How dangerous are criminal justice jobs, such as being a cop?

sierra_x: How dangerous are criminal justice jobs, such as being a cop? 10 points?
Im planning on majoring in criminal justice. I want to become a detective but I first have to become a police officer. How dangerous is this field especially for women?

Answers and Views:

Answer by Krunchee
Less dangerous than driving a cab or delivering pizza.

Answer by miatalise12560
very dangerous…do you want statistics? if you want to be a cop, be a damn good one. plenty of cops make it to retirement (20 years)

Answer by kana121569
Well, most of your customers will be criminals with lots of emotional problems and will more then likely own their own firearm. I would say that a cop job is one of the more dangerous jobs, but if you use your senses you will be fine.

Answer by trooper3316
Not very dangerous at all. In 2007, 57 officers were intentionally killed in the line of duty. There are about 700,000 officers in the US, that works out to just a fraction of a percent.

In 2007, 83 officers were accidentally killed, mostly in traffic accidents. Again, a small number in comparison.

In that same year, 59,201 officers were assaulted. Only about 26% of those resulted in an injury. Although this number is quite a bit larger, it is still less than 1% of all officers.

These statistics are from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report. The 2008 statistics have not been published yet, that usually comes out in April or May.

Answer by leslie S
Compared to what?
Sanitation workers are in more danger of serious injury than cops, firefighter come next. Cops get killed more than either one of those (statistically per 100,000). That is for municipal workers.
As far a the general public minority males 16-22 are more likely to get killed than anyone else.

It will also depend on where you work and what type of cop you are. If you want to make dick then you have to be an aggressive cop. Aggressive active cops get hurt more than the guy who just makes senior citizen traffic stops and only goes to calls when sent.

As far a being a women it makes no difference. Women do have slightly more time on medical rolls in general but that is not from duty injury. For their numbers women get killed just as often as men.
Good statistics on death and assaults of officers can be found at
fbi.gov
or
doj.gov
both present the same info but in different forms.

As a retired cop and cop educator I would advise against CJ as a major. Once you become a cop you can take CJ classes with your eyes open.
To be a good cop or detective any major that forces you into critical thinking mode at all times is best.

Answer by Marshall78
It’s kind of dangerous but not really. I am not a detective. I am just a K9 Officer so I don’t know about that. I know people are going detective and police officer are the same thing. But not in our squad. We have very different jobs. Even with the K9s we wear vests which protect you from lots of things. Long story short, it’s not that bad. Unless you don’t wear a vest. But that would be just plain Stupid.

Answer by Blake D
It might help you to see the Top 10 Most Dangerous Jobs in America at Zane’s Top 10. They also have a Top 10 Police Jobs Section. Hope this helps and good luck.