How to write a job-winning police officer cover letter

Police officers work in critical roles in our community, helping to keep the peace, respond to emergency situations, and uphold the law. Landing a job as a police officer in your preferred district or department requires you to write a well-thought-out cover letter that shows off your professional qualifications.

In this guide, we teach you everything you need to know about writing a cover letter as a police officer. Read on to learn how to:

• Format an eye-catching cover letter header and headline
• Personalize the greeting and content of your cover letter
• Create a compelling introduction on a police officer cover letter
• Convey your best professional attributes effectively
• Conclude your police officer cover letter with a strong closing statement

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1. Format an eye-catching cover letter header and headline

When you begin writing your cover letter, your first important consideration should be how you can make the document visually appealing and eye-catching for employers.

The best way to accomplish this is by creating a well-formatted header and headline.

Starting with your cover letter header, this element is placed in the top left or top center of the document and should contain all your professional information. This is also where you will list the address of the recipient of the letter.

In your header, an employer should find:

• Your name and professional title
• Your professional contact information
• The name of the company or employer
• The address of the company or employer

Directly following your header is where you should place your cover letter headline. A headline is widely considered an optional cover letter element — but when written well, it can make a tremendous difference in setting your letter apart from competing applicants.

In a headline, you always aim to include:

• A keyword related to the position
• A number or trigger word
• A strong adjective or action verb
• A promise statement that tells the employer you have written this cover letter specifically for them

Trigger Word/Number: 3-Step Approach
Keyword: De-Escalation, Police Department
Adjective/Verb: Improve
Promise: Your Police Department

2. Personalize the greeting and content of your cover letter

With your header and headline in place, your next key step is to personalize both the content and greeting of your cover letter. As a police officer, strong attention to detail is essential, and personalizing your cover letter is a great way to convey this skill to employers.

For the personalized greeting, it is crucial to not only research exactly to who you should address your letter but to also use their correct title or honorific.

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3. Create a compelling introduction on a police officer cover letter

Once you know who you are speaking to and the key details you need to personalize and tailor your cover letter, you can now begin writing your introductory paragraph.

In this introduction, you should include:

• A brief overview of your professional history as a police officer
• A statement on why you are enthusiastic about applying to this police department
• A mutual acquaintance (when possible)

Pro Tip: Police departments want to know they are hiring trustworthy officers. Including a mutual acquaintance is a great way to provide a department with a trusted professional reference right off the bat.

4. Convey your best police officer attributes effectively

After writing an awesome and compelling introduction, you must now work on the body paragraphs of your police officer cover letter. In these next paragraphs, your main goal is to describe your best professional attributes, including key skills and accomplishments.

When describing your qualifications, make sure the information your include is highly accurate, relevant, and concise. As a police officer, you never want to mislead an employer by including skills or accomplishments that you do not actually possess.

5. Conclude your police officer cover letter with a strong closing statement

When you are ready to finish off your cover letter, make sure the closing statement you write is highly professional. To accomplish this, you should include:

• An enthusiastic sentence saying you are looking forward to hearing from them
• An additional sentence stating you will follow up, including how you will contact them or how they can contact you
• A formal sign-off

If you have ever wondered how a cover letter differs from a resume, this article will tell you everything about the key differences between the two.