Desk sergeant vs operations sergeant

The differences between desk sergeants and operations sergeants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an operations sergeant has an average salary of $52,200, 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 an operations sergeant are combat, logistical support, and professional development.

Desk sergeant vs operations sergeant overview

	Desk Sergeant	Operations Sergeant
Yearly salary	$39,731	$52,200
Hourly rate	$19.10	$25.10
Growth rate	-	6%
Number of jobs	24,833	57,018
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	-	-

Desk sergeant vs operations sergeant salary

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

	Desk Sergeant	Operations Sergeant
Average salary	$39,731	$52,200
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $47,000	Between $38,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between desk sergeant and operations sergeant education

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

	Desk Sergeant	Operations Sergeant
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Business
Most common college	Pennsylvania State University	Pennsylvania State University

Desk sergeant vs operations sergeant demographics

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

	Desk Sergeant	Operations Sergeant
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 81.6% Female, 18.4%	Male, 90.1% Female, 9.9%
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, 11.6% 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 operations sergeant 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.

Operations sergeant example responsibilities.

Manage and compile all personnel records for enrollment into ROTC.
Plan, implement, and manage the maintenance of 16 CH-47D helicopters and all platoon equipment, value at $528M.
Orchestrate squadron recognition programs, manage enlisted promotion recommendations and alleviate all airmen quality force issues.
Develop and execute demanding and realistic training exercises to ensure operational readiness of attendees to ensure troops are ready for combat.
Update the training calendar for the ROTC battalion every week.
Coordinate and disseminate weekly flight hour reports and PowerPoint presentations for monthly board and weekly staff meetings.

Desk sergeant vs operations sergeant skills

Common desk sergeant skills

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

Common operations sergeant skills

Combat, 13%
Logistical Support, 9%
Professional Development, 6%
Tactical Operations, 5%
Training Programs, 4%
Law Enforcement, 4%

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Desk Sergeant
Desk Sergeant vs Operations Sergeant

Updated January 8, 2025

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