Job Description for a Police Administrative Assistant
A police or law enforcement administrative assistant's job function is to provide administrative and clerical support to a department. She works hand in hand with police and law enforcement daily but since her job is primarily clerical, she remains in an office-like setting, at a desk and does not come into physical contact with suspects or criminals.
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Responsibilities
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A police or law enforcement administrative assistant is responsible for providing administrative and clerical support to a department. Support is provided by answering phone calls, creating and modifying documents, and performing general clerical duties such as photocopying, faxing, mailing and filing. Additional responsibilities vary depending on the law enforcement department the administrative assistant is working in. For administrative assistants working with arresting officers, verifying and checking warrants is required; working with detectives requires running background checks and finding information on suspects; working in probation and parole departments require setting up meetings for probation and parole officers and the offender, through phone calls and letters, and filing paperwork to revoke the parole or probation, if needed; working in jails can require completing and filing intake paperwork.
Education and Requirements
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A high school diploma, or the equivalent, is required for a police or law enforcement administrative assistant. He must also have at least one year of clerical working experience. Basic reading, writing and arithmetic skills are required for the position. The administrative assistant must also have a working knowledge of computers, have the ability to type 50 words per minute and know how to use Microsoft Word and Microsoft Office. He must also have a professional appearance and professional verbal communication and writing skills.
Police and law enforcement administrative assistants must undergo thorough background checks. In many jurisdictions, they must also be fingerprinted and photographed.
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Work Environment
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Law enforcement administrative assistants can work in many different settings; they can work in a jail or prison setting, a probation or parole department, a drug enforcement office, a highway patrol office or a police station or sub-station. Although the setting can greatly vary, law enforcement administrative assistants typically work in an office-like setting, primarily sitting at a desk for the majority of their work day. Most law enforcement administrative assistants work a normal Monday through Friday, 40 hour work week during typical business hours, however, depending on the department, assistants can be required to work weekends or swing and graveyard shifts.
Wages
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According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for administrative assistants working in local government, such as law enforcement administrative assistants, was $41,880 in 2008.
Job Outlook
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Employment of administrative assistants is expected to increase by 11 percent between 2008 and 2018. This is average for all fields. Although positions for administrative assistants working in the health care field are expected to increase the most, positions for administrative assistants in the fields of education and social services, such as fire departments and law enforcement, round out the top three for highest projection of jobs for administrative assistants. Administrative assistant positions are expected to increase because of the personal, interactive nature that can not be automated.
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