A police officer is a city worker who works with a group of people called a police force. There are many other workers on a police force besides an officer but the men and women who wear uniforms are the ones we mostly see because they are out in the community protecting the community from danger and making sure that people are obeying the laws.

Police officers have been around since the 27 B.C when Octavius, Julius Caesar’s nephew created them in order to protect him from harm.

FUN FACT: Did you know that the word "police" is actually a French word?

The role of a police officer is very dangerous because police officers have to wear required equipment such as guns for protecting innocent people as well as themselves. Police officers usually carry their gun in a holster so that it is difficult for people to grab and is safer for when he or she is literally running to chase after a “bad guy”.

Police officers use a different kind of gun which is very safe to use and carry around, called a radar gun. The purpose of the radar gun is to track the speed at which cars are driving. The radar gun shoots invisible rays called microwaves - yes, lthe same rays that heat your food! When the rays hit the front of an oncoming car, some of them are reflected back into the radar gun, giving the police officer an exact indication of how fast the driver was going. If a person drives over the speed limit or doesn’t obey the traffic rules, a police officer will write a ticket explaining what rule the driver disobeyed. The driver is then responsible for paying a fee for breaking the rules.

Have you ever wondered why police officers are parked in front of donut shops or why they eat donuts late at night? Although some people joke about this, some police officers have to work all night long and need coffee and food to help them through the night. Imagine, while you are sleeping, some police officers are staying up to protect your community! Donut shops are usually open 24 hours a day, which makes it very convenient for police officers to stop in and either enjoy a cup of coffee and eat or a donut or meet with officers of different agencies or shifts.

FUN FACT: Police officers in England are called "bobbies". Bobbies don't wear guns except for special circumstances. Bobbies were created in England by Robert Peel in 1829. They were the first professional police force, copied by cities around the world.

Large cities also have police offiicers called Deputy Sheriffs. Their duties are slightly different than city police officers but they still do the same type of work keeping us safe and secure.

City police forces can have thousands of officers. In smaller cities, the entire police force can be as little as two people.

Men and women have to go through training before they can become police officers. This is hard work and it takes many months.

Some other names for police officers are bobbie, constable, sheriff, deputy sheriff, peace officer, and marshall.

Police officers also donate a lot of time to doing other things in their community like playing baseball, having picnics, visiting hospitals and many other activities with kids and adults.

Say hello to a policeman today!