Civil Service Success

  The day you receive a call back for a job you've always wanted is magical. All that hard work paid off, and you finally get to be one of New York's bravest. And with each passing day, you get more and more accustomed to your job as a police officer.   As great as it is, though, tiredness and fatigue do set in eventually. Some people don’t even notice it until it hits them all at once. Whether it’s months or years down the line, police officer burnout  is expected. So, what can you do to avoid the inevitable? Create A Support System No one can understand your stress more than the people who work with you. While you may feel a disconnect while sharing your worries about your job with family, your colleagues can not only empathize, but can even share the burden with you. Creating a support system to navigate workplace stress is essential. It can help you maintain your physical and mental health , which you need to perform well on the job. Additionally, sharing fears and fr...

Working in the criminal justice department can be very rewarding, and it pays quite well. There are currently  27 crime-related occupations  available for U.S. citizens, ranging from desk to field jobs. These departments employ over 3.9 million workers nationally. If you’ve narrowed down your career choices to being a police officer or a correctional officer, you're heading toward a bright future! Let’s look at the differences between the two roles and the benefits of each one.   Police Officer Working as a police officer necessitates a higher education degree and more training than other criminal justice positions. Although recruitment is more extensive, police officers are compensated with comparatively higher pay. The  median annual wages  for police officers in top industries can go as high as $88,000, with bilingual officers earning more. Agencies also provide police officers with an allowance for uniforms and the option to take early retirement. Polic...

In a government that employs council members, a city manager is usually tasked with ensuring that everything runs smoothly.   Working as a city manager requires multiple skill sets and the ability to handle a wide array of responsibilities. After all, it’s not easy to keep a city running smoothly and without incident. Here’s a quick brief on what one should expect out of a city manager. Duties & Responsibilities While the people elect the city council, the city manager is hired by the city council  members. The city manager has to serve as the chief executive of the city government. Although the city manager has no authority to vote on laws and regulations, they are tasked with carrying out many responsibilities that are delegated to the city council.   Working as a representative of the city, the city manager is tasked with managing the city’s budget, overseeing staff and meeting with the head of departments to ensure everything is running smoothly. They even handle ...

  It’s widely understood that the job of the police  is to protect citizens and combat crime. Performance measures are a way of ensuring efficiency, honest and productivity in police dealings. Since the police department is funded by taxpayers’ money, the state emphasizes having easy-to-track metrics to measure an officer’s performance. Here are some metrics that have been used historically to trace a police officer’s effectiveness: Historic performance measures The state and the police department have always kept count of the number of arrests made by a police officer, reports they took and calls they responded to. This means that as a police officer, the tickets and warnings you give and the arrests you make receive particular attention. The crime rate in an area has traditionally been a go-to metric to measure the productivity and effectiveness of a police department in the vicinity. However, factors outside of police control can also tremendously affect the crime rate. Wha...

    In December 2019, just a month before the first COVID-19 case  had been reported in the US, sanitation work was reported to be the 5 th  most dangerous job  in the country. However, with the start of the pandemic in the US, this risk factor has risen significantly.   The pressure for public spaces to remain clean and sanitized has never been this intense. With the CDC urging people to practice physical distancing and cleanliness, the duties of a sanitation worker have become more critical than ever.   Residential Waste With nationwide lockdowns and nearly 42% of the US workforce  now working from home, residential waste has also significantly increased. There has been a nearly 40% spike in waste disposed of in residential areas since the start of the pandemic. With more waste comes more responsibilities. Sanitation workers are tasked with proper waste collection and disposal from residential areas. To minimize the chances of contracting the vi...

Law enforcement must uphold public safety and compliance with the law. With the growing concern of the global pandemic, new rules  have been introduced into cities across the country. Wearing masks, social distancing, and respecting personal space are part of the new norm in a bid to safeguard public health.   From airplane travel to crowded gatherings, everything now has a new rule to promote social distancing. However, a lot of resistance has been shown by the general public toward this change. During times of distress, the public looks for an authoritative body to guide everyone away from the chaos. Here’s how the police force can use their role to enforce rules and keep everyone safe. Crisis Mitigation The fight between anti-maskers and the general public can escalate quickly. Private establishments have set up rules throughout the nation to ensure that no one enters their space without covering their face. Masks have proven to help reduce the spread of viruses, but many A...

