When you say criminals, who do you mean exactly - someone who very recently committed a crime? And by catching someone... catching them do what?

I know several officers, and can safely say they are as varied a group as any other profession. Their day-to-day typically consists of responding to 911 calls, backup to other officers, or traffic duty. I think they generally are interested in catching people breaking the law - particularly the really bad ones. And sure, they would prefer it to be easy, who wouldn't. They get paid like $60k/yr and their day-to-day involves stuff like responding to a domestic violence calls with belligerents wielding various weapons. My biggest challenge most days is finding a parking spot.