Desk sergeant vs police officer

The differences between desk sergeants and police officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a police officer has an average salary of $52,638, 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 police officer are patrol, public safety, and law enforcement agencies.

Desk sergeant vs police officer overview

	Desk Sergeant	Police Officer
Yearly salary	$39,731	$52,638
Hourly rate	$19.10	$25.31
Growth rate	-	3%
Number of jobs	24,833	116,287
Job satisfaction	-	2
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	46	40
Years of experience	-	-

Desk sergeant vs police officer salary

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

	Desk Sergeant	Police Officer
Average salary	$39,731	$52,638
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $47,000	Between $38,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City	-	Anchorage, AK
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Icma-rc
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between desk sergeant and police officer education

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

	Desk Sergeant	Police Officer
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	Pennsylvania State University	Pennsylvania State University

Desk sergeant vs police officer demographics

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

	Desk Sergeant	Police Officer
Average age	46	40
Gender ratio	Male, 81.6% Female, 18.4%	Male, 83.2% Female, 16.8%
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, 12.9% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 3.3% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	11%	7%

Differences between desk sergeant and police 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.

Police officer example responsibilities.

Apprehend violators and log evidence, complete require USAF and DoD forms, and accomplish report.
Train in CPR and first aid, radar speed enforcement, domestic violence intervention, pepper spray, and basic anti-terrorism.
Gather preliminary investigation information as a first responder to crime scenes.
Perform basic patrol functions including criminal and traffic law enforcement, incident reporting and community relations.
Complete numerous testimonies at criminal hearings and traffic violations, serve summons, subpoenas and other official documentation.
Patrol MARTA trains and bus lines.

Desk sergeant vs police officer skills

Common desk sergeant skills

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

Common police officer skills

Patrol, 27%
Public Safety, 6%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 5%
Emergency Situations, 5%
Field Training, 4%
CPR, 3%