Law enforcement is a career that is always in the public eye, most often for heroic reasons and occasionally for scandal. Currently, America's 800,000 law enforcement officers have even more of a spotlight than usual. That’s because law enforcement, in many localities, have been in charge of enforcing COVID-19 restrictions, and unfortunately, because of recent high-profile police incidents.

Closer to home, the conversation (controversy?) about changing the shift hours for Shreveport's police officers grows. As a "waiver" for the city's current eight hour shift schedule works its way through the the legislature in Baton Rouge, a resolution by Councilman Grayson Boucher in support of the idea was dropped because of possible confusion.

Elsewhere, the possibility of a new police station to be paid for by a bond issue, though recently on the back burner, is always a topic of discussion.

But for the officers themselves, how does Shreveport - and in a broader sense, Louisiana - stack up against other states when it comes to being the best, or worst, places to be a police officer..

No doubt, being a police officer is significantly more dangerous than many other occupations. Because of such risks, law-enforcement agencies must offer enough incentives to attract and retain officers. To start, there’s a $67,290 mean annual wage and typically a generous benefits package which can include retirement-contribution matches, tuition assistance, ample leave time and often, a take-home vehicle.

In order to determine the best states in which to pursue a law-enforcement career, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 30 key indicators of police-friendliness. Data ranges from the median income for law-enforcement officers to police deaths per 1,000 officers to state and local police-protection expenses per capita.

And unfortunately, as in so many other areas, Louisiana is once again near the bottom, ranking 48th out of 51. WalletHub's main metrics included opportunity, requirements and training and job hazards and protections. Other stats considered were salaries and benefits, crime rate and size of force as it relates to population.

WalletHub's 2021 Best States to Be a Police Officer:

1) California

2) Connecticut

3) Maryland

4) District of Columbia

5) Ohio

WalletHub's 2021 Worst States to Be a Police Officer:

47) West Virginia

48) Louisiana

49) Kentucky

50) Nevada

51) Hawaii

To see all about the WalletHub study, 2021's Best and Worst Places to be a Police Officer, including a metrics breakdown for each state, including Louisiana, JUST CLICK HERE!

 

Read More: Do You Know Any of These Criminals on Louisiana's Most Wanted List?

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