Most days aren't anything at all like you'd imagine. Go do a ride-along with a (fit) cop at your local PD. Day shift will be a lot of "call-chasing" where they are taking reports of burglaries, thefts, lost or found articles, etc. Your night shift will have a lot more traffic stops, angry individuals causing disturbances, and drunk people stumbling around other people's property or in the road. But even then, it's not going to be a lot of time spent on the actual call. Paperwork/driving around/looking for crime takes up a LOT more time than ever stepping out of the vehicle. More detail: