Society today has an obsession with crime. Television shows that showcase crime solving tend to make us all feel like amateur detectives. But much of what we see and think about the Criminal Justice system is not entirely accurate. Whether you’re just interested in the inner workings of the Criminal Justice system or you are working toward your bachelors in Criminal Justice, it’s important to understand what is real and what is not.

We expose the top five myths about the Criminal Justice system in our latest infographic:

Portland State University Online Bachelor’s Degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice

School Resource Officer
Indianapolis, Indiana
Metropolitan School District of Washington Township
Deputy Police Chief
Papillion, Nebraska
City of Papillion, NE
Police Officer
Commerce, Texas
Texas A&M Commerce Police Department
Director
Burlington, Vermont
National Center for Campus Public Safety
Police Chief
Goffstown, New Hampshire
Town of Goffstown, NH
Chief of Police
Albuquerque, New Mexico
University of New Mexico
Armed Uniformed Protection Officer
Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
Inter-Con Security Systems
Armed Uniformed Protection Officer
Tucson, Arizona
Inter-Con Security Systems
Director, Investigations and Law Enforcement Development, Child Sexual Assault
Washington, Dist. Columbia
International Justice Mission
Entry Level Police Officer
Middletown, Rhode Island
Middletown Police Department
Police Officer
City of La Crosse, Wisconsin
City of La Crosse
Police Officer
Clayton, North Carolina
Clayton Police Department
Police Officer I
San Jose, California
San Jose/Evergreen Community College District
Assistant Director Middletown
Middletown, Virginia
Rappahannock Regional Criminal Justice Academy
Police Officer
Eagan, Minnesota
Eagan Police Department
Police Officer
Tucker, Georgia
DeKalb County Police Department
Sr Office Assistant
Castle Rock, Colorado
Town of Castle Rock
Deputy Sheriff-Trainee or Certified
Salem, Oregon
Marion County Sheriff’s Office
Police Officer
City of Gulf Shores, Alabama
Gulf Shores Police
Jail Division-Detention Officer
Texas
Lubbock County
Juvenile Supervision Officer
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock County
Trooper
STATEWIDE, Vermont
Vermont State Police
Captain Office of Professional Standards
Roswell, Georgia
City of Roswell
Deputy Sheriff – Certified
Pinellas County, Florida
Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office
Communications Operator
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock County
Research & Development Manager
Arlington, Texas
City of Arlington TX Police Department
Communications Officer/Dispatcher
Sheridan, Wyoming
City of Sheridan
Court Bailiff
Hanover, Virginia
Hanover County Sheriff’s Office
Chief of Police
Albuquerque, New Mexico
City of Albuquerque
VP Security Operations
Pasadena, California
Inter-Con Security Systems, Inc.
Campus Safety Manager
New Haven, Connecticut
Hopkins School
Patrol Deputy
Hanover, Virginia
Hanover County Sheriff’s Office
Police Officer
Breckenridge, Colorado
Breckenridge Police Dept
SHERIFF, DEPUTY
Atlanta, Georgia
FULTON COUNTY GOVERNMENT
Police Officer Recruit
Globe, Arizona
Globe Police Department
Detention Officer
Atlanta, Georgia
Fulton County Government
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He even petitioned President Nixon to be named a “federal agent-at-large” and received a commemorative badge from the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (now the Drug Enforcement Agency, DEA), especially interesting given Presley’s dalliances with drugs.

Listen to Nixon Archivist John Powers recount this unlikely meeting in an interview on NPR, read the Smithsonian account, or watch a humorous reenactment from Comedy Central below.

None of this has anything to do with you starting your career in law enforcement except maybe that the Memphis Police Department is hiring…

Lateral Police Officer
Bullhead City, Arizona
Bullhead City Police Department
Police Chief
Oceanside, California
City of Oceanside, CA
Police Officer
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque Police Department
Police Officer
Clive, Iowa
Clive Police Department
Public Safety Director
Hobe Sound, Florida
Town of Jupiter Island
Investigator 3
Portland, Oregon
Oregon Medical Board
Police Officer
Dickinson, North Dakota
City of Dickinson
Chief of Police
City of Dilworth, Minnesota
City of Dilworth, MN
Deputy Sheriff (1 & 2)
Port Orchard, Washington
Kitsap County
Corrections Deputy
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff Office
Police Officer
Denver, Colorado
Denver Police Department
Patrol Officer
Brownwood, Texas
Brownwood Police Department
Detective
Arizona
State of Arizona
Police Sergeant
FORT BRAGG, California
City of Fort Bragg
Police Officer
Beatrice, Nebraska
Beatrice Police Department
POLICE OFFICER #244
CITY OF ARDMORE, Oklahoma
CITY OF ARDMORE
P.O.S.T. Academy Coordinator/Professor
California
San Joaquin Delta Community College District
Crime Analyst
Rochester, New Hampshire
Rochester Police Department
Police Officer
Prescott Valley, Arizona
Town of Prescott Valley
Non-Lateral/Lateral Police Officer
Apache Junction, Arizona
City of Apache Junction
Police Officer
Grants Pass, Oregon
City of Grants Pass
Police Officer Reserve
Lady Lake, Florida
Town of Lady Lake
Sheriff’s Records Specialist
Seattle, Washington
King County Sheriff’s Office
Chief
Deerfield, New Hampshire
Deerfield New Hampshire
Police Officer II & III – Lateral
Basalt, Colorado
Town of Basalt
Senior Conference Manager
Alexandria, Virginia
International Association of Chiefs of Police
Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police
Michigan
University Of Michigan-Dearborn
Patrol Deputy
Saint Anthony, Idaho
Fremont County Sheriff’s Office
System Chief of Police
Magnolia, Arkansas
Southern Arkansas University
Police Officer Recruit/Police Officer
Denton, Texas
University of North Texas Police Department
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Here are a few tips from recruiters about how to ask good questions during an interview:

• Make them meaningful – avoid basic questions about time off, benefits, and other things that can be easily looked up elsewhere. Focus on bigger picture questions.
• Show off your research – ask questions that relate to specific programs in the department or crime issues in the area. You can use the agency’s website and crime statistics websites to find local facts.
• Highlight your skills and experience – relate your previous skills and experience to those needed on the job. For example, if you have experience with leading trainings or working with community partners, mention that and ask about opportunities to build on those experiences.
• Look forward – ask questions that relate to continuing education and opportunities to advance within the organization. This shows that you are committed to continuing to better yourself and to staying with the agency for the long term, both important considerations for recruiters.
• Be personal – ask interviewers what made them want to get into a law enforcement career or what they see as the most meaningful aspects of the job. This can help you build personal connections and get a better feel for the organizational culture.
• Be sincere – ask questions that are truly of interest and importance to you. You will be interviewed by people who specialize in detecting deception, so they will see through insincerity. By sincerely highlighting your interests, you will show off your personality, which will help you stand out to the interviewers.

Interviews are a two-way street. Having meaningful questions ready for interviewers will allow them to get a better feel for your personality, experience, interests, and ability to do the job, but it will also help you to gain a better understanding of the job and the organizational culture from the people who work there. These interview wrap-up questions leave both sides ready to decide if you are a good match for the position and vice versa.

Do you have other suggestions of questions that worked well or should be avoided? If so, leave us a comment.