Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers
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Overview
Maintain order and protect life and property by enforcing local, tribal, state, or federal laws and ordinances. Perform a combination of the following duties: patrol a specific area; direct traffic; issue traffic summonses; investigate accidents; apprehend and arrest suspects, or serve legal processes of courts. Includes police officers working at educational institutions.
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OfficerDeputySheriffPatrolPoliceCustomsSpecialistBorderEnforcementAgentInspectorImportSheriff'sSpecialMarshalHandlerDrugHighwaySafetyStateUSPreventionLawCopGuardCanineCityConstableCivilServiceProtectionCBPOGeneralistLieutenantK9ImmigrationParkSergeantProtectiveDetectiveSheriffsTrooperTeamMemberAccidentSquadAgricultureAirAlcoholALEAnimalCampusChiefDivisionProcessServerCommunityComplaintEvaluationCountyCrimeOpenerVerifierPackerDeportationCertifiedBailiffCustodyDeskAbuseResistanceEducationDAREDutyGrandJuryPilotServicesMasterCourtSecurityMilitaryOceanDriverOfficePeaceBookingWorkerPolicemanPolicewomanPublicInstructionDepartmentCorporalRoadSWATWeaponsTacticsTownUnderUniform
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Responsibilities and activities

Police officers, detectives, and criminal investigators typically do the following:

  • Respond to emergency and nonemergency calls
  • Patrol assigned areas, observing people and activities
  • Conduct traffic stops and issue citations
  • Search restricted-access databases for vehicle or other records and warrants
  • Obtain and serve warrants for arrests, searches, and other purposes
  • Arrest people suspected of committing crimes
  • Collect and secure evidence from crime scenes
  • Observe the activities of suspects
  • Write detailed reports and fill out forms
  • Prepare cases for legal proceedings and testify in court

Job duties differ by employer and function, but police and detectives are required by law to write detailed reports and keep meticulous records. Most carry law enforcement equipment such as radios, handcuffs, and guns.

The following are examples of types of police and detectives: 

Detectives and criminal investigators are uniformed or plainclothes officers who gather facts and collect evidence related to criminal cases. They conduct interviews, examine records, monitor suspects, and participate in raids and arrests. Detectives typically investigate serious crimes, such as assaults, robberies, and homicides. In large police departments, detectives usually specialize in investigating one type of crime, such as homicide or fraud. They are typically assigned cases on a rotating basis and work on them until an arrest and trial are completed or until the case is dropped.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents, sometimes called special agents, investigate and pursue criminal cases that violate federal law. FBI agents are responsible for crimes against public agencies, such as Medicare fraud, or that cross state lines. In addition, federal agents may join or take over investigations of certain types of state cases, such as those related to prescription drugs or large sums of money.

Fish and game wardens enforce fishing, hunting, and boating laws. They patrol fishing and hunting areas, conduct search and rescue operations, investigate complaints and accidents, and educate the public about laws pertaining to the outdoors. Federal fish and game wardens are often referred to as Federal Wildlife Officers.

Police and sheriff’s patrol officers are the most common type of police and detectives, and they have general law enforcement duties. They wear uniforms that allow the public to easily recognize them as police officers. They have regular patrols and also respond to emergency and nonemergency calls. During patrols, officers observe people and activities to ensure order and safety.

Some police officers work only on a specific type of crime, such as narcotics. Officers, especially those working in large departments, may work in special units, such as mounted (horseback), motorcycle, or special weapons and tactics (SWAT). Typically, officers must work as patrol officers for a certain number of years before they are appointed to a special unit.

Transit and railroad police patrol train yards and transportation hubs, such as subway stations. They protect property, employees, and passengers from crimes such as thefts and robberies. They remove trespassers from railroad and transit properties and check IDs of people who try to enter secure areas.

