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Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers

	Median Wage (USD, 2024)	Projected Job Openings (2024-2034)	Projected Growth (2024-2034)
National Statistics	$76290	53700	3.1%
State Statistics	-	-	-
City Statistics	-	-	-

Statistics

National

State

City

State

City

$76290

Median Wage (USD, 2024)

53700

Projected Job Openings (2024-2034)

3.1%

Projected Growth (2024-2034)

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.

Experience Requirements Overview

Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Education, Training and Experience

Required Level of Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)

Related Work Experience: N.A.

On-Site or In-Plant Training: Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year

On-the-Job Training: Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year

Detailed Work Activities

Apprehend criminal suspects.
Maintain public order or security.
Respond to emergencies to provide assistance.
Prepare investigation or incident reports.
Administer first aid.
Investigate illegal or suspicious activities.
Investigate accidents to determine causes.
Maintain surveillance of individuals or establishments.
Communicate situation details to appropriate personnel.
Testify at legal or legislative proceedings.
Patrol properties to maintain safety.
Monitor access or flow of people to prevent problems.
Relay information about incidents or emergencies to personnel using phones or two-way radios.
Investigate legal issues.
Interview people to gather information about criminal activities.
Record crime or accident scene evidence with video or still cameras.
Determine operational procedures.
Direct vehicle traffic.
Serve court ordered documents.
Interview people to obtain information about actions or status of individuals.
Guard facilities.
Escort prisoners to courtrooms, prisons, or other facilities.
Inform the public about policies, services or procedures.
Recommend improvements to increase safety or reduce risks.
Locate suspicious objects or vehicles.
Confiscate prohibited or dangerous items.
Assist motorists or pedestrians.
Record information about suspects or criminals.
Maintain operational records.
Direct law enforcement activities.
Detain suspects or witnesses.
Communicate health and wellness information to the public.
Present social services program information to the public.

Work Values

Achievement

Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.

Working Conditions

Recognition

Relationships

Support

Independence

Tasks

Identify, pursue, and arrest suspects and perpetrators of criminal acts.
Provide for public safety by maintaining order, responding to emergencies, protecting people and property, enforcing motor vehicle and criminal laws, and promoting good community relations.
Record facts to prepare reports that document incidents and activities.
Render aid to accident survivors and other persons requiring first aid for physical injuries.
Review facts of incidents to determine if criminal act or statute violations were involved.
Investigate illegal or suspicious activities.
Monitor, note, report, and investigate suspicious persons and situations, safety hazards, and unusual or illegal activity in patrol area.
Testify in court to present evidence or act as witness in traffic and criminal cases.
Relay complaint and emergency-request information to appropriate agency dispatchers.
Monitor traffic to ensure motorists observe traffic regulations and exhibit safe driving procedures.
Drive vehicles or patrol specific areas to detect law violators, issue citations, and make arrests.
Execute arrest warrants, locating and taking persons into custody.
Patrol and guard courthouses, grand jury rooms, or assigned areas to provide security, enforce laws, maintain order, and arrest violators.
Photograph or draw diagrams of crime or accident scenes and interview principals and eyewitnesses.
Evaluate complaint and emergency-request information to determine response requirements.
Patrol specific area on foot, horseback, or motorized conveyance, responding promptly to calls for assistance.
Investigate traffic accidents and other accidents to determine causes and to determine if a crime has been committed.
Verify that the proper legal charges have been made against law offenders.
Transport or escort prisoners and defendants en route to courtrooms, prisons or jails, attorneys' offices, or medical facilities.
Direct traffic flow and reroute traffic in case of emergencies.
Question individuals entering secured areas to determine their business, directing and rerouting individuals as necessary.
Notify patrol units to take violators into custody or to provide needed assistance or medical aid.
Place people in protective custody.
Serve statements of claims, subpoenas, summonses, jury summonses, orders to pay alimony, and other court orders.
Inform citizens of community services and recommend options to facilitate longer-term problem resolution.
Locate and confiscate real or personal property, as directed by court order.
Provide road information to assist motorists.
Conduct community programs for all ages concerning topics such as drugs and violence.
Process prisoners, and prepare and maintain records of prisoner bookings and prisoner status during booking and pre-trial process.
Supervise law enforcement staff, such as jail staff, officers, and deputy sheriffs.

Work Styles

Innovation

A tendency to be inventive, to be imaginative, and to adopt new perspectives on ways to accomplish work.

Innovation

Achievement Orientation

Intellectual Curiosity

Tolerance for Ambiguity

Initiative

Adaptability

Self-Confidence

Perseverance

Leadership Orientation

Humility

Sincerity

Empathy

Cooperation

Optimism

Social Orientation

Cautiousness

Attention to Detail

Dependability

Integrity

Stress Tolerance

Self-Control

Data Source: This page includes information from the O*NET 30.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This page includes Employment Projections program, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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