Police Officer Resume Example with Skills & Writing Tips

There are 100 cadets and seasoned pros out there cruising for any good law enforcement job. How can you ensure the chief wants to hire you?

Don’t fret. To get the interview, just show the right law enforcement achievements on your police officer resume. I will show you how.

In this guide:

• A police officer resume example better than most.
• How to write a police officer resume that clears you for hiring.
• How to craft a police officer resume objective and summary.
• Which skills for police officer resumes matter most.

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Do you need something other than a resume for police officer jobs? See our guides:

• Correctional Officer Resume Sample & Guide
• Security Guard Resume Sample & Guide
• Security Officer Resume Sample & Guide
• Dispatcher Resume Sample & Guide
• Firefighter Resume Sample & Guide
• Federal Resume Sample & Guide
• Military to Civilian Resume Sample & Guide
• Career Change Resume Sample & Guide

Haven't found what you're looking for? Check all our Resume Samples.

Police Officer Resume Example You Can Copy and Use

Here’s how to write a police officer resume that gets you on the force:

1. Use a Clear Police Officer Resume Format

Your resume format is sloppy. To the chief, that’s as bad as stains on a uniform. Let’s fix that.

For a police officer resume that passes the glance test use these tips:

Police Officer Resume Format

• Create a single-page resume unless you’ve got so much experience you’re basically Columbo.
• Set 1-inch resume margins.
• Use an 11–14pt resume font like Century Gothic or Arial.
• Don’t skimp on the white space.
• Write resume sections for Heading, Summary, Work Experience, Education, and Skills.
• List your jobs in reverse-chronological resume format.
• Make a PDF resume so your best features don’t go MIA.

2. Create a Police Officer Resume Objective or Summary

The chief won’t read your police officer resume. He’ll skim it. But you can make him read yours like Hank Schrader wrote it. How?

With an outstanding resume profile (in the form of a career objective statement or career summary statement or summary of qualifications). 

Use:

1. An adjective (community-minded, dedicated)
2. “Police officer”
3. Years of experience (1+, 4+)
4. How/who you’ll help (enforce laws as a peace officer at the Kelton PD)
5. Best resume accomplishments(logged 15% more traffic citations)

See these police officer resume examples:

Police Officer Resume Example—Summary

Community-minded police officer with 4+ years of experience promoting public safety and preventing crime in an urban environment. Seeking to enforce laws as a peace officer at the Kelton Police Department. At SSPD, wrote request facilitating $60K in new vehicle funding and logged 15% more traffic citations than average.

Experienced police officer, skilled in legal knowledge and conflict resolution. Proven track record of writing high numbers of traffic citations and assisting with funding requests. Physically fit and a good driver with excellent writing skills.

The last of those police officer resume samples is just a skills list. The first shows you reached police officer goals. That’s probable cause for hiring you.

“But my police officer experience is still in training!” That’s when you need to list transferable skills from non-law-enforcement jobs. See these entry-level resume samples for police officer jobs:

Entry-Level Police Officer Resume Objective

Dedicated police cadet with experience working with law enforcement and writing reports. Seeking to improve public safety at the Kelton Police Department. As armed security guard at Elkington Hotel, wrote daily reports and worked with law-enforcement to reduce break-ins by 50%.

Entry-level police officer, skilled in patrolling and monitoring, conflict resolution, and collaboration. Can write reports and enforce laws while maintaining public safety. Willing to start immediately and learn job-specific skills on the job.

The second of those new police officer resume examples with no experience is hearsay. The first shows on-the-job skills.

3. Target Your Police Officer Job Description and Skills Sections

What skills should you put in a police officer resume? See these resume skills:

Skills for Police Officer Resumes

Hard Skills

• Weapons Skills
• Legal Knowledge
• Investigation
• Police Procedure
• Crime Scene Preservation
• Traffic Citations and DUI
• Computer Skills
• Observation
• Emergency Response
• Driving
• Patrolling
• Physical Stamina

Soft Skills

• Interpersonal Skills
• Communication Skills
• Leadership Skills
• Teamwork
• Time Management
• Problem Solving
• Detail Oriented
• Conflict Resolution
• Critical Thinking

Don’t jam all of them into a resume for police officer jobs. That’s dubious. Instead, target your resume with keywords from the ad online. These police officer resume samples show how:

Let’s say the job wants skills in investigation, patrolling, DUI arrests, and emergency response.

