When you think of a police officer, a graphics designer is usually not the first thing that comes to mind. In fact, the average person would never associate the two with one another. In today’s ever changing technological age, the two are really not that far apart.
Currently, there are approximately a quarter of a million police officers proudly serving in the United States. With their service come many unique challenges that many people do not even consider when they sit down to another gripping episode of their favorite cop drama. Krumie writes, “While a career in law enforcement is far different than what you see on the many TV shows and movies, it is a career that offers new challenges each and every day, and plenty of opportunity to thrive in a service-oriented environment, says Tracy Phillips, senior project specialist with Alexandria, Virginia-based International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the world's oldest and largest nonprofit membership organizations of police executives.” (Krumrie, 1999)
Now, you may ask yourself what a person with a graphics design background could possibly offer to a law enforcement agency. The answer is actually rather simple when it comes down to it. During the late 90’s, many law enforcement agencies began adopting a style of policing called Community Policing or Community Policing for Prevention. With these new approaches to crime, law enforcement officials were thrust into a world of communication unknown, the likes of which they had never seen before. Suddenly, communities were banding together and citizens pounded n the police departments’ doors for information. In essence, you could say it was the dawn of the information sharing age between police departments and the communities they worked in.
In today’s average police department there are several different divisions, units, specialties that require a uniquely qualified officer to function properly in today’s technology driven age. The first area of graphics influence that immediately comes to most peoples minds is a crime scene technician with their fancy machines, lights and computers. Strangely enough or perhaps better said TV drama free, this is not necessarily the case. In fact, today’s basic patrol officer is often presented with graphics challenges at a street level. For example, many departments have adopted a MDC or Mobile Data Computer system into their patrol vehicles. These MDC’s enable street officers to draw on volumes of information, at a moments notice and use this information to better serve their communities. A classic example would be applications that use CAD or Computer Aided Design interfaces to produce technical drawings of traffic accidents, victim offense scenes, and even 3 dimensional images of crime scenes.
Another area where many people do not even consider that the law enforcement community requires skilled graphic designers is the role of the public information officer. In many jurisdictions, the public information officer acts as the mouth piece for the department as well as the web designer and manager for the department’s informational websites. An example of this would be the Washington D.C. Police Department. As many of you may remember, the election of Barack Obama brought crowds to the Nations Capital; the likes of which, had never been seen before. The D.C. Police Department acted as the lead agency during the festivities leading up to and including the inauguration of the president. As a result, the department relied heavily on the abilities and talents of a network of detectives, officers and graphic designers to develop an easily accessible information interface of tens of thousands of visitors.
So, next time you look at a graphics designer, remember that that person may also play a critical role in your community by proudly serving as a law enforcement officer. You never know where an interest in graphics design may take you.
References
Krumrie, M. (1999). Careers in law enforcement. Retrieved from Careers in Law Enforcement - Misconceptions, Law Enforcement Salaries, More