Firefighting is one of the most challenging professions out there. Every day, firefighters are tasked with a multitude of responsibilities and may even need to perform emergency services. It’s not an easy job, especially since there are such high expectations tied to being a firefighter.   Unlike most professionals who can get by with mastering just one or two skills, firefighters are expected to excel in multiple avenues. From their personality to their physique, and even their knowledge, everything needs to be stellar for you to do your job well. Here are just a few essential duties of a firefighter. Rescuing and Handling Citizens Emergency situations are often filled with erratic people. Concerned and fearful, many individuals may not know to respond when dealing with a crisis. It’s a firefighter's responsibility not only to rescue but also to guide people during an emergency. During rescue missions, firefighters are tasked with communicating across their team, calming down frig...

It’s not easy to wake up every morning and take on the task of ensuring public safety. However, that is the lived reality for everyone in the police force. Every day, police officers are expected to patrol the city and take care of any conflict or unrest. Often, this leads to arrests or coming face-to-face with offenders.   Constant communication with the general public can isn’t always easy. Police officers are expected to deal with citizens regardless of their age, race, immigration status, or cultural background. However, this could be quite a tricky responsibility to fulfill. To help combat any difficulties, many experts recommend police sensitivity training. This is a practice that many organizations in various industries utilize to make their practices more inclusive  and free of unconscious biases. But before advocating for it, we must understand what this practice entails for those in law enforcement. Who Receives The Training? Organizations allocate different training...

The recent pandemic has changed people’s views on what kind of jobs they should opt for.   Now, more than ever, job security is a top priority. Everyone’s looking for positions where they don't have to worry about whether they’ll last until the end of the year. Thankfully, you don’t have to seek too far to find a job that values its employees. You can simply apply for a position in the civil service sector. A government job doesn’t just provide you with job security, but it also comes with various other benefits. From generous compensation to health insurance, you can rest easy with the right civil service job. However, there are countless jobs offered in departments across the US. The question remains, which one would suit you best? NYC Fire Department There’s no one more brave or daring than a firefighter. Risking their lives and running into burning buildings to save others isn’t an easy feat. That’s why the NYC fire department hires individuals based on their knowledge and phys...

The New York Fire Department happens to be the 2 nd  largest municipal fire department globally and the largest in the United States. Currently, the FDNY has employed approximately 11,000 firefighters who work tirelessly to keep 8.5 million residents  safe.   Getting a job in the FDNY is not an easy task; each candidate has to go through rigorous mental and physical tests before they’re finally labeled as 'New York's Bravest.' However, once you finally get in, there are a few things you can expect on your first day on the job: Be The First To Arrive And Last To Leave As a newbie, you’re not 'one of the guys' just yet. Establishing good rapport from the get-go will help you settle in and get off on the right foot. One way you can do this is by arriving early. This saves you the hassle of getting late if you’re lost or confused, and makes an unforgettable first impression. You might feel awkward, but no one is immune to first-day jitters. To make your place among your...

It’s no surprise that a significant part of our lives is dependent on our smartphones. From your current location to your sleep habits and interests, everything is saved on the cloud. Since our lives are so intertwined with our electronic devices, the possibilities for leveraging are endless these advancements in law enforcement are endless. Recently, a husband  who falsely accused a masked intruder of the murder of his wife was found lying because of his wife’s Fitbit. As more evidence was gathered from their home security system and social media activity, solving the case was made possible. So it’s safe to say that technology has the power to give us a strategic advantage over criminals. Let’s take a look at how the police force can use this to their advantage: Facial Recognition This technology was first introduced in the 1960s ; however, much of the process was manual and slow. Nowadays, thanks to artificial intelligence, sifting through an extensive database to match face IDs ...