Police officers are some of the most important people in a society and for this reason they do a very risky and dangerous, but also rewarding and exciting job. Police officers work to protect public order, prevent crime and arrest criminals. The job of a police officer can be very rewarding because helping people can feel really good. The job of a police officer is also very exciting and casual because they never know what they will see when they respond to a call. Police officers are expected to enter dangerous and risky situations and defuse them, not everyone likes to do that, some people just want to sit at their desk all day and be at peace. Police officers have many responsibilities, which is why they must undergo vigorous training in a police academy and college. The duties of police officers are very different, one minute a police officer might be directing traffic and the next minute they might be in the middle of a hostage situation. Police officers' jobs are not without controversy, there are many stories about police brutality and corruption that continue to pop up in the news. Police officer jobs and requirements are different for each state and police agency. For this reason it is impossible to provide exact requirements for police work and training throughout the United States, however there are many very common requirements across all police agencies and states. Some of the most common requirements are that an individual must be a citizen of the United States. An individual must have a GED or high school diploma. An individual must have a driver's license and gun license in the state for which he or she is applying. Usually the person must be over the age of 21, however some departments have an age requirement... middle of the paper... an example of extreme police brutality would be unjustifiably shooting someone who poses no risk to anyone . One of the largest cases of police brutality in American history would be the beating of Rodney King. Rodney King was an African-American man who was beaten by the Los Angeles police, which caused the 1992 Los Angeles riots. The officers who beat Rodney King were sentenced to 32 months in prison after the incident. This incident and the riots are the most important incident in the LAPD which led to a very big reform. According to Andres and Stevens (2012) “King became a symbol of police brutality and the problematic relationships between the LAPD and minority residents when he was stopped for speeding by Los Angeles Police Department officers and beaten more than 20 years ago." This shows how important it is to stop police brutality and how seriously it should be taken.