Salary
Median salary: $65,540 annually
Half of those employed in this career earn between $48,950 and $86,880.
$66K$0$20K$40K$60K$80K$100K$120K
Context: Median Salary
How do salaries for this career compare to other jobs' salaries?
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Salary growth for police officers
Is this job likely to reward you for sticking with it through pay raises and promotions? The higher a job’s “experience quotient,” the more you are likely to get as you stay there.
Experience quotient percentile
Take a minute to look at how much you might expect your salary to increase with each five years' experience, as well as how the numbers working at each age change. Does this seem to be a job for the young or the old, or could it be a career offering steady salary growth for many years?
Salary distribution
$49K$69K$74K$75K$60K$65K$63K$76K$33K$0$50K$100K$150K20-2425-2930-3435-3940-4445-4950-5455-5960-64
Number employed
050K100K150K20-2425-2930-3435-3940-4445-4950-5455-5960-64
About Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers
How do benefits for this career compare to other jobs? The availability of health care, especially employer provided health care, and pension plans can add significantly to the value of compensation you receive in a career. These charts compare how this career compares to other careers with regard to health care and pension plans.
Employee has health insurance
Employer is providing health insurance
Employer-provided pension plan is available
Worker concerns
Some jobs are more stressful than others, and some are just plain dangerous. The following list gives the percentages of police and sheriff's patrol officers who report hazardous or difficult situations typically occurring at least once a week.
  • Unpleasant or Angry People (83%)
  • Consequence of Error (76%)
  • Time Pressure (71%)
  • Exposed to Contaminants (68%)
  • Radiation Exposure (64%)
  • Responsible for Others' Health (62%)
  • Hazardous Equipment (60%)
  • Exposed to Disease or Infections (59%)
  • High Conflict Frequency (58%)
  • Physically Aggressive People (41%)
  • Hazardous Conditions (40%)
  • Minor Burns, Cuts, Bites (38%)
SOURCES:
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Personality and skills
Can you see yourself in the ranks of Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers? Here are the skills and traits that could lead to success.
Communication skills
Police and detectives must be able to speak with people and to express details in writing about an incident.
Empathy
Police officers need to understand the perspectives of a variety of people in their jurisdiction and be willing to help the public.
Good judgment
Police and detectives must be able to determine the best way to solve an array of problems.
Leadership skills
Police officers must be comfortable with being a highly visible member of their community, as the public looks to them for help in emergencies.
Perceptiveness
Officers, detectives, and fish and game wardens must be able to anticipate people’s reactions and understand why they act a certain way.
Physical stamina
Officers and detectives must be in good physical shape, both to pass required tests for entry into the field and to keep up with the daily rigors of the job.
Physical strength
Police officers must be strong enough to physically apprehend suspects and to assist people in precarious situations.
Injury and Illness
About 759 police and sheriff's patrol officers become injured or ill for every 10,000 workers, making this job more dangerous than 99% of other careers. The most common specific illnesses or injuries are detailed following.
All multiple traumatic injuries
Sprains, strains, tears
Fractures
Education pathways to this career
Education attained by police and sheriff's patrol officers
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), police and sheriff's patrol officers typically hold a high school diploma or equivalent.
Sometimes the typical education identified by the BLS differs a bit from the reality of the how much education current workers actually have. The donut shows the education level held by people currently working as police officers as reported in responses to the American Community Survey.
Details: Education and training recommended for police and sheriff's patrol officers

Police and detective applicants must have at least a high school diploma or equivalent, although some federal agencies and police departments may require that applicants have completed college coursework or a college degree. Many community colleges and 4-year colleges and universities offer programs in law enforcement and criminal justice. Knowledge of a foreign language is an asset in many federal agencies and geographical regions.

Fish and game wardens typically need a bachelor’s degree; desirable fields of study include wildlife science, biology, or natural resources management. Federal Wildlife Officers and some state-level fish and game wardens typically do not need a bachelor’s degree.

Federal agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation may require prospective detectives and investigators to have a bachelor's degree.

Many applicants for entry-level police jobs have completed some college coursework, and a significant number are college graduates.

