police officer resume of your own.
Write Compelling Bullet Points
Bullet points are the most important part of your resume because they’re the first thing recruiters will see. And they’re the best way to showcase your experience and qualifications.
So it’s crucial that you use them to your advantage. And the best way to do that is by using specific, descriptive language. For example, rather than saying you “assisted with community outreach,” you could say you “developed and implemented community outreach initiative that increased foot patrol presence by 20% and reduced crime by 10% in first six months.”
The second bullet point is much more specific and provides more detail about what exactly you did and the results of your work.
Related: What Is a Police Officer? How to Become One
Identify and Include Relevant Keywords
When you apply for a police officer role, your resume is likely to be scanned by an applicant tracking system (ATS) for certain keywords. This program looks for specific terms related to the job, like “law enforcement” or “patrol.” If your resume doesn’t include enough of these keywords, the ATS might automatically reject your application.
To make sure your resume makes it past the ATS, use this list of common police officer keywords as a starting point:
- Law Enforcement
- Criminal Investigations
- Public Safety
- Investigation
- Police
- Firearms Handling
- Emergency Management
- Security
- Criminal Justice
- Emergency Services
- Interrogation
- Physical Security
- Intelligence Analysis
- Homeland Security
- Counterterrorism
- Evidence Collection
- Surveillance
- Patrol
- Police Operations
- Public Safety Leadership
- Field Training
- Basic Firearms
- National Security
- Supervisory Skills
- Criminal Law
- Probation
- Security Operations
- Private Investigations
- Customer Service
- Negotiation
Showcase Your Technical Skills
In order to be a successful police officer, it is essential that you are proficient in the use of technology. This might include experience with police databases, evidence tracking systems, or communication programs. Additionally, police officers need to be familiar with procedures for handling evidence and conducting investigations.
So if you have experience with any of these technologies or procedures, be sure to list them on your resume. And if you’re not familiar with them, now is the time to learn them!
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