Competition for the choicest law enforcement roles can be fierce, even when candidates have extensive specialized training and stellar records of service. A superior law enforcement cover letter can give you greater control over your next career move.
Resume.io is here to help. With 125+ occupation-specific cover letter examples and writing guides, we’ve got the expert tips and resources you need to help you land your next law enforcement role. Here’s what we’ll cover in this guide and law enforcement cover letter example:
- The best format for structuring your law enforcement cover letter
- How each cover letter section emphasizes your best-matched qualifications: header, greeting, introduction, body and conclusion
- Bullet-proofing your cover letter from common mistakes.
Best format for a law enforcement cover letter
This orderly structure of cover letter sections is uniformly suited for all occupations:
- Header
- Greeting
- Introduction
- Body
- Closing and sign-off
Each component serves a purpose to ensure your cover letter is both effective and efficient — no more than 400 words on a single page.
A ready-for-duty cover letter looks inviting to read at arm’s length— clean, streamlined and professionally polished. Closer inspection confirms your formatting choices are solid, including fonts and graphic elements.
For a comprehensive overview of cover letter writing, design and formatting topics, check out our expert guide.
Here is a law enforcement cover letter example you can customize for the position and hiring agency:
Dear Inspector Kraus,
Inner-city policing involves as much community engagement as it does prevention. My five-year stint as a community police officer in San Francisco has prepared me well for my move to Queens and a potential role in your area policing team.
During my time on patrol in San Francisco, drug raids, search and seizure proceedings, crime scene investigations and domestic disputes were balanced by community outreach, youth education and offender rehabilitation. These aspects of our proactive engagement helped to reduce violent crime by 23% and drug-related violence by 33%. As a former young offender (fifteen years ago), I am able to relate to the younger sections of society like few others.
I studied Criminal Justice at Brooks Community College and graduated at the top of my class at The San Francisco Police Academy. Our laws are sometimes complicated – law enforcement professionals have a duty to keep on top of the latest local amendments. I am a keen student of behavioral psychology – if a police officer can diffuse a highly charged situation with their words, further measures can be avoided. I made 30% fewer arrests than my city colleagues, and my jurisdiction experienced 18% less crime.
It looks like your Queens policing team has done a fantastic job in keeping the streets safe, reducing traffic violations and managing domestic disputes. I hope that I can assist on the youth engagement and drug awareness programs and look forward to the opportunity of discussing my experience during a potential interview.
Sincerely,
Katherine Jacobs
For additional ideas, check out our related security and protective services cover letter examples:
Cover letter header
A striking header design visually reinforces that you are an outstanding candidate. It signals you are conscientious about getting procedural and communication details right — in this case clearly identifying who your cover letter belongs to and how hiring managers can readily contact you.
For these same reasons, it’s a good idea to pair your cover letter and resume documents with matching header styles and other design elements.
Cover letter greeting
Address the reader as “Dear <Officer Rank Title> <Mr.> <Ms.> Surname.” If you’re unable to identify any individual by name, your next best option is an alternative such as “Dear <Law Enforcement Position> Recruiter” or “Dear <Law Enforcement Position> Hiring Team.”
Below you’ll find the greeting from our adaptable law enforcement cover letter example.
Dear Inspector Kraus,
Cover letter introduction
Command full attention up front by focusing on your fitness for this law enforcement role in your introduction. Being specific about your best-matched qualifications is the best way to impress hiring officers with your knowledge of what they need and expect from new recruits.
Whatever you selectively highlight here — typically years of experience and special expertise — should come across as potentially benefiting this law enforcement agency and the citizens it protects. Expressing your motivation to join the force should demonstrate some awareness of its achievements, goals or challenges.
Here’s the introduction from our law enforcement cover letter sample.
Inner-city policing involves as much community engagement as it does prevention. My five-year stint as a community police officer in San Francisco has prepared me well for my move to Queens and a potential role in your area policing team.
Cover letter body
The cover letter body section strengthens and solidifies your case for belonging on this law enforcement team. From the standpoint of being an asset to its efforts to protect the community, highlight your most relevant experience, training and skills.
Emphasize outcomes in tangible, relatable terms. Cite facts and figures to show the impact on safety and crime reduction. Don’t shy away from anecdotes or comments shedding light on your personality, purpose and perspective.
Below is some sample wording you might adapt for the middle paragraphs of your law enforcement cover letter.
During my time on patrol in San Francisco, drug raids, search and seizure proceedings, crime scene investigations and domestic disputes were balanced by community outreach, youth education and offender rehabilitation. These aspects of our proactive engagement helped to reduce violent crime by 23% and drug-related violence by 33%. As a former young offender (fifteen years ago), I am able to relate to the younger sections of society like few others.
I studied Criminal Justice at Brooks Community College and graduated at the top of my class at The San Francisco Police Academy. Our laws are sometimes complicated – law enforcement professionals have a duty to keep on top of the latest local amendments. I am a keen student of behavioral psychology – if a police officer can diffuse a highly charged situation with their words, further measures can be avoided. I made 30% fewer arrests than my city colleagues, and my jurisdiction experienced 18% less crime.
Cover letter closing
Your cover letter conclusion should be just as compelling as the preceding sections. Reiterate your interest in this career opportunity and hope that recruiters are mutually interested in what you have to offer. Then it’s important to take that a step further with a call to action, implying some expectation of being in further contact. Your goal, of course, is to land an interview, and there’s nothing wrong with stating that is something you look forward to.
Perhaps indicate your wish to follow up with a phone call to arrange for a meeting. At least say you hope to hear back from the employer soon. Be sure to sound self-assured but take care not to seem pushy.
To sign off, simply enter your full name below “Sincerely,” “Best regards” or “Best.”
Below is the closing section of our law enforcement letter example.
It looks like your Queens policing team has done a fantastic job in keeping the streets safe, reducing traffic violations and managing domestic disputes. I hope that I can assist on the youth engagement and drug awareness programs and look forward to the opportunity of discussing my experience during a potential interview.
Sincerely,
Katherine Jacobs
Common cover letter mistakes to avoid
With zero tolerance for occupational mistakes in your line of duty, recruiters will hold job application documents to the same standard. These are the most common offenses to avoid in a bullet-proof cover letter.
- Generic one-size-fits-all cover letters that hit no marks at all
- Typos, misspellings and grammatical infractions
- Lazy language that’s vague, unoriginal and/or redundant
- Unattractive or sloppy-looking documents.
A great page layout immediately communicates your professionalism and expertise. If you want to save time while still making a great visual impression, consider using a professionally-designed cover letter template.
Key takeaways
- Be specific in connecting your key law enforcement qualifications to what’s needed and expected from new recruits.
- Each cover letter element substantiates your case for being a valuable asset to the law enforcement team you are seeking to join.
- Check out our adaptable law enforcement cover letter sample for more ideas on creating an effective header.