Education level of Police Officers
Only 37% of police officers have a bachelor's degree or higher.
Education attained by police officers
None
High School
Some College
Associate's Degree
Bachelor's Degree
Master's Degree
Professional Degree
Doctorate
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Programs recommended by the Department of Education
The Department of Education recommends the following college degree programs as preparation for this career. You can click a program row to learn more about the program and explore a list of schools that offer the program.
Number of degrees awarded in 2018
Education
Education level of awarded degrees
Assoc./Cert.
Bachelor's
Graduate
Gender
Gender of graduates
Men
Women
Race/Origin
Race/origin of graduates
White
Minority
International
Where are the jobs
State-by-state employment numbers
Some careers tend to be centered in specific parts of the country. For example, most jobs in fashion are in New York or California. Let's see if your dream job is easy to find in your dream location! We have a few choices for viewing the data that can help you get a full employment picture.
Select a state to see local area details
Number of Police Officers per 1,000 workers (ACS)
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Job density versus job count
Which states hire the most police and sheriff's patrol officers? We wonder if that's a fair question since states come in all sizes, so instead let's start with the question of which states have the highest density of people working as police and sheriff's patrol officers. You can choose to view the number of jobs per state if you prefer.
Salaries by state
Let's get a feel for where police and sheriff's patrol officers earn the highest salaries. There are several choices for which data we consider and how we view that data, and each can lead to different conclusions, so please read on...
Median salary versus state ratio
We use two methods to compare salaries across states:
  • In-state comparisons: the ratio of median (middle) salaries for police officers compared to the median salary for all people working in each state, or
  • Median salary: the unaltered median salaries for police officers.
We hope the ratio allows perspective about how salaries may compare to the regional cost-of-living.
The darkest shading corresponds to states in which police officers earn the highest salary when compared to other jobs in the state. We think this figure might be a better indicator than the actual salary for your buying power as a state resident.
Select a state to see local area details
Location-adjusted median salary for Police Officers (ACS for all specialties)
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORUTWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICANVCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFLPR
Employment
3% of Police officers are working part time.
We’ve found that some jobs have a huge number of part-time workers, and typically that is because they are unable to find full-time work or the job itself can’t provide full-time hours. With 3% part-time workers, this occupation has a lower percentage of part-time workers than 89% of careers.
3%0%20%40%60%80%100%
Employer types
This donut shares the break-down of workers by employer type, giving us a picture of what employers most typically hire for this career.
Employers of undefined (ACS)
Private for-profit
Private not-for-profit
Local government
State government
Federal government
Self-employed incorporated
Self-employed not incorporated
Working without pay
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Distribution: Salaries of police officers by type of employer
Here are the salary distributions based on employer type.
$63K$62K$63K$66K$47K$52K$0$50,000$100,000$150,000Federal governmentState governmentLocal governmentPrivate not-for-profitPrivate for-profitAll
Gender
Police officers and gender
With 14% women, this occupation has a lower percentage of women than 74% of careers.
Gender of Police officers
Men (86%)
Women (14%)
Distribution: salaries by gender
Does gender greatly influence your salary in this career? The closer the bars are, the less discrepancy there is.
$54K$64K$0$100K$200K$300KWomenMen
We only include salary data when the survey error is less than 20%, so you may see only partial information for some categories.
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Context: Women in the workforce
How does this career compare to other careers with regard to the percentage of women in the career.
14%0%20%40%60%80%100%
Context: Salary inequity
The median salary for all full-time male workers in the US exceeds the full-time median salary for women by 19%. The situation is a little better for police officers, with the median salary for men 18% higher than the median salary for women.
18%0%20%40%60%80%100%
Race/Origin
Race and origin of Police officers
This donut shows the distribution of race and origin among those employed as Police officers.
Race/origin of police officers
White (77% )
Black (13% )
Other (3% )
Multiracial (3% )
Asian (2% )
Hispanic (1% )
American Indian (1% )
Pacific Islander (0% )
Distribution: salaries by race/origin
Some careers might have a pay disparity based on race or origin, the closer the below bars are the less of a discrepancy is present.
$47K$55K$64K$65K$65K$68K$70K$73K$0$50K$100K$150KAmerican IndianBlackWhiteOtherMultiracialPacific IslanderHispanicAsian
We only include salary data when the survey error is less than 20%, so you may see only partial information for some categories.