Raquel Herbert CJ-1010

E-portfolio Paper
Raquel Herbert
Criminal Justice 1010

raquel herbert CJ-1010

E-portfolio Paper

Job Title
Officer Lee Warnken has been in law enforcement for thirty-four years. He started off as a
Military Policeman in the U.S Army. He traveled all around the globe for just over ten years
from 1982 1993. Officer Lee patrolled a sensitive weapons site in Germany, also during the
first Gulf War, he patrolled the area of Pirmasens Germany. He was a K-9 handler for six years
while he was in the army. After that, he moved on to be a Deputy/Investigator for Aiken County
Sheriffs office in South Carolina, for two years from 1993-1995. Now he is a Police Officer for
the Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake. He served here for twenty years from 1996
to present day. Officer Lee also spent a couple years working as a School Resource Officer
where he taught many students in a program called G.R.E.A.T. at multiple schools such as
Brockbank Jr. High, Matheson Jr. High and Cyprus High school.
Wage Scale and Benefits
During Officer Lees time spent as a Military Policeman the salary was based upon ranking and
the number of years in the service the pay started off around $24,000 a year, and the average
came around went to $48,000 a year. Moving onto Officer Lees time as a Deputy in South
Carolina, the average Deputy would make around $32,000 - $35,000 a year. Now that Officer
Lee is a police officer in Salt Lake County his average is $56,000 with how many years he has
been on the force.
When it comes to the benefits for police officers their vacation time for someone who has been in
the force as long as Officer Lee has, it is around seven hours for each pay period and they max

raquel herbert CJ-1010

out at 320 hours but the usual amount around 160 hours a year. Each officer is provided with
four hours sick leave per pay period and each officer has eleven paid holidays a year. As for
retirement a police officer is able to retire with twenty-five years of service. There are two types
of retirement plans depending on the agency you work for; there is one where the department
will match employee retirement, and others that are fully funded retirement plan paid for by the
state of Utah. There are many other benefits a police offer receives including insurance coverage
options, some officers who want to attend college while working for the department receive
tuition assistance. There are so many openings for new officers and this profession has amazing
job security.
Education Requirements
Each officer has to meet certain minimum prerequisites in order to be considered for
employment according to
http://study.com/articles/Police_Officer_Educational_Requirements_for_Police_Officers.html
Those requirements include being a citizen of the United States, be at least 21 years of age, must
possess a high school diploma or equivalent, a valid drivers license and have no prior
convictions. There are some departments that require even more requirements, including college
courses. Each candidate has to go through and pass a police training academy which usually is
between 12-14 weeks of training, and goes over CPR, firearm safety, self-defense and other areas
for the field. Each candidate has to pass a written and a physical exam. When it comes to a police
officer such as Officer Lee, he began in the army where already had received extensive training.
He had already gone through many of the requirements by the time he became a deputy in South
Carolina. Moving on to becoming a police officer in Salt Lake County, he did have to go through

raquel herbert CJ-1010

additional training, but it was more to review over everything and become aware of how that
certain department run differently than the last.
Promotion Opportunities
Officer Lee has tried out many different positions in his field he has worked as a SWAT medic, a
SRO, a G.R.E.A.T Instructor, in Juvenile Crimes and in Patrol. He enjoyed working in every
department, but he mainly worked as a patrol officer and (his favorite) as an instructor for the
G.R.E.A.T Program. This is what he has focused on for the last 10 years. For someone who has
worked in the field this long and has so much training there are options for him to get
promotions, he has had a lot of job growth and has been promoted multiple times. Officer Lee is
in a position right now where he likes what he does as a patrol officer and instructor and he
wants to stay in this position continuing to help his community and kids at the junior and senior
high level steer clear of trouble.
Application Process
The application process for a police officer is not like other jobs, they dont just put in an
application, go in for an interview or two, and then get hired. There are many steps to the
application and hiring process for officers. The first step is putting in an application and doing a
prescreening questionnaire. The applications that make it through an initial paper review will be
invited to come back to take a written exam. This exam will involve reading comprehension,
judgment skills, memory and writing skills. Then candidates go through a video exam giving
them scenarios on how they would respond to each situation. After all of this, they move onto a
fitness test checking their abilities and making sure they are able to pass certain physical
requirements. Moving onto a background investigation going over criminal history, previous
employment and so on. Next, drug and psychological testing is done next making sure the

