Choosing a career in law enforcement can help to crack down on crime and make communities - and the wider country - a better place to live. Recent graduate Michael Barber told kdminer.com that he intends to pursue a career in the field for just that reason because he sees violence as a problem in society. There are a number of occupations in the field of law enforcement available to graduates with a bachelor's degree. According to the US Department of Labor (DOL), these include security guards, correctional facilities officers, state troopers, police officers and detectives. There are also careers with federal agencies such as the CIA, NSA and FBI. DOL statistics for 2006 show there were some 861,000 police and detectives working in the United States, 79% of whom were employed by local governments. In the decade to 2016, the number is expected to grow by 11% with demand mainly fuelled by an increasingly security-conscious society and a growing population. In May 2006, the DOL said, the median average salary for police and sheriff's patrol officers was $47,460, with variations by region and job type.  |