There are many skills that the average police officer should possess. Teamwork, courage, and loyalty are among the top ones every officer should have, but organization is one skill that often gets overlooked. A disorganized cop will have a much harder time doing their job. If you’re unsure why that is, this list of reasons why organization is crucial for police officers will help clear things up for you.
It’ll Keep Things From Falling Through the Cracks
As a police officer, you’re constantly juggling multiple tasks at once. Filling out paperwork, responding to calls, and patrolling neighborhoods only scratches the surface of what an officer must do daily.
However, that first point, in particular, needs the highest level of organization. Mixing up your paperwork or forgetting to fill it out in the first place will lead to many problems down the road. If officers don’t take the time to improve their organizational skills, they’ll likely fall behind with their routine tasks.
It’ll Improve the Fluidity of Team Efforts
Of course, poor organizational skills won’t just affect the officer. It’ll impact everyone they work with as well. Being an officer of the law means being a team player. Your lack of organization will negatively affect those you work with.
Maybe you don’t file a report that you and your partner were working on, or you lose a piece of evidence that your team brought in. Regardless of what it is, not being well-organized will become more apparent as people rely on you to do things.
It’ll Increase Reaction Times in the Field
Most importantly, the reason why organizational skills are key to being a police officer is that not knowing where things are will slow you down while out in the field. Fast response times are crucial for taking down the perp and protecting those around you, whether civilians or fellow officers.
While on duty, you need to know where all of your gear is at all times. Knowing how to comfortably set up your outer carrier will help you ensure everything is in an easily accessible place, which will help you pull items out faster when you’re under pressure. Having an organized patrol car will also help with this, especially if another officer needs to get in there to find something.
What You Can Do To Become Organized
Fortunately, becoming more organized is very easy to do. Setting small goals for yourself and keeping notes on what else you need to do that day is an excellent place to start. You can also take a day to reorganize your desk, patrol car, and uniform if needed.
Once you find a good home for everything, it’ll be easier to ensure your items return to where they need to go after each use. With these little changes, you’ll be more organized in no time, and other officers will take notice.
