If you’ve ever read any other law enforcement blogs, criminal justice job descriptions, or specialized articles you may have come across LEO. So what does LEO mean? Is it just an astrological sign? A name? Or, as you may have figured already, it means Law Enforcement Ooooooooo.
LEO is an acronym often used by police officers, law enforcement industry professionals, bloggers and writers, and those who forget to tell us before hand that LEO stands for Law Enforcement Officer. Simple! Duh! Well, not quite… I’ve noticed that many who are not part of the industry, but are seeking some good info, seem to find random pages on the Internet with blog posts and forum discussions that ramble on and on about LEO this and LEO that. In the end, you end up searching for what LEO means because you’re not sure what the “O” stands for.
A law enforcement officer (LEO) is any individual who is sworn in as a police officer, sheriff deputy, state trooper, or a federal agent to enforce the laws of the jursdiction he or she serves. Some other careers that are considered LEO positions include:
Corrections positions, such as prison guard or prison warden, are not considered law enforcement officer positions. Most crime scene investigation careers are also non law enforcement officer positions, although many crime scene investigators (CSIs) are sworn in LEOs and can utilize the powers of arrest. These and many other, including any of the LEO positions, are part of a bigger career spectrum: criminal justice careers – where law enforcement, legal, corrections, forensic, and private careers are all sub-fields of criminal justice.
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