Chief of police vs detective sergeant

The differences between chiefs of police and detective sergeants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a chief of police has an average salary of $77,582, which is higher than the $52,546 average annual salary of a detective sergeant.

The top three skills for a chief of police include patrol, public safety and criminal justice. The most important skills for a detective sergeant are patrol, evidence collection, and law enforcement agencies.

Chief of police vs detective sergeant overview

	Chief Of Police	Detective Sergeant
Yearly salary	$77,582	$52,546
Hourly rate	$37.30	$25.26
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	69,344	938
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	-	-

Chief of police vs detective sergeant salary

Chiefs of police and detective sergeants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Chief Of Police	Detective Sergeant
Average salary	$77,582	$52,546
Salary range	Between $49,000 And $120,000	Between $40,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City	Berkeley, CA	-
Highest paying state	Maine	-
Best paying company	Ohlone College	-
Best paying industry	Government	-

Differences between chief of police and detective sergeant education

There are a few differences between a chief of police and a detective sergeant in terms of educational background:

	Chief Of Police	Detective Sergeant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	Pennsylvania State University	Pennsylvania State University

Chief of police vs detective sergeant demographics

Here are the differences between chiefs of police' and detective sergeants' demographics:

	Chief Of Police	Detective Sergeant
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 91.7% Female, 8.3%	Male, 93.7% Female, 6.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 13.6% Asian, 2.1% White, 68.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%	Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.8% Asian, 1.8% White, 67.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between chief of police and detective sergeant duties and responsibilities

Chief of police example responsibilities.

Lead, train and mentore a team of 11 senior logistics and business consultants.
Plan, manage, develop, implement and revise the training FTO program, as needed.
Enable senior leadership to accomplish combat objectives.
Provide first aid and CPR to victims as necessary.
Investigate burglary and theft crimes with extensive attention to details.
Investigate state and federal narcotics violations on a DEA lead strike-force team.

Detective sergeant example responsibilities.

Receive multiple letters of commendation for effective investigations that lead to successful prosecutions.
Assist in writing standards for certification for the firearms unit.
Supervise detective squad, identify monthly investigation outcomes, create staffing schedules, perform stake-outs, monitor wire taps ,
Establish probable cause to obtain warrants, leading to arrests and the seizure of narcotics, firearms and other contraband.
Deliver subpoenas and other documents as requested by attorneys.
Supervise detectives attaining search warrants, subpoenas and financial/phone/computer records.

Chief of police vs detective sergeant skills

Common chief of police skills

Patrol, 23%
Public Safety, 13%
Criminal Justice, 9%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 8%
Emergency Management, 4%
Police Services, 3%

Common detective sergeant skills

Patrol, 20%
Evidence Collection, 10%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 10%
Homicide, 6%
Burglary, 4%
Criminal Cases, 4%

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Chief Of Police
Chief Of Police vs Detective Sergeant

Updated January 8, 2025

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