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Job outlook for crime prevention police officers in the United States
Are crime prevention police officer jobs in demand?
Crime prevention police officer job and salary trends over time
Crime prevention police officer jobs over time
Crime prevention police officer job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 496 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 488 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 495 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 493 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 493 | 0.00% |
Average crime prevention police officer salary over time
Crime prevention police officer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $40,337 | $19.39 | +3.8% |
| 2024 | $38,866 | $18.69 | +2.9% |
| 2023 | $37,776 | $18.16 | +0.5% |
| 2022 | $37,573 | $18.06 | +2.3% |
| 2021 | $36,730 | $17.66 | +2.3% |
Crime prevention police officer jobs by state
Most common states for crime prevention police officers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,228 | 18% |
| 2 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 1,011 | 18% |
| 3 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 316 | 18% |
| 4 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 136 | 18% |
| 5 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 184 | 17% |
| 6 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 830 | 14% |
| 7 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 191 | 14% |
| 8 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 118 | 14% |
| 9 | Vermont | 623,657 | 89 | 14% |
| 10 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 1,148 | 13% |
| 11 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 751 | 13% |
| 12 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 417 | 13% |
| 13 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 258 | 13% |
| 14 | California | 39,536,653 | 4,570 | 12% |
| 15 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 1,216 | 12% |
| 16 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 832 | 12% |
| 17 | Nevada | 2,998,039 | 351 | 12% |
| 18 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 244 | 12% |
| 19 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 1,424 | 11% |
| 20 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 812 | 11% |
Crime Prevention Police Officer job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of crime prevention police officer experts
Pennsylvania State University - Harrisburg
Curry College
Jill Myers
Director of the School of Law Enforcement and Justice AdministrationWhat general advice would you give to a Crime Prevention Police Officer?
Jill Myers: The more skill sets you have the better prepared you will be for future advancement and salary increases. Having a solid education, a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice and a masters degree will sometimes result in increased wages. Having federal certifications and competencies will enhance your opportunities and create potential marketability for your career. It is always a great skill set to have people skills, communication in both written and oral formats. It will enhance your ability to explain yourself in court, in the warrants one prepares, and with dealing with the public in all circumstances from victims and witnesses and suspects, to legislators, the funding sources like mayors and city council and the public at large.
What Crime Prevention Police Officer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Jill Myers: Law Enforcement is a much needed and distinguished profession. Going into the field you need a thorough background in the criminal justice system, state and federal, a working knowledge of the laws and Constitutional dictates, and the ability to communicate well both verbally and in writing. The job requires the ability to not just talk the part, but to critically think and apply the skills learned in the classrooms with real people in real situations. You will need to start the job with the ability to be a hero, to respond to real events on perhaps the worst days of someone's life. The job requires knowledge, ethical conduct, and compassion for everyone, even those who have committed unlawful actions.
Jennifer Gibbs Ph.D.
Associate ProfessorPennsylvania State University - Harrisburg
School of Public Affairs, Criminal Justice Program
What skills stand out on Crime Prevention Police Officer resumes?
Jennifer Gibbs Ph.D.: Police officers need many skills to be successful on the job. The most important are written and oral communication skills and the ability to make ethical decisions with limited information quickly. Written communications skills are crucial. If a police report is poorly worded or incomplete, it can derail a criminal case. Police officers also need to talk to people of all ages from all walks of life in any circumstance. Often, police meet people on what may be the worst day of their lives when emotions are running high. Police need to be able to help calm a person while gathering information. Police need to be able to use their words and body language to empathize with someone who has been victimized, and they need to project authority, so people making poor decisions obey their commands.
This may be common sense, but research has demonstrated that communication and ethical decision-making skills are important for police officers. (See the research article published in 2017 in the Journal of Criminal Justice Education, entitled "An assessment of the relative importance of criminal justice learning objectives," by Baker and colleagues.) Baker and colleagues asked students, professionals, and college professors to rate the skills of hypothetical job applicants. These participants rated the following as the most important characteristics for criminal justice applicants (including law enforcement officers):
Ethics
Oral communication
Critical thinking
Sensitivity to diversity
Written communication skills
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Crime Prevention Police Officers?
Jennifer Balboni: For those interested in law enforcement, coursework in community policing is critical for new graduates to have as a foundational background. Recognizing the importance of working with the community is absolutely vital to agencies establishing legitimacy within communities. In addition, coursework and/or certifications in (white collar) fraud examination, emergency management, and cybercrime investigations are an excellent background for new grads who are interested in law enforcement and investigations; each of these fields has increasingly been recognized as integral to successful planning and investigations in the criminal justice realm. In addition, fluency in a different language is always an asset in the criminal justice job market.