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2018 Statewide Job Task Analysis for the Patrol Officer Position

Michigan's 2018 Job Task Analysis (JTA) for the position of entry-level law enforcement officer (patrol) is now ready for downloading. Available is the full report, which contains information from law enforcement agencies statewide, as well as the individual stratification reports, which are categorized according to agency size and type.

The JTA is a survey that asks patrol officers to rate how often they perform certain tasks, including the types of equipment used and sources of information, and asks patrol supervisors to rate the importance of the same tasks.  It’s a way for MCOLES to identify the core job tasks of patrol officers in Michigan, which support entry-level standards for the profession. The JTA does not define the entire scope of patrol duties, but rather those that are generally common to entry level officers across the state.

Several focus groups, consisting of law enforcement officers, supervisors, and professionals from across the state, updated the 2006 task list so the 2018 survey questions would reflect the job as it exists today. They also identified the underlying competencies of the patrol officer position, such as communication skills, problem solving, decision making, ethics, etc.  The core tasks tell us what an officer does; the competencies tell us how they perform.

Special recognition goes to those agencies and officers who responded to the JTA and assisted as focus group members. In total, over 2,100 patrol officers and 500 patrol supervisors participated in this study. This undertaking proved beneficial to MCOLES and the profession. We hope that the reports can prove equally beneficial to your endeavors as well.

Job Task Analysis Full Report

Cities/Villages/Townships

County Sheriff's Offices

Michigan State Police

Specialty Police Agencies 

Specialty agencies include the following:

  • Airports
  • Colleges/Universities
  • Michigan Attorney General
  • Michigan Department of Natural Resources
  • Parks Departments