Police Officer Job Description for a Resume [Sample]

Experience

Police Officer

South Side Police Department, Cleveland, OH

2016–Present

• Investigated 500+ crimes, obtaining evidence and convictions in 88%.
• Patrolled 20 square-mile suburb in a densely-populated area.
• Outperformed other officers by 15% in terms of DUI arrests & convictions, traffic citations, and drug abuse and possession arrests.
• During emergency response, stayed calm and made quick decisions when facing active shooters, swiftwater emergencies, structure fires, and other emergencies.

• Handled traffic citations and drug abuse and possession arrests.
• Worked with other officers to create department's drone program. 

• Facilitated budget proposal for new vehicle funding.
• Responded to 911 calls involving accidents and criminal activity.

The second of those police officer resume examples is just a police officer job description. The first adds 20 square-mile, 15%, 30%, and other details that prove your skills.

Next, what if your police officer experience is still in the locker room? An entry-level resume needs police officer skills from other jobs.

See these entry-level police officer resume examples with no experience. They’re for a job that wants skills in patrolling, collaboration, and writing reports.

Entry-Level Police Officer Resume Job Description [Sample]

Security Guard

Mall of Ohio, Cleveland, OH

2014–2016

• Patrolled a 1,000+ room hotel, identifying threats, resolving conflicts, and escalating larger issues to law enforcement.
• Collaborated with local law enforcement to cut break-ins 50%.
• Wrote daily reports for all activity and incidents.

• Worked as security guard in a large, high-volume hotel.
• Monitored security camera equipment for signs of problems.
• Warned guests of infractions to rules.
• Maintained knowledge of hotel security policies and procedures.

That last police officer resume is criminal. It doesn’t show the asked-for law enforcement skills! But even if you worked in an unrelated field, you can prove skills like communication and problem solving.

Expert Hint: A study in the journal Policing shows high stress levels are a significant threat to police officer health. If you engage in self-care like working out or running, list it in your resume for police officer jobs.

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4. Write a Skills-Heavy Education Section

What should a resume education section look like for police officer jobs? It should list your academy’s name and date. But it should also show training and achievements. See this police officer resume sample:

Police Officer Resume Example—Education

Education

OPOTC Certified Peace Officer

Apollo Basic Police Academy

2014

• Relevant coursework: firearms training, high speed pursuit, criminal investigations, sexual assault, sobriety test procedure.
• Excelled in firearms training and documentation.
• Commended by instructors for traffic accident handling skills.

Milton Klinger High School—Diploma

That's how you show police officer skills in your education section.

5. Add Special Sections to Your Police Officer Resume

Your application needs to shine like a new badge. But your education and experience sections can’t do it all.

So—show extra skills with special sections in a resume for police officer jobs. You can list:

• Certifications (EMT, Swiftwater, etc.)
• Volunteer work
• Freelancing
• Union membership
• Awards
• Foreign languages
• Conferences
• Additional activities
• Fitness

See these police officer resume examples:

Police Officer Resume—Other Sections

Certifications

• 2019 — EMT-B Certification
• 2018 — Swiftwater Rescue II

Additional Activities

• Member, Fraternal Order of Police of Ohio, Inc.
• Volunteer security guard at 5 music festivals per year.
• Annual attendee, Cleveland Gun Show.
• Weekly CrossFit for fitness and self-care.

Additional Activities

• Sport Fishing
• Volunteering

The first of those police officer resume samples shows you dig into your work. The second would be better with details. For instance—what did you achieve in sport fishing? Did you win tournaments? Lead outings? Grow membership in a group? You can show peace officer skills with any pursuit.

Expert Hint: Learn how to write a cover letter for your resume for police officer jobs. A cover letter should prove you care about the department, and show highlights of your history with evidence you’re a great pick.

Double your impact with a matching resume and cover letter combo. Use our cover letter generator and make your application documents pop out.

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Want to try a different look? There's 21 more. A single click will give your document a total makeover. Pick a cover letter template here.

Some cover letter examples that may be useful to you:

• Federal Cover Letter Example

Key Points

Here’s how to write a police officer resume:

• Choose a good police officer resume template. Load in your best police officer accomplishments.
• Add police officer skills like patrolling and search and seizure. Use details and numbers to give a picture of your skill level.
• Create a police officer resume objective as a rundown of your best attributes.
• Add special resume sections to show union membership or fitness efforts.
• Write a cover for police officer jobs. 

Got questions on how to write good resumes for police officer jobs? Not sure how to put police officer duties on a resume? Leave a comment. We’ll be happy to reply!

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