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The differences between law enforcement officers and community services officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a law enforcement officer has an average salary of $39,219, which is higher than the $38,039 average annual salary of a community services officer.
The top three skills for a law enforcement officer include patrol, public safety and emergency situations. The most important skills for a community services officer are patrol, public safety, and traffic control.
| Law Enforcement Officer | Community Services Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $39,219 | $38,039 |
| Hourly rate | $18.86 | $18.29 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 105,817 | 181,257 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
The duties of a law enforcement officer depend on their line of work or agency of employment. In general, they are responsible for enforcing laws and regulations, prioritizing the safety of citizens and the protection of the city. Typically, their responsibilities include patrolling their designated area, responding to distress, monitoring suspicious activities and characters, conducting investigations and inspections, and coordinating various services to assist citizens. Moreover, as a law enforcement officer, it is essential to serve as a role model for citizens and uphold the oath to serve and protect.
Community service offers or CSO support in crime response, investigation, and prevention where police powers are not necessary. The community service officers assist the police officers in terms of upholding order and law in the community. They provide citizens with customer service, community outreach, and patrol. It is their job to implement city codes and other non-criminal police associated duties. They provide non-EMS in-home and on-site assistance to the citizens. Also, they respond to non-criminal complaints, building checks, and more.
Law enforcement officers and community services officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Law Enforcement Officer | Community Services Officer | |
| Average salary | $39,219 | $38,039 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $50,000 | Between $27,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | University of Nebraska System | City of Los Angeles |
| Best paying industry | Government | Education |
There are a few differences between a law enforcement officer and a community services officer in terms of educational background:
| Law Enforcement Officer | Community Services Officer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Criminal Justice |
| Most common college | Pennsylvania State University | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Here are the differences between law enforcement officers' and community services officers' demographics:
| Law Enforcement Officer | Community Services Officer | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.3% Female, 19.7% | Male, 56.1% Female, 43.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 13.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 3.1% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 22.4% Asian, 2.9% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |