The following is excerpted from “Beyond the Thin Blue Line: Career Strategies for Law Enforcement Officers,” a book written by Colin Whittington, 2019 Virginia Deputy Sheriff of the Year and CEO of Recruiting Heroes LLC, which offers practical advice and inspiring stories to guide law enforcement officers through every step of transitioning from the thin blue line to civilian life. Order your copy here.
When considering a transition to the private sector, the initial step involves reflecting on and writing down highlights of your law enforcement journey. This includes documenting your experience, educational background, training courses attended and certifications earned.
Reflecting on and documenting the distinctive skills acquired during your law enforcement career is a crucial step in your career transition. While not every skill, course, or certification may be pertinent to your future career path, compiling a comprehensive list is a valuable exercise, enabling you to revisit and appreciate the breadth of your accomplishments as an officer, deputy, or federal agent. This process will also help you unearth forgotten achievements and skills, which may prove instrumental in finding your next career.
Your areas of expertise may include things like law enforcement procedures, interview and interrogation techniques, legal knowledge, crime prevention, criminal investigations, surveillance and monitoring, leadership, crisis management, conflict resolution, critical thinking, report writing, courtroom testimony, computer skills, forensic knowledge, fraud investigations, and so on. Consider organizing your skills into specific categories, such as Leadership and Management, Communication and Interpersonal Skills, Problem-Solving and Analytical Thinking, and Technical and Operational Skills. Under each category, document the list of skills you have acquired during your time in law enforcement.
As you write down your skills and areas of expertise, consider how each skill may apply in the private sector and the civilian world. Some proficiencies will be easy to translate to civilian terms, while others will be much more challenging. Remember, most recruiters and hiring managers in the private sector will have no law enforcement background. Documenting your experience and how it can effectively translate to a job in the private sector is essential.
I suggest writing these translations on a new document to keep your skills list clean and organized. For each skill, detail its application in your law enforcement career, try to write a civilian translation, and envision how it could benefit a private-sector job. Here are a few examples of skills you may have and how to document them.
Skill 1: Communication and interpersonal skills
Law enforcement context
I regularly communicate with various individuals, from victims and witnesses to suspects and colleagues. I have honed my crisis intervention skills to speak with someone suffering from a mental health crisis. I also learned extensive interview and interrogation techniques to gather vital information from suspects and witnesses.
Civilian translation
I excel in communicating with diverse groups of people, whether comforting someone in distress during a crisis or gathering crucial information from individuals involved in an incident. My ability to connect with others allows me to navigate challenging conversations with empathy and professionalism, ensuring that everyone feels heard and understood.
Private sector application
Communication is an essential skill in almost every profession. Law enforcement officers can use their communication skills in a variety of roles, particularly those that require instructing or supervising others. Human resource managers or specialists oversee employee relations, mediate conflicts, and communicate policies and procedures to fellow employees. They must often demonstrate empathy, listen, and communicate clearly with employees in order to increase employee engagement and satisfaction. Furthermore, corporate trainers are brought in to develop and present training programs on conflict resolution, crisis management, and workplace safety. Both positions require the employee to speak confidently and develop interpersonal relationships with others. A former law enforcement officer has acquired all of these skills through their years of service.
Another area where law enforcement officers can utilize their strong communication skills is in sales or business development. Sales are all about interpersonal relationships. As an officer, you had to build relationships with strangers multiple times per day. Doing it successfully on patrol meant a better outcome on your call for service. In business development, successful relationship building means more sales for your company and happier customers. I’ve found that former law enforcement officers often excel in sales and could become valuable members of their new company. When applying and interviewing for roles in the private sector, highlight your communication and interpersonal skills and how these areas of expertise can benefit the organization.
Skill 2: Leadership
Law enforcement context
I was promoted to Sergeant and supervised two sworn deputies and six civilian staff members. I was responsible for setting the direction of the unit, assigning tasks, monitoring performance, handling disciplinary issues, and building team unity.
I was also a Field Training Officer for my agency. I handled numerous administrative functions, including performance evaluations, documenting and addressing deficiencies, and making recommendations to superiors regarding the trainee’s suitability for completing the training program.
Civilian translation
As a supervisor, I managed a team of two deputy sheriffs and six civilian staff members, overseeing their performance and fostering a positive work environment. I set clear objectives for the team, delegated responsibilities, addressed employee misconduct, and provided guidance to ensure all tasks were completed on schedule.
As a Field Training Officer (FTO), I played an important role in training and mentoring new officers in the agency. I guided them through the training program and provided feedback and additional training to support their professional development. As an FTO, I was also responsible for numerous administrative tasks, including performance evaluations, documenting areas that needed improvement, and making recommendations to my superiors regarding the trainee’s progress and readiness for advancement.