raquel herbert CJ-1010

candidate has no illegal substances in their system, and making sure they are able to handle this
type of job. The last part of the application process is to have an oral interview to go over the
qualifications and see how the candidate would fit in the department. Also, a medical exam will
be issued going over vision, hearing, blood pressure, chest X-ray making sure there are no major
health issues. http://discoverpolicing.org/what_does_take/?fa=hiring_process
Job Duties
When it comes to the duties of a police officer they can vary. Most have basic job required duties
and then depending on if you specialize in different departments, or like officer Lee who also is
an instructor, he has additional duties that he will do. Each officer patrols a certain designated
area of a city, he or she drives around trying to prevent crime and keep civilians safe. When a call
comes over the radio or they see incidents happening such as robberies, fires, car accidents or
just someone who is either in trouble or causing trouble, they respond. If an incident such as a
murder or burglary has already happened, they assess the situation and try to pinpoint what
occurred, and collect evidence or seal the crime scene until another unit can come to investigate
to gather evidence on who committed the crime. Officers will conduct interviews and investigate
to get more information about crimes, try to find witnesses and talk about what was seen.
Officers will escort prisoners to and from court making sure they do not escape they also escort
witnesses who will be testifying if they fear that, their witness is in any danger. Some officers are
mentors to new police officers (rookies) coming into the field and will show them the ropes and
give them tips, also help them with crimes, showing them how everything is done in the field.
Many police officers maintain surveillance either watching over a suspect, watching over a
witness or the victim that a crime was committed against, and watching over certain places
preventing crimes. There are many duties that each police officer will do and every day is not the

raquel herbert CJ-1010

same. Officer Lee also is an instructor for the G.R.E.A.T. program where he mentors teens and
shows them that drugs, gangs, and violence is not the answer to a good and decent life. They try
to get to individuals before they are in those gangs and even talk to juveniles that are already in
gangs and try to help them get out or show them that they are better and deserve more than the
gang life can offer them. The G.R.E.A.T. program means so much to Officer Lee, he has had so
many students who have graduated come up to him and give him their turn-around story telling
him how much he helped them turn their lives around for the better and how they will always
remember that about him.
Skills Required
Every police officer has to have good judgment and be able the work in an extremely fast-paced
environment. He or she must be able to work on multiple jobs at one time and be able to solve
problems. Must be able to stay calm and handle every situation in a safe manner. The police
officer needs to be comfortable in every situation and be able to act quickly, needs to be able to
help in situations such as stand offs and hostage situations.
Additional Information and Comments
Officer Lee wanted to be a police officer for as long as he can remember. When he was growing
up his father was a Maryland State Trooper and he looked up to his dad and wants to make him
and his mother proud. Officer Lee also tried to be a professional soccer playing when he was
younger, he soon realized that it was not his passion but has gone on to be a soccer coach but
knows he is a much better police officer.
Officer Lee has helped so many lives there are people who run into him and tell them stories
about how he has made them a better person. Officer lee has helped many kids get out of gangs

raquel herbert CJ-1010

or make sure they dont follow in the footsteps of his or her family who is in a gang. I have
known Officer Lee for eight years my brother has known him for about eleven years. He has
taught both of us many things that we really appreciate and many others do too. He comes to
ever graduation for every student he has helped. Officer Lee remembers every one of his students
and knows about every one, he did the G.R.E.A.T program to make a difference and helped
people. It is not just a job to him. He had the chance to do something different to get promotions
and move up but he knew this was what he loved doing the best. There are kids who have
graduated a long time ago if they just need someone to talk to or advice Officer lees door is
always open, he means a lot to a huge group of people even people who dont know him have
heard about the amazing things he has done for students. Officer Lee is someone I look up too
many others do too.
Officer Lee
The person I interviewed is Officer Lee Warnken
Officer Lees Bio
Lee Warnken
Detective at Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake
Magna, Utah Law Enforcement
Current- Unified Police Department
Previous- Aiken County Sheriffs Office, U.S. Army Military Police
Experience
Police Officer
Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake
November 1996 Present (19 years 9 months)

raquel herbert CJ-1010

SRO, G.R.E.A.T. Instructor, Juvenile Crimes, Patrol, SWAT(medic), COP

Deputy/Investigator
Aiken County Sheriffs Office
April 1993 June 1995 (2 years 3 months)Aiken, South Carolina
Patrol Deputy for 1 year
Narcotics Investigator for 1 year
SGT
U.S Army Military Police
October 1982 April 1993 (10 years 7 months) All over
Patrol, Traffic Accident Investigator, AWOL Apprehension, K-9 Handler, Team Leader, Squad
Leader, Physical Security (Tower Rat)
Languages
Some French, Some German
Top Skills
Patrol, Investigation, Criminal investigation, Firearms, Field training, Crime prevention, Public
safety Also, knows about Evidence, Field training Officer, Private Investigation and Surveillance