What an NYPD police officer actually does

Police Officers perform general police duties and related work in the New York City Police Department, including connecting and building relationships with the community. They patrol an assigned area on foot or in a vehicle to prevent crime, apprehend crime suspects, and intervene in situations involving crimes in progress, aided cases, complaints and emotionally disturbed persons.

They respond to and investigate vehicular accidents, investigate specific offences, interact with prisoners, operate and maintain patrol vehicles, issue summonses, and obtain information about incidents by interviewing witnesses, victims and complainants. They safeguard and voucher found, seized or recovered property, provide information to the public, handle situations involving maltreated, abused or missing children, and interact with juveniles.

Three of the nine tested abilities point at recording rather than acting. Information ordering is illustrated by storing found, seized or recovered property. Written expression is illustrated by recording information in a memo book or other reports. Written comprehension is illustrated by reading policies, laws and legal documents.

That balance is not an accident of the exam. A great deal of the job is producing a record that will still be legible and defensible months later, in a courtroom, to people who were not there. Candidates who think of the written sections as the soft part of the paper have the job backwards.

The notice lists physical activities the work involves, and they are not generic: engaging in hand-to-hand struggles to subdue a suspect resisting arrest, and being physically active for extended periods, among others.

Physical standards are established for the position. You must pass a qualifying physical test and may be required to undergo periodic physical testing throughout your career — not only at entry. Academy recruits must complete a timed one-and-a-half-mile run before graduating.

Medical and psychological guidelines are established for the position, and a drug screening must be passed before appointment as part of the pre-employment process. Drug testing may recur on a random basis after probation is completed.

The probationary period is 24 months — twice the length of the School Safety Agent and Traffic Enforcement Agent probations. That, together with periodic physical and medical testing, is the honest shape of the commitment: the requirements do not stop at the door.