Private sector application
Program management, operations management, and project coordination are critical areas in the private sector. While your official titles differed in your agency, you have many skillsets required to manage programs, oversee operations, and lead teams. Don’t just view yourself as a police officer, Sergeant, Lieutenant, or FTO. Consider the administrative duties you were responsible for, the long-term projects you oversaw, your ability to build team unity, and how you worked toward a common goal. While yours were geared toward public safety, these leadership skills are incredibly transferable to the private sector, where you will be working to advance an organization’s goals and objectives.
Though it may not be a term used in law enforcement, supervisors, Field Training Officers, and even regular patrol officers are project managers. It is all about articulating your job duties, skills, and experience. When speaking with potential employers, emphasize your leadership roles, how you managed projects, and how you improved the performance and efficiency of your agency’s operations. These are key areas civilian employers want to see when hiring company managers.
Skill 3: Problem-solving and analytical thinking
Law enforcement context
During my time as a deputy, I was tasked with finding solutions to various long-term problems, including continued shoplifting by a suspected organized retail crime ring, narcotic distribution, and drunk-in-public incidents at a popular commercial business area, and steadily increasing vacancy numbers within my agency.
Civilian translation
Regardless of my role during my law enforcement career, I was constantly required to solve problems and think analytically. Whether it be solving a string of retail thefts in my sector, coming up with a long-term solution to address excessive drunkenness and narcotic activity in a popular commercial area, or analyzing recruiting and retention data to help lower the agency’s vacancy rate. One of the things I found most exciting about law enforcement was that no two days were the same. I was continuously facing new challenges that required unique solutions. As law enforcement officers, we are trained to “work the problem” and develop new and creative solutions. As crime is ever-evolving, law enforcement officers must constantly adjust and learn new ways to combat it. We are problem solvers and analytical thinkers to our very core.
Private sector application
Companies value adaptable and innovative professionals capable of swiftly navigating unfamiliar challenges. Few careers cultivate this agility and decisiveness as effectively as law enforcement. You have, probably without knowing, been preparing to be a phenomenal asset to a company or organization for your entire law enforcement career.
The ability to solve problems and think analytically transcends industries, making roles like business analyst and risk management particularly fitting for law enforcement officers. Your law enforcement background equips you with the analytical and critical thinking skills essential to succeed in these roles. Throughout your career, you have undoubtedly gathered and analyzed crime data, conducted thorough criminal investigations, and been put in positions to make quick and decisive decisions. These skills translate incredibly well into the private sector. With your experience, you will be able to assess potential threats and identify business opportunities effectively, making you an asset to companies in a variety of industries.
Skill 4: Investigations
Law enforcement context
As a patrol deputy for the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, I responded to various calls for service, including destruction of property, financial fraud, domestic assault, and more. I was responsible for investigating the incident, interviewing involved parties, making arrests when appropriate, and documenting my findings in detailed reports to ensure successful prosecution.
Civilian translation
Criminal investigations are an integral part of being a law enforcement officer. While I was never a detective, I conducted criminal investigations nearly every shift during my time in law enforcement. From a simple destruction of property call to complex financial frauds to serious domestic assaults, law enforcement officers are trained to investigate a wide range of crimes. During a criminal investigation, I would take the initial report, collect evidence, interview witnesses, interrogate suspects, write search warrants, and obtain appropriate charges. Numerous skills are required to take a case from an initial report through a successful prosecution. The areas of expertise are amplified for law enforcement officers who become detectives and specialize in a specific type of crime. These detectives obtain certifications, gain experience, and become experts in their respective fields.
Private sector application
The skills and expertise gained from conducting criminal investigations in law enforcement are highly valuable in the private sector. Many industries seek professionals who can conduct thorough, objective, and detailed investigations to ensure compliance, investigate fraud, protect assets, and mitigate risks.
Companies hire corporate security managers to have them gather evidence, analyze data, and conduct investigations to identify and address security concerns. Insurance companies hire Special Investigations Unit (SIU) investigators to evaluate insurance claims and ensure their validity. Legal knowledge, interview skills, evidence gathering, and data analysis are crucial for a successful SIU investigator. As a law enforcement officer, you have all those skills.
Insurance firms have historically loved hiring former law enforcement officers for their investigative roles. Officers with specialized experience in crash and fraud investigations are particularly sought after; however, even regular patrol officers bring a lot of the knowledge and qualities these companies seek. If you are interested in an investigative position after law enforcement, consider companies in the insurance industry. Remember to highlight all the skills that went into solving a criminal case and how they can benefit these companies in investigating financial and insurance-related claims.
These are just a few examples of the skills that can translate well into the private sector. Continue working through your list of skills, documenting the law enforcement context in which you utilized those skills, translating them into more easily understandable terms for civilian employers, and describing how they apply to the private sector. While this task is time-consuming, it will open your eyes to how many of your skills are transferable to the civilian workforce.
