Desk sergeant vs commanding officer

The differences between desk sergeants and commanding officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a commanding officer has an average salary of $40,452, which is higher than the $39,731 average annual salary of a desk sergeant.

The top three skills for a desk sergeant include patrol, law enforcement agencies and emergency situations. The most important skills for a commanding officer are logistical support, emergency situations, and combat.

Desk sergeant vs commanding officer overview

	Desk Sergeant	Commanding Officer
Yearly salary	$39,731	$40,452
Hourly rate	$19.10	$19.45
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	24,833	55,602
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	-	-

Desk sergeant vs commanding officer salary

Desk sergeants and commanding officers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Desk Sergeant	Commanding Officer
Average salary	$39,731	$40,452
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $47,000	Between $33,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between desk sergeant and commanding officer education

There are a few differences between a desk sergeant and a commanding officer in terms of educational background:

	Desk Sergeant	Commanding Officer
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Business
Most common college	Pennsylvania State University	Pennsylvania State University

Desk sergeant vs commanding officer demographics

Here are the differences between desk sergeants' and commanding officers' demographics:

	Desk Sergeant	Commanding Officer
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 81.6% Female, 18.4%	Male, 86.6% Female, 13.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 1.8% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%	Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 1.8% White, 66.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between desk sergeant and commanding officer duties and responsibilities

Desk sergeant example responsibilities.

Assist in establishing overall S3 objectives and accomplishing assign missions.
Monitor console alarm panels and CCTV displays for various high priority facilities.
Conduct classroom instruction in engagement techniques, limit visibility gunnery, target classification, range determination, and field reconnaissance.
Secure priceless and irreplaceable documents against threats of terrorism and sabotage.

Commanding officer example responsibilities.

Lead precinct to the largest percentage decrease in crime of all 76 NYC precincts.
Facilitate strategic planning efforts and public-private partnerships to maximize results in accomplishing DHS and USCG missions.
Coordinate and manage logistical combat support services, engineering support, and security escorts to bases/units locate within the region.
Orchestrate the day to day demands, managing deficiencies/opportunities and prioritization of unit operations throughout specific target areas within NYC.
CAPTAIN GEORGE``JOE"PAITL, USCG (Ret . )
Used CCTV to continuously monitor customer, staff, and parking lot areas.

Desk sergeant vs commanding officer skills

Common desk sergeant skills

Patrol, 17%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 15%
Emergency Situations, 14%
Incident Reports, 6%
Blotter, 5%
Emergency Calls, 3%

Common commanding officer skills

Logistical Support, 12%
Emergency Situations, 9%
Combat, 8%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 7%
Direct Oversight, 5%
Coast Guard, 5%

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Desk Sergeant
Desk Sergeant vs Commanding Officer

Updated January 8, 2025

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