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Desk sergeant vs lieutenant

The differences between desk sergeants and lieutenants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a lieutenant has an average salary of $47,781, 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 lieutenant are public safety, patrol, and direct supervision.

Desk sergeant vs lieutenant overview

Desk SergeantLieutenant
Yearly salary$39,731$47,781
Hourly rate$19.10$22.97
Growth rate--
Number of jobs24,83379,272
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 43%Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Average age4646
Years of experience--

Desk sergeant vs lieutenant salary

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

Desk SergeantLieutenant
Average salary$39,731$47,781
Salary rangeBetween $33,000 And $47,000Between $41,000 And $55,000
Highest paying City-Denver, CO
Highest paying state-Colorado
Best paying company-Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Best paying industry-Technology

Differences between desk sergeant and lieutenant education

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

Desk SergeantLieutenant
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 43%Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common majorCriminal JusticeCriminal Justice
Most common collegePennsylvania State UniversityPennsylvania State University

Desk sergeant vs lieutenant demographics

Here are the differences between desk sergeants' and lieutenants' demographics:

Desk SergeantLieutenant
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 81.6% Female, 18.4%Male, 83.6% Female, 16.4%
Race ratioBlack 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, 11.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 1.8% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between desk sergeant and lieutenant 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.

Lieutenant example responsibilities.

  • Manage a robust fire training program meeting NFPA, DoD, AFOSH, and German fire credentials.
  • Manage respiratory and cardiac emergencies to include performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
  • Facilitate the planning, delegation of duties, and conduct all training events for ROTC personnel.
  • Coordinate the logistics throughout fully simulate combat operations in preparation to deploy to Afghanistan.
  • prepare paperwork to send to ems biller.
  • Mentore underclassmen in ROTC policies and procedures.
  • Show more

Desk sergeant vs lieutenant skills

Common desk sergeant skills
  • Patrol, 17%
  • Law Enforcement Agencies, 15%
  • Emergency Situations, 14%
  • Incident Reports, 6%
  • Blotter, 5%
  • Emergency Calls, 3%
Common lieutenant skills
  • Public Safety, 11%
  • Patrol, 10%
  • Direct Supervision, 8%
  • Security Procedures, 7%
  • Incident Command, 7%
  • Criminal Justice, 6%

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