Are Corrections Officers Law Enforcement Officers?

Are Corrections Officers Law Enforcement Officers?
By Lt. Joseph Pangaro

This question, on its face, is simple to answer, but there always seems to be some kind of controversy around it, some kind of mysterious set of qualifications and unwritten rules that will define the answer and cause problems between the services. And quite frankly I’m tired of hearing all the drama, so I thought I would investigate it and come to a final conclusion and end the discussion once and for all.  

As investigations go, we look at facts, make comparisons, discern what the facts tell us and come to a conclusion. As a starting point one has to look at the requirements of the jobs to see if they are similar in any way or completely different; so, let’s go.

First, both groups of officers go to an academy for specialized training, both mental and physical. Both groups are trained in the use of weapons and hand-to-hand fighting tactics. Both groups deal with criminals, both groups are responsible for the safety of others as well as prisoners. Both groups are trained in the laws of their state or our nation. Both groups deal with the worst members of society, people who took advantage of others, brutalized others and robbed people of their innocence.

So far, they seem pretty close in mission, education and dedication. I wonder if there are more similarities.

Both groups can get killed or seriously injured at work at the hands of criminals. Both groups are dedicated professionals who give their all every day to keep the public safe. Both groups have families at home that worry about them because of the nature of the work they are engaged in.

Let’s look at the surface, then, for differences.

Both groups wear a uniform, but some wear plain clothes to do their work. Both groups have investigators tasked with investigating crimes in their jurisdiction. Both groups charge people with crimes based on what they see people do or as a result of an investigation.

Both groups use informants to solve crimes and incidents. Both groups have a hierarchy within each organization. Both groups have to train constantly and both groups can aspire to supervision or leadership of their organization. Both groups have a brotherhood and sisterhood among their members. And both groups are ridiculed by the public for doing their very dangerous and difficult jobs under sometimes horrific circumstances.

Seems to me both corrections officers and police officers are very close in all aspects of their careers. Other than the place in which they do their work, they are dealing with the same people, the exact same people in fact.

Now I wonder what the differences might be that are the real determining factors that separate the two groups of officers and create all the difficulty. Let’s see.

OK, well corrections officers work mostly inside a facility and police officers work mostly outside a facility- there’s that, but I don’t know if that distinction is enough to separate them, let me keep looking.

Police officers drive vehicles a lot and corrections officers don’t drive around that often. Police officers carry guns with them at all times when dealing with dangerous people and corrections officers do not, now we’re getting somewhere. Corrections officers are trapped inside a facility in close proximity to very dangerous people, police officers are as well, sometimes, but much less of their time is spent like this. This is not as easy as it sounded, is it? Seems to me both groups do almost exactly the same kind of work.

Police officers make arrests out in the street while corrections officers make arrests inside a facility. If a police officer arrests a robber, a rapist or a killer, they process them and place them in a cell in headquarters where they have to be watched and monitored. They can be suicidal and have to be closely watched 24/7. Does this make the police officer a corrections officer or are they a police officer with corrections officer responsibility at times?

Our corrections officers have to walk among the killers, rapists and robbers. They process these same criminals and lodge them in a cell and have to monitor them, even suicidal ones, 24/7.

Both groups have to deal with gang members and hidden weapons, ambushes, and threats, drug use- oops sorry, I’m back to similarities again.

We have come a long way on this investigation to find the answer to the original question: “Are corrections officers law enforcement officers?” And like any good investigation once we have the facts, we have to discern what the facts tell us, we make comparisons and judgments based on those facts and come to a conclusion that is actionable. In our case here, the action is to answer the question.  

Seems to me that there are a few identifiable differences in the work of the two groups in question as well as where they do their work and the tools they have on hand as they do the work. We have chronicled those differences here.

As for the similarities, they go deeper. Both groups are highly trained and specialized individuals with serious responsibilities. Both protect society from some very bad people. Both investigate crime, process criminals, interact with criminals and can get seriously injured or killed at work by those same criminals. Now these similarities also include, shift work, working holidays and anniversaries, and kids’ birthdays, but I didn’t really review them too closely as I seek to answer the main question at hand, “Are corrections officers Law enforcement officers,” but there are, nonetheless, more similarities in the professions.

Where, then, does that leave us in answering that burning, divisive and uncomfortable question?

Like I said in the beginning, the answer is simple; it’s right in front of us if we just look for it. But there had to be something else, some other thing that causes such consternation and division between corrections and police officers, either real or imagined.

I believe my investigation made it clear: It’s not the work, that just takes place in different locations, it’s not the people we deal with, they are exactly the same people, only we deal with them at different times- pre-arrest and post arrest. It’s not the danger; both groups bleed and die when dealing with these same people- dangerous criminals. It’s not really weapons; both groups have them and use them, when necessary. It’s not dedication or professionalism both groups are made up of highly dedicated professionals.

The difference then is as simple as the answer to our question. The difference is a matter of respect.

Respect is given and deserved because of the nature of the work that both groups do. That work is vital for a safe and secure society. A place where it’s safe to raise a family, where it’s safe to walk the streets, and a place where we can all achieve whatever we desire. And it’s time for all of us to put aside old, outdated thoughts and beliefs about what makes a law enforcement officer, which I believe I defined quite clearly, and come together under the Blue banner. We may be brothers and sisters from other mothers, but we are all in the same family, the law enforcement family.

So, yes, corrections officers are law enforcement officers.

We have now walked through it and come out together on this end of the question. Let’s all respect the individual duties and responsibilities we have on both sides of the fence and stand together.

Let me know what you think.       Email: joe@PangaroTraining.com

Joseph Pangaro is a 27-year veteran of law enforcement. He retired in 2013 at the rank of Lieutenant and currently serves as the Director of School Safety and Security for a large school district in NJ. He is also the owner of Pangaro Training and Management, a company that provides training to the public and private sector on a host of topics.
Email: JPangaro@Yahoo.com