K9 handler vs sheriff's detective

The differences between k9 handlers and sheriff's detectives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a sheriff's detective has an average salary of $54,266, which is higher than the $40,958 average annual salary of a k9 handler.

The top three skills for a k9 handler include patrol, explosive detection and public safety. The most important skills for a sheriff's detective are patrol, , and .

K9 handler vs sheriff's detective overview

	K9 Handler	Sheriff's Detective
Yearly salary	$40,958	$54,266
Hourly rate	$19.69	$26.09
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	26,096	833
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	-	-

K9 handler vs sheriff's detective salary

K9 handlers and sheriff's detectives have different pay scales, as shown below.

	K9 Handler	Sheriff's Detective
Average salary	$40,958	$54,266
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $53,000	Between $39,000 And $74,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between k9 handler and sheriff's detective education

There are a few differences between a k9 handler and a sheriff's detective in terms of educational background:

	K9 Handler	Sheriff's Detective
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	California State University - Bakersfield	California State University - Long Beach

K9 handler vs sheriff's detective demographics

Here are the differences between k9 handlers' and sheriff's detectives' demographics:

	K9 Handler	Sheriff's Detective
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 82.9% Female, 17.1%	Male, 85.7% Female, 14.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.0% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 3.3% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 2.7% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between k9 handler and sheriff's detective duties and responsibilities

K9 handler example responsibilities.

Hire and manage credit officers responsible for Citigroup's new commodity derivatives business in Houston.
Provide technical guidance to soldiers on ammunition safety matters and other relate ammunition items.
Maintain accurate record for MWD certification.
Serve warrants, subpoenas and civil documents.
Search vehicles at ECP with PEDD for explosives.
Maintain sanitation, kennel cleanliness and MWD heath.

Sheriff's detective example responsibilities.

Initiate and conduct investigations concerning illegal narcotics and firearms trafficking and perform official duty as an undercover operative during those investigations.
Arrest a DWI suspect and book into jail.

K9 handler vs sheriff's detective skills

Common k9 handler skills

Patrol, 26%
Explosive Detection, 16%
Public Safety, 13%
CPR, 12%
Emergency Situations, 8%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 5%

Common sheriff's detective skills

Patrol, 100%

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K9 Handler
K9 Handler vs Sheriff's Detective

Updated January 8, 2025

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