What does a campus police officer do?
A campus police officer conducts patrols around the campus, ensuring the security of students, staff, and school buildings. Also known as campus peace officers, campus police officers respond to assistance and emergency requests. The officers enforce or implement institutional rules, laws, and regulations about student conduct defined in the student handbook. They test and make adjustments on alarm and communication systems and report any malfunctions.
Campus police officer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real campus police officer resumes:
- Respond to criminal complaints and investigations occurring on university properties as well as conducted regular patrol of university campus.
- Patrol campus property and immediately adjacent property by foot and vehicle.
- Review civilian complaints; conduct comprehensive interviews and disciplinary hearings; recommend and implement disciplinary action; handle removal of firearms.
- Operate magnetometers and hand wand to prevent any unauthorize weapons into the facility.
Campus police officer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 19% of Campus Police Officers are proficient in Patrol, Public Safety, and Motor Vehicle. They’re also known for soft skills such as Empathy, Leadership skills, and Physical strength.
We break down the percentage of Campus Police Officers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patrol, 19%
Responded to criminal complaints and investigations occurring on university properties as well as conducted regular patrol of university campus.
- Public Safety, 9%
Gathered and reported intelligence related to public safety and crime prevention.
- Motor Vehicle, 9%
Performed motor vehicle accident investigations including leaving the scene and DWI investigations.
- Criminal Justice, 7%
Hold numerous certifications of training and have attended many continuing education classes in Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice.
- CPR, 5%
Certified with the ASP Baton, First Aid and CPR.
- Emergency Calls, 5%
Respond to emergency calls; handle situations which pose potential hazards to faculty, students, staff or property.
"patrol," "public safety," and "motor vehicle" are among the most common skills that campus police officers use at work. You can find even more campus police officer responsibilities below, including:
Empathy. The most essential soft skill for a campus police officer to carry out their responsibilities is empathy. This skill is important for the role because "police officers need to understand the perspectives of a variety of people in their jurisdiction and be willing to help the public." Additionally, a campus police officer resume shows how their duties depend on empathy: "participated in ride-alongs to gain a better understanding of what the job of a police officer entails. "
Leadership skills. Many campus police officer duties rely on 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.," so a campus police officer will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways campus police officer responsibilities rely on leadership skills: "provide leadership for law enforcement activities including physical security, arrest procedures, criminal investigations and patrol operations. "
Physical strength. This is an important skill for campus police officers to perform their duties. For an example of how campus police officer responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "police officers must be strong enough to physically apprehend suspects and to assist people in precarious situations." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a campus police officer: "provide patrols involving extensive amount of walking, climbing stairs, bike patrol and other physical exertion. ".
Communication skills. campus police officer responsibilities often require "communication skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "police and detectives must be able to speak with people and to express details in writing about an incident." This resume example shows what campus police officers do with communication skills on a typical day: "leveraged interpersonal communication skills and intimate knowledge of criminal laws to promote positive community relations and aid investigations and court proceedings. "
Good judgment. A commonly-found skill in campus police officer job descriptions, "good judgment" is essential to what campus police officers do. Campus police officer responsibilities rely on this skill because "police and detectives must be able to determine the best way to solve an array of problems." You can also see how campus police officer duties rely on good judgment in this resume example: "participated in community and charitable events to promote good community relations and increase my level of involvement in the community. "
The three companies that hire the most campus police officers are:
- State of Georgia: Teachers Retirement System of Georgia10 campus police officers jobs
- West Virginia University6 campus police officers jobs
- Johns Hopkins University6 campus police officers jobs
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Compare different campus police officers
Campus police officer vs. Cop
A deputy sheriff is a law enforcement officer who serves the public by preventing and intervening crimes at a particular county, including multiple small towns and several larger cities. Deputy Sheriffs are first responders to emergencies such as criminal activities, vehicle accidents, weather incidents, and medical emergencies. They are present in courthouses to guard courtrooms and inmates who are transported from prisons. As law enforcers, they are also required to have an understanding of the laws of their jurisdiction.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, campus police officer responsibilities require skills like "patrol," "public safety," "motor vehicle," and "criminal justice." Meanwhile a typical cop has skills in areas such as "situational awareness," "cst," "control systems," and "gccs." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Cops tend to reach similar levels of education than campus police officers. In fact, cops are 3.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Campus police officer vs. Deputy sheriff
Police cadets require multiple police department-relevant skills in traffic control, police reports, public safety, and special events. Those who choose this career will be responsible for participating in training programs that will introduce them to the fundamentals of law enforcement and prepare them for becoming police officers, supporting police operations like traffic control, working on criminal investigation, and performing administrative duties at the station.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real campus police officer resumes. While campus police officer responsibilities can utilize skills like "criminal justice," "safety regulations," "safety hazards," and "emergency response," deputy sheriffs use skills like "transport inmates," "firearms," "subpoenas," and "sheriffs."
Deputy sheriffs earn a higher average salary than campus police officers. But deputy sheriffs earn the highest pay in the government industry, with an average salary of $53,370. Additionally, campus police officers earn the highest salaries in the government with average pay of $41,997 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Deputy sheriffs tend to reach similar levels of education than campus police officers. In fact, they're 2.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Campus police officer vs. Police cadet
An officer is responsible for managing the daily operations of the assigned area, ensuring its peace and security by monitoring and reporting unusual and suspicious activities. Officers are the ones enforcing strict safety protocols and procedures to maintain the order within the premises. They also coordinate with law enforcement agencies in conducting appropriate investigations for any violating cases. An officer must be highly-knowledgeable of the law policies, as well as possessing excellent leadership skills to manage the members under the officer's patrol.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from campus police officer resumes include skills like "motor vehicle," "emergency calls," "safety regulations," and "safety hazards," whereas a police cadet is more likely to list skills in "police academy," "cadet program," "livescan," and "subpoenas. "
Police cadets make a very good living in the government industry with an average annual salary of $38,178. On the other hand, campus police officers are paid the highest salary in the government industry, with average annual pay of $41,997.Most police cadets achieve a similar degree level compared to campus police officers. For example, they're 3.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Campus police officer vs. Officer
Types of campus police officer
Updated January 8, 